kaj41354

I plan on using BG and Americana but it does have some swirls and small scratches that I wanted to work on first.  After all it is black and everything shows.  Ill probably need a gallon of BG just for all the chrome😂

Start with some Revive hand polish and go from there. That's a real treasure. 

Man, what a gorgeous car. Your paint is most likely single stage paint which isn’t the end of the world. Single stage paint can still be polished, just like multiple stage paint systems. It does change a few things though. 
 
We typically use a fine polish. You’ll also change pads often. You’re going to load the pads with paint quicker than a clear coat. So you’ll need a lot of pads. You’ll also note your pads changing color. 
 
As always, do a test spot somewhere hidden and see how it reacts before going at the whole vehicle. 
 
Again, gorgeous car!

Sorry, nit experienced enough with that, but really look forward to seeing inputs and, of course, the finished product!

I just purchased a 1952 Chevy and the paint is original.  It is in great shape but it needs polished.  I have never worked on a car that was not Clear Coat and the previous owner "thinks" it is a lacquer paint (it may have been repainted at some time) It only has 86K original miles and was garage kept so me thinks it may be the original finish.  Please advise as to the steps you professionals would take to make it SHINE!

Thank you Adam!  I have only been a user/member for a year and thoroughly enjoy the products and the forum but this policy/stand was overdue.  Keep up the good work.  Shine on!

Hahaha ok since you asked. There will be a new ceramic shampoo in March as well as a new line of air fresheners around June  hahaha yea my bad, I meant 2018 

I really don't have many pictures but its a blue mustang wheels and strips package.

Woah you're from the Future?! Tell us the cool stuff Adam's has out that we don't know about yet! 😆

Friends:  We started this shine-therapy forum over a decade ago!  Time sure does fly....doesn't it?
 
Thank you for being here, and participating in this shine-crazy community.  Thank you for your business, and for voting for products you like and don't like with your dollars.  Thank you for helping us create better solutions.  Thank you for calling attention to areas or products we can improve.  Thank you for helping us grow this business exponentially, I'm humbled beyond words!
 
Please, SMILE while you type....
 
Thank you for not using this forum as a place to air negativity.  Thank you for always being respectful of other members, and our employees.  Thank you for  using detailing, your therapist, or exercise, or meditation to work through your issues, when you feel like life is tough.  Thank you for making AdamsForums a positive and pleasant place to hang out!
 
In 2008, when we started this forum, we had 6 employees, and a few thousand customers.  Today, we have 125 employees, and over 300,000 customers.  One thing we have learned, for absolute certain:  WE ARE NOT PERFECT!  There was exactly one person who ever walked earth, who was perfect.  We are not Him.  We are not even close.  
 
If you are feeling perfect, like your finish is 100% swirl free, and never needs cleaning or polishing, if you feel like your poop doesn't stink, like you walk on water, and are comfortable coming here to blast members or the company who pays to maintain this community, please, don't.    Need to get some negativity off your chest?  Find a dirty or swirled up car to detail.  Find a therapist, let out a primal scream, go for a run or hike, a mountain bike ride, go ski or snowboard if that's your winter kick, like it is mine! 
 
There are many ways people like to get negative energy out. Blasting other members, or this enthusiast forum sponsor probably won't help you turn your frown upside down.  Please come, hang out, be kind, give and get detailing help, and understand:  We want to earn your business, but more importantly, we want your kindness. 
 
Vote for the products you like with your dollars.  Don't buy stuff you don't like, but please, don't bash them.  If you cannot understand the marketing team's decision to bring on a particular product, you are probably not the target customer!   I have never watched TV, don't buy soda or potato chips, and don't follow sports.  Do I hang out bashing Coke, Ruffles, or slamming the Super Bowl?  Absolutely not, it's just not worth the negative energy!  (Plus, my kids, wife, and employees need me to be a positive influence.)
 
 
So friends, I've instructed our incredible  Forum Leadership Team to permanently remove AF members who regularly post negativity.  Threads that are overrun with negativity are also going to be deleted, unless they offer detailing solutions or help to members searching.
 
As the only AdamsForums sponsor, we want people to feel great about being here.  
 
Thanks for your business, and your smile, and here is my Primal Scream, after getting this off my chest!
 
 
 

I learned many years ago that whatever can go wrong will.  When I am planning a project there are two options - wait for the product to arrive or go get it locally.  You can never count on a delivery date even if it says "out for delivery" from any deliver service since anything can happen enroute.  If I have a two or three day task or in the case of the Mustang a many-month task, then I'll go ahead and start with the full understanding that it may be delayed at any point. 

Yup... just finished. It's beautiful. Made the black nice and deep. This is after polish before coating. 

