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Adam's looking at this?: Rupes Big Foot LHR 21ES Random Orbital Polisher

http://www.adamsforums.com/forums/north-eastern-usa/5204.htm Roll call thread for NJ.

Hear ya loud and clear Dylan... understand completely.. BTW, how has your process changed now that you have experienced real weather (smile) ....

Mine (some dups that others have suggested) These are more along a Pro line: 1) Rotary polisher (backed by Adams) 2) Pads and polishes for #1, replace m101,105,205 3) TarX replacement 4) IronX replacement (I know there is some debate as to this being needed) 5) Longer lasting LSP (ala Opticoat/Hardbody) 6) Longer lasting SVRT (Still testing replacements!) I have posted my issues on both rubber and plastic (my rear diffuser laughs at SVRT). I have taken a break from detailing has work has me super busy and I live in the NE (no garage).

It wasn't that long ago that the Adam's team would caution beginners towards the PC, over the Flex. That tide seems to be turning now, as you mentioned, Mook. Who knows, in time maybe Adam's will move towards a rotary line....

Update: 12/3/12 - After 112 long days, Darin Hufford is finally home with his family as of Saturday. There are still some health challenges and a long road of recovery ahead but we are all happy for this early holiday present. Please continue to keep Darin and his family in your thoughts and prayers and keep the encouragement and support flowing their way. 12/4/12 - A message from Angie Hufford about Darin: Please pray for my guy. He keeps throwing up and is eating very little and is continuing to have a low grade fever. Yesterday was the first day he felt his shoulders and shoulder blades. He is very thin. From me: Long road ahead for this guy. One awesome dude who as earned the respect and love of thousands, just by being himself. He has kids and a wide that need him... so keep sending prayers and positive thoughts his way. May you all have a wonderful (and healthy) Christmas Season, and treasure the relationships you have.

Did I mention I work in Hoboken?

Chris, I waited on a couple shipments long after our area was clear... but totally understood drivers wanting to take care of family, etc... my packages waited all nice and warm in a local secure facility...

Gang, Please consider giving to the Red Cross to aid the recovery effort from Sandy... Here in NJ I was actually in DR mode, rode out the storm in a hotel (Secaucus), and worked Monday through Friday... had fun riding through downed lines and flooding to get to our DR site...returned home Wednesday to find power had been restored and my sweetie safe and warm! Please keep all those that have lost home, families member or otherwise suffered as a result of hurricane Sandy. -Mike

Update, from Darin's sister: Today marks 2 months of my brother being in the hospital. We have all been on quite an emotional journey but I am pleased to announce that Darin is making significant improvements everyday! His vital signs are all within the acceptable range, his temperature is normal, and his PICC line has been removed (he is left with only an IV). Darin currently doesn't have much of an appetite and we are praying that it increases so he can begin to gain back some of the weight he has lost. He is doing physical therapy everyday in an effort to regain strength and muscle tone. Darin asked that I let everyone know that he has been working on standing up. The doctor's are all very pleased with his continued progress. Thank you so much for standing with our family in prayer and support over these past 2 months. It means more to us than you will ever know. May God bless each and every one of you! I continue: I usually don't post to ask for help, but this guy needs our help, his medical bills have gone through the roof, so if his situation leads you to do so, please consider a donation to help he and his family out: Radiant Fellowship - Accepting, Real, Relational - Go to the bottom and click on the yellow fund button.

Ok, sealant should be on bare paint but you can use QS to ho repel bugs on drives. Choice as to wax or seal depends on whether you intend to spend 8 or so hours a week on protecting the paint. I go for sealants (or coatings) for cars that see road time. How often to wash depends on how dirty the car is. I learned the hard way to 2 bucket wash over WW.

Magnum, Basic plan would be as follows: 1) Two bucket wash, with APC/Dawn stripping to remove all dealer applied products, watch the video on this because bad washing technigues will cause you problems later (you will induce your own swirls when you wash the car) 2) Dry with Adams Great white (or electric leaf blower if you have one, or Masterblaster if you have one of those lying around) 3) Baggie test (for contaminants) 4) Now you clay (if baggie test fails), claying can be used to remove sap, bugs, etc (although you may chose to use other special purpose products). Use plenty of lubricant (DS) to reduce marring when claying 5) You now have a clean car... you need to decide if you want to correct, or cover the swirls... 5a) Insert polishing here... but you should consider a polisher (rather than hand polishing, especially if you have too many swirls or scratches). 6) You need to decide if you are going to use a sealant or wax, or both. If you use a sealant it must be applied on a clean car, no oil from polishing, no wax, no glaze, so you will need to apply sealant first. Sealant and waxes both protect the paint, with sealants typically lasting longer than waxes. 7) If you seal and want to wax over, you can do that, you can also apply BG over sealant as well. Adams provides you with QS or MSS for sealants. 8) If you don't want to use sealants, I would recommend BG then Americana. BG will help cover some swirls, as it has some filling properties. Hope this helps....

