LFairbanks

https://www.corvettemuseum.org/the-corvettes-of-apollo-12-and-apollo-15/

Thanks for sharing those pictures, Rich!  Not sure how I would like the shape of that steering wheel. 🤔

I had a 1999 Ford F-250 delivered to me yesterday in need of a cleanup and I believe first real wash in preparation to be sold.  The truck has been outside for a long time and there is plenty of etching on the hood and roof, but overall it wasn't in bad shape.  There are places that the clear coat is dead, but not completely failed yet.  The wheels are rust stained to the point that after two rounds of Wheel Cleaner they are as good as they'll ever be.  Should I mention it was a beautiful day in South Carolina at 61 when I started and it only get to 84 by the time I was done - don't ask how early I started this morning...
 
I knew this one needed to have some time for the Strip wash to dwell and get through the road grime.  Using the foam gun, I sprayed the truck and then took a 5 minute break.  After the break I sprayed the truck again with the Strip wash using the foam gun and then started washing it using a red microfiber wash mitt.  The rinse bucket got a real workout and I had to change to the water once.   After the wash and follow up on some areas with APC and few spots that required some Lube and a Plastic Razor Blade, it was finally ready for an old clay mitt to be used.  There was still too many nicks and burs to allow me to use a newer one, which is the reason why I keep some old ones around.
 
 


 
After the Clay it was on to the Orange Pad with with Correction Polish and I hit a few test spots by hand and decided that was as aggressive as I was willing to go, so I grabbed the Swirl Killer 15mm and got at it.  After going over the truck with correction polish, it was on to finishing polish and it started to look like a real vehicle.  I purposely skipped the places where the clear coat was bad to reduce the risk of additional damage.  The truck was looking good, but I knew it could be a little better, so I grabbed the Revive Hand Polish and got the clarity and depth I was looking for.
 
Then it was on to giving it a coat of wax and that took a little pondering to decide what to use.  Given that is a vehicle being sold, I immediately ruled out Ceramic Paste Wax and Patriots. That left me with Americana, Spray Wax and Buttery.  I did a test spot of each on the box and the Buttery looked the best, so that is what I went with.   
 



 
The owner is pleased with the results and that is what really matters and more importantly, the owner now has a Red truck and will be bringing it to me to get protected.
 
 

Nice work Ray! 
I have a few like this, mostly just to get the experience.  I washed one SUV that was similar to this, and, like you had to change the rinse water half way thru, as it had turned green from the paint coming off!  I did a older Mercedes SL that I stepped down to a cleaner wax product on the hood, because the paint was so thin.

Got to see the C8 up close and personal at the hotel in Carlisle last month.  It's an incredible vehicle inside and out.  And what Corvette has in the works in the next few years is going to blow everyone's minds.  Horsepower junkies like me are saving every penny we can now.  

Is this a little more modern, Rich?  😁
 
https://kennedyspacecenter.com/launches-and-events/events-calendar/2019/october/event-2020-chevrolet-corvette-stingray-convertible-reveal

Not the most attractive design to us now, but back then that paint job was considered pretty sharp.   Back in the days when Corvettes were around $7000,  not $70,000.  

Not sure if people have noticed the link above the picture.  I wish it were more noticeable.  That corvette apparently is on display in Washington DC and belonged to Alan Bean who was the fourth man to walk on the moon.  He was also an amazing artist.  I have two of his prints that he did.  His paintings go for a ton of money.  I have been lucky enough to have met Alan Bean and Al Worden who the article is about.  Al Worden was command module pilot on Apollo 15.  Alan Bean was lunar module pilot on Apollo 12.  

Yep.  I read the story.  I was fascinated by the astronauts when I was a kid.  Still am  i guess.
 
I didn't realize they only got to use the vettes for a year. I'll bet a few of them purchased them when the year was up.
 
Great story.  Thanks for sharing.
 

Very cool 'spaceman' Chris!

https://www.corvettemuseum.org/the-corvettes-of-apollo-12-and-apollo-15/

https://www.corvettemuseum.org/the-corvettes-of-apollo-12-and-apollo-15/

https://www.corvettemuseum.org/the-corvettes-of-apollo-12-and-apollo-15/

Recently while helping a client select a polisher for their needs, it got me thinking that it's not an uncommon question of "what size polisher do I need or want?" I figured since I have some time today, I'd try to write a little bit about the different polishers and their pros and cons since we are fortunate enough to have some experience with various sizes.  We've worked through what we thought versus what it really is...sometimes these were the same.  Other times...we were way off the mark.  So without more intro and babbling, let's get into it.  Hopefully the folks at Adam's and the admins don't mind a post like this...If you do, feel free to take it down!
 