I'm not sure if this has been a 3 year project or a 20+ year project.  Either way it has been fun, had a few challenges and the results are more than expected.  We know that done never means done, it is simply a break until the next activity.  Of note, the headlights are not complete, while the replacement arrived this week, there is a problem with them, but I went ahead and finished the body.  I'll also mention that I did not pull the wheels to do them, I decided to get Tire Armor and it is on the way. 
 
The weather was perfect for a very early start today, it was 50 outside and 60 in the garage with the humidity just above 50%.  She was already clean, but I went over the car with waterless wash and wiped her down twice.
 
The trim restorer works very well, I hadn't realized how dull the mirrors had gotten and the front cowl was really bad, they are nice and black now.       Following the WW, I pulled out the Ceramic Wax and was careful on the volume on the pad.  Paying careful attention to how the wax looked before I started wiping it off, I found 2 minutes to ideal with today's temp and humidity.  The 2 minutes allowed me to do one panel, excluding the hood, which I did in two parts.
 
After each panel was complete, I would go back over the previous two panels with a separate double soft to make sure I got everything, then I would start waxing the next panel.  I figured if I wiped each panel three times, I'd be assured of no left over wax.  Following the wax, I let it sit an hour, got a clean double soft and wiped it one more time.  Next was Ceramic Boost 2.0, this was my first use of 2.0, since I didn't have enough 1.0 in the bottle to do the whole car.  CB 2.0 went on very easy and I followed the same process as CW.  Finally, I topped it with Brilliant Glaze for the pop factor.
 
I'll add this to the do's and don't listing, but a word or caution, do not get CW on your convertible top unless you are prepared for some real work to get it off.
 
The first two pictures are of the car today after it was done.  The collage is the journey from shortly after we purchased it, through the engine rebuild and the body.
 
Finally, I want to thank all the members on the forum who have provided input with a special call out to @falcaineer @shane@detailedreflections @pirahnah3 and @mc2hill.  Chris, Shane, Jim, Michael, I really appreciate all the advice and notes as we went through this project - Thank You.
 

Since I started using Adam's products (about 10 years ago) the catalogue has expanded a lot.  One of the things I appreciated about Adam's when I first started was the simplicity of the product line.
 
However - Adam's has developed lots of new and improved products over the years.  Many times an improved product will completely replace an old one and there is NO END of the complaining from users/fans of that product.  Some times they've even offered "throw-back" versions just to please these customers - which just snowballs the product line.
 
Most of the NEW products do not replace an existing product and thus are added to the lineup. Do you want them to discontinue Buttery Wax because Americana Paste Wax is "better"? No - give the user the choice. Sometimes the "better" product is not the "best" product for you.
 
I think Adam's does a pretty good job explaining what each product is used for. It's really up the user to determine how it should fit in to their process - or even if it will at all.
 
That's what these forums are good for.  You'll get all kinds of opinions regarding which products will work best for each application.
 
As an example:  there is still no consensus (even among Adam's employees) regarding whether to apply Sealant before Glaze of vis versa. Your best bet is to try it yourself and see what you like. (BTW: It's been proven that the better looking detailers prefer Glaze on top of Sealant.)
 
 

Hello all,
 I really like the Waterless wash Towels. I think they do a wonderful job and really keep the dirt away from your paint. They are a very nice size and depending on how dirty your vehicle is you can get a few uses out of them before they need to be washed. I have a Dodge Durango R/T which I keep spotless as much as possible and when I first ordered the Waterless wash I also got 2 towels. Well I use to use just Micro Fiber towels which work just fine but the Adams Waterless towels I feel do a much better job. I really like them and I plan on buying many more.
 
Thanks guys keep up the great work.

I hope this thread isnt only for professional detailers.  Washed my truck today and my wifes car looked miserable, having not been washed in probably 4-5 months.  Thank God for grit guards, ultra foam soap, and turbo sticks lol.  I hate washing her wheels.  Ended up doing some correction on the roof and hood.  Apparently her wiper blade flew out and scuffed up her roof and windshield.  Most of the damage came out but i need to go back over with heavy correcting compound to fix it completely.  The car needs to be clayed too but I hadnt planned to work on it today and got a late start and ran out of time.  I dont know when ill be able to keep her car for an entire day again so I just applied LPS and Americana.  Cleaned the tires, trim, and plastic with TRC, applied TA, and undercarriage spray.    I missed a couple spots on the wiper cowl, my fingers are too big lol.  I need to invest in a wiper arm puller.  I wish I would have taken some before pics, the car looked terrible lol.

Yes, yes it is...
 
Pic 1 - first sticker on my new toolcart.
Pic 2 - reflection of said sticker and toolcart... Passenger door paint corrected in anticipation of ceramic coating this weekend.

Welcome Dale !

Received my order today. They threw in an extra 2-pk of green glass towels. Pretty cool!
got one of these two of these 
Also received my 2pk of waterless wash towels, 2pk of green glass towels and a Adam's red plastic storage crate.