Usually with no wax/sealant you don't get any beading... don't be surprised if more swirls or scratches appear after stripping (dawn or APC)... many dealers use products like glazes that will "hide" swirls and some light scratches, holograms, etc...

This? Its Len's.... I think he had another one somewhere? There are others in this thread: http://www.adamsforums.com/forums/cars/12140.htm

The other thing is you can "refresh" the polish already on the pad by hitting it with a quick spray of DS... are you polishing in the heat? In you pic it appears you have tons of dusting going on.... I would concur with the others that too much product would result in what you are seeing... and to remove it "on the fly" especially when you have too much product on the pad, would be a good idea. Less polish and hitting it with DS should allow you to use up all the polish, then just add a few drops, and repeat as needed.... [edit] A pad brush with DAT polish (like Adams) shouldn't really be necessary (again unless you load the pad with too much polish, in which case you would need it to remove). But it is always a handy tool, especially for pad cleanup at the end of you polish session.. speeds the final pad cleaning up, as does the universal pad washer... especially handy if you are correcting more than just you own vehicle...

Update on Darin: From his sister: “I am thrilled to announce that Darin has been moved out of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) into the Progressive Care Unit (PCU). He is still in critical condition but moving in the right direction!” I continue: I am thankful that Darin is making forward progress, even as I know he has a long road before him and possibly a lifelong health issue he will need to deal with. I can't pretend to understand what Darin and his family are going through, but am thankful that he appears to be on the mend....

Update: Another exciting bit of news to report on Darin: Today, for the first time in 2 months, Darin was put in a wheelchair and taken outside! He was able to sit in the sun, breathe the fresh air, and enjoy being out of his hospital room for a change. Something most of us take for granted, was a beautiful gift that won't be forgotten. But in other news: Darin hasn't been able to eat or drink for most of his time in the hospital and, needless to say, he's miserable. According to Angie, he’s supposed to have a swallow study tomorrow. She also says that “The swallow study nurse has only come once in 3 weeks. The last time he was a little bit stronger but not strong enough to drink. They are afraid he will swallow wrong and it will go into his lungs. That would be really bad!” Please pray that he passes. So... Your continued thoughts and prayers are appreciated....

Adam, Dylan, Ashley, Lawson4450, Mayben, BRZN, eric@thompsonracing.us

Update: Darin is looking stronger and stronger everyday. Today he was able to stand and pivot to a chair. Mind you he had two people holding him up. It's definitely a step in the right direction. The Dr. are thinking we might get to leave the ICU this week to a floor where he can still be monitored closely. Love! He still has a fairly long road ahead of him. No news on pancreas yet...

If you are going to polish, won't it be better to have a generator? If so then you could go electric.... I have the cleanforce 1800.. which works well for me...

Me too! To be frank tho, this old body may not support a full time detailing gig, even if I could get $1-2K a detail. I admire Paul's relentless pursuit of perfection. He has added a few interesting tools of late, including a electronic microscope and a gloss meter -- some big ticket items... necessary or good marketing?? I'm still looking for a paint meter that works on ferrous surfaces that shows the amount of clear. My mind says if they can do the gloss meter you should be able to tell the difference in reflection/refraction and come up with a clear coat measurement (regardless of the surface it is coating). That would assume clear coat that isn't cloudy (I would imagine that would affect accuracy) Happy detailing!

TY John!

On the subject of P. Dalton, it looks like the bulk of his details are in the $1-2k range, with less than a dozen going into the higher $6000+ range. Kudos to him for great marketing and brand recognition!!

Thanks Chris... he still needs all the prayers we can offer...

Thanks Jim!!! From what I can tell his kidneys are ok but hard to tell, thus seems to all be a complication of an esophagus cyst??? Something seems to have gone horribly wrong!