There's quite a few options out there for polishers.  Rotary, dual action (DA), 12mm, 15mm, 21mm, micro...the list goes on and on.  As you're considering making the leap into polishing it can be a bit overwhelming.  Everyone who's picked up a polisher for the first time has had multiple thoughts of "can I do this?" or "am I going to ruin my paint?" The good news is that the DA polishers are safer for paint than the rotary polishers.  Rotary polishers have unparalleled power, but getting them to finish without noticeable trails is difficult or next to impossible without vast experience.  Add in the sizes, and you can't help but question if you're giving yourself a recipe for disaster.
 
We use Rupes polishers in our business with the exception of a single Cyclo we have set up as a powered carpet brush.  Actually, Cyclo is now part of Rupes, so you could say we are Rupes exclusive seemingly.  The Adam's Polishers are great and VERY similar to the Rupes.  For most users, they're a great way to save a few dollars or to even get a second polisher to really round out your abilities.  Let's take our polishers (sizes) in the order we use them from most to least...
 
So which polisher do we actually use the most?  Our absolute "go-to" polisher when we start a project.  It's actually not out biggest and most powerful polisher.  Both of us will grab the Rupes 15mkII as our initial tool.  The 15mm throw has the absolute best blend of correcting power and maneuverability.  The 5.5" pads cover good surface area while not having such a large rigid spot due to the backing plate that we can still work curves and edges with them.  The 15 is generally more then enough polisher in terms of power and is very versatile with the types of pads and polishes/compounds.  Use a compound on a wool pad and you have some serious cutting horsepower at your fingertips.  We constantly play with pad/polish/speed combos based on our goals and what's going to work in terms of time/effort/budget for our clients.  If we could have only one single polisher, without a doubt we would pick the 15 every single time.  It really is that good.  We aren't going to get into speed recommendations as it's largely variable based on the polish/compound/pad/polisher.  The variables are endless and an entirely different conversation.
 
Does the next polisher we grab go up or down in size?  Surprisingly, it goes down.  We grab our Rupes Mini with a 4" pad.  This little guy has considerable power for a little machine.  You can work the polisher with one hand if you need to, and the small size makes it the great bumper getter.  Swirly A-post?  No problem.  The mini will tackle it with it's correcting power without having a pad that's significantly oversize for the work area.  Mirrors are another great spot for the mini, and even inside door sills for those who need to get everything perfect!  The smaller machine is more maneuverable and has far better than pushing a bigger polisher with a longer throw and a larger backing plate around where it can find body parts to bang off of potentially causing damage to the vehicle.
 
We have a Rupes Nano in our selection, which brings us to number three.  We LOVE our nano since it can be configured a million ways.  Soft boars hair brush as a rotary to clean embroidery?  Got ya covered.  Small DA to a quick spot correction?  Say no more.  It supports a 1-2" pad.  When configured on the 3mm throw with a 1" pad, it's VERY easy to stall the action of the polisher.  It's almost not powerful enough to correct in that situation.  We do use it for light spot corrections on a scratch removal or similar though with the longer throw and it has adequate power.  It won't correct like a full size machine, but we've managed to take out wet sanding marks with ours.  Which is another useful component, We will configure it with the 3mm throw and have little 2000/3000 grit sanding disks that stick to a backing plate and we will use to spot wet sand.  The DA pattern makes the marks easy to remove, but it's easy to take significant clear coat off.  I wouldn't suggest this without a paint thickness gauge.  Actually, I'd be hesitant to take sandpaper to any vehicle without it.  The Rupes Nano also has a stiff bristle brush for the quick stubborn spot you're trying to scrub.  Couple the brush with some cleaners and/or steam, and you'll be surprised at what you can pull out.
 
So how does our Rupes 21mkII end up at the bottom of the list?  Well, it's powerful which is great.  But it's large.  So large it doesn't work curves that well.  It's fantastic for larger doors without body lines, hoods, roofs.  But bumpers?  Might as well put it down and swap your equipment out.  It has it's place for correcting large flatter surfaces quickly...but after using it, it's not an ideal polisher by itself.  The 21mm throw with a 6.5" pad means you're generating some real power in the correcting area of the polisher.  It also means you have a huge backing plate to bump off of body panels and lines and the way it rolls over edges isn't ideal.  It's a great tool, but we'd consider this an additional tool rather than primary.  We will commonly use it when we are correcting together.  One of us on the 21 doing the big flat areas, the other on the 15/Mini hitting the details.  It has a place though.
 