That sounds crazy Tony!  Not how we roll, typically....but...it sounds like we gave you some poor customer service.  I apologize, and we typically offer a higher level of customer care.  I've sent you an email.  We can certainly make this right.  Looks like your Flex backing plate disintegrated.  In fact, we haven't carried that tool in years, and we don't carry backing plates.  As for the leaky gallon of TID, and broken cap on the Ceramic Boost, certainly, we can make that right.  However, the gallon is likely expired, judging by the label.  I believe it's a 2012-2013 blend date?   If it works for you, order this Flex backing plate from Amazon, and we will get you a $100 store credit to shop as you wish!
 
 https://www.amazon.com/Flex-452-661-FLEX/dp/B01N2IX434/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1546576118&sr=8-5&keywords=flex+xc+3401+vrg+5.5+inch+backing+plate
 
Sending you an email now....thanks Tony, 

Alright, let’s get into it a bit. Before I start, please don’t take this as a way to discourage you, but to inform you. I had a feeling that was going to be your answer.
 
If you’re new to detailing, you shouldn’t be taking money from someone to perform a service. You don’t know what you don’t know. The moment you take money from a client in exchange for a service, the expectation changes. You’re expected to know how, why and when to do something. More than that, you’re expected to know how to and have the means to fix your screw ups. And don’t think screw ups won’t happen, they will. I promise.
 
Without experience, how do you know what products you’ll need or want to get?  Do you know what tools you need too?  We still try different products all the time. 
 
Starting a business will cost you far more than you anticipate. Both in terms of time, and money. On the surface, detailing seems simple enough and like a low cost business. The reality is you’ll burn through product faster than you think, you’ll sacrifice product for time (we clean our pads with a tool, it shortens life but also shortens time we spend cleaning). 
 
Pricing...you need to work backwards. Your operating expenses, salary and money on the table for the business to grow. There’s a ton of math to be done. Don’t train your clients to pay lower prices, they’ll expect it and you’ll never break the habit. Value your work. 
 
If you think as a professional detailer you don’t need a steamer, I’d rethink that. We use a steamer on every job we do. Every. Single. One. 
 
The difference between a professional and hobbyist is often the tools and knowledge of the process. We have a lift, blowers, extractor, six different polishers, a bunch of polishes/compounds/pads. We have a lighting bay with 100,000+ lumens of light in it. 
 
Don’t forget insurance expenses, gas, generator, etc. How will you obtain clients?  
 
The list goes on. Ask some more specific questions, and I’m happy to answer. With little knowledge of the process, I’d say you’ll find yourself in over your head quickly. Practice on your cars, friends and family. Get junk panels from the junkyard and experiment. Make lists of equipment. As an example, one thing we use that helps us justify our premium pricing is that we have a large selection of tools for any task that the “other guys” don’t have. We also are IDA certified, and we are accredited by certain manufacturers to be authorized installers. 
 
Define your goal. Make a plan to get there. But go in with open eyes. You’ll be surprised it’s not as simple as it seems. 

It really depends on how heavy you want to use it. Our twenty gallon is fine for the most part. It’s not continuous use for us, but it’s adequate. 
 
Ideally you want 5.2-6.4 cfm at 90 psi. Ours is about 4 cfm at 90 psi.
 
Ultimately it depends on what you want to do. Being not continuous use, it works just fine for us. 

This sale is a great time to stock up for the new year!
 
Take 20% off Chemicals and Microfiber, plus 15% off everything else!
 
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From a few days ago; I finished up a dining table I've been working on for a while as my first piece of real furniture. Pretty basic design, but I wanted a perfectly smooth top after the poly. After a few wipe-on coats, and two, thicker, brushed on coats, I wet sanded with 1000/1500/2000 grit. Hit it with PCP on the 21mm SK. Applied H20 GG and a coat of Americana. If you sit a glass down at the wrong angle, it's going to hit the wall, which is just what I was aiming for. To caveat, I didn't follow-up with PCP because, honestly, I was just ready to have the thing done and it's supposed to look flawed; at least, that's what I keep telling myself.

Our tool is not a knock off. We use our tools...A LOT so I’m hesitant about knock off products. Our tool has been through the ringer. 
 
Our is the black. And the reality is we don’t use the vac attachment. It’s still unused. That being said, if we didn’t have an extractor it would probably be used all the time. We have a MyTee hot water extractor so that does the final cleanup duty. Between that and our 135psi steamer, we have most things covered. 
 
We use diluted APC mostly. We have used carpet and upholstery cleaner in it too. But APC is the go to. 
 
The compressor is a 20 gallon Husky that’s 4 cfm at 90psi. It’s a little underpowered for continuous use, but with our workflow it typically has time to recover without delaying our process. 
 
When we bought a tornador and put it to use, I wondered why we didn’t get one sooner. We use it that much.