So the last polisher...the Cyclo.  The Cyclo was actually where I got my start right here through Adam's.  I still have that polisher and it's since been converted to a powered carpet brush for floor mats and such.  It works great as a correcting tool.  You can change the orientation to change the covered surface area and make it versatile.  Unfortunately, the body of the tool is still large and you have two pads to maintain and keep up with.  It's a great tool, but in favor of some other offerings available now...it's become used less and less as a correcting tool.
 
So what's the ideal setup?  A pick two?  It really is the 15/mini combo.  Between those two polishers you can really do a lot and achieve fantastic results.  I'm a firm believer that the weekend detailer can achieve the same results as the pro.  The biggest difference between the two is that the pro is usually trying to meet a time deadline (for a client and/or profitability), so the pro generally has more tools at their disposal that would be less likely for a weekend detailer to invest in.  Our garage is setup with multiple polishers, a car lift, MBR, sidekick, air compressor, shop-vac, hot water extractor, steamer, etc.  The other difference is that a pro does enough work generally to have a pretty set process and order of events for how things go.  
 
I'm consistently blown away by the work represented on this forum.  Hopefully this thread will help someone make some decisions and take the leap into polishing themselves.  If this thread is well received, I'll consider continuing to write about different topics as they strike me or people ask.  
 
Enjoy and happy detailing!

After reading this post, I figured I’d look up neoglide. This made me laugh 😆 
 
 

Agreed with this. Doing it yourself ensures control over what’s on your tools. 
 
The dirt from other vehicles has to go somewhere. So is it in your paint, or in the sponge, which is being put on your paint? It doesn’t make sense to me that it just disappears.

I wouldn't trust anything touching my car that I couldn't verify was free of anything that could scratch my paint.  It's still foam, still sponge, and will still pick up minute particles from anywhere. Even from stuff blowing in the wind.  Best advice........stay away from car washes. 

Arsenic won't kill you as fast as cyanide but that doesn't mean it's good for you.
 

You used WHITE vinegar didn't you?  And sprinkle baby powder or baking soda over it overnight and vacuum it up in the morning.  That'll take care of the smell.  

If you don’t have the extractor or steamer, you can get good results with vinegar and distilled water.  I had great results with the situation below.  I think it mixed it 50/50 for the salt crust below (I posted it somewhere on here.  I’ll edit here when I find it.).  It was a matter of soaking and blotting/wiping repeatedly. 
 

The recommendations vary, but if you do plan to reuse them, get them in water (with a little Microfiber Revializer added) ASAP.

Thank you Thorsager!  Car looks great!! 

I used the Ceramic Spray Coating on all the plastic trim on my Hellcat. It may have made the trim slightly darker. I am really happy with the results! I would say if your plastic is faded use the Trim Restorer first followed with Spray Coating.

A step in your sons life that he will carry on great memories. I am lucky enough to have a job where get to continue training our warriors, and these days to me are  more rewarding then my time served.

I started a hand crank car! 
My client who has several brass-era cars recently re-purchased a 1913 White Motor Company truck - he has sold the truck about 15 years ago to someone in New Mexico with a large collection/museum, but this truck lived outside under a shelter.  It was not started during that time, and when the owner passed away, he bought the truck back.  He has been working on it, and went through the motor to prepare it to run again.  Well yesterday was the day to try!  I was on the hand crank, the owners wife was on the decompression pedal, and the owner was on working the carburetor.  He filled the oil tank and the two oiling tubes on the dashboard, filled the priming cups over the middle two cylinders, and filled the carburetor, and was not ready for me to turn the crank handle.  It took about 10 tries to get it to turn over the first time, and only ran for a minute, but it sounded good and he was ecstatic.  He checked the carb again and realized the choke was not engaged, so we reset everything to start it again.  It still took about 10 cranks to get it running again, but this time it purred for about 3 minutes.  Success!! 
I now know a few things about what we see from that era - the chauffeurs had to be fairly strong, and they needed to wear gloves (I have a raw spot on the side of my thumb from the cranking - you don't grab the handle with a fist, but tuck your thumb into your hand in case it kicks back, and ended up with a nice gash on back of my hand from hitting something).  What a fun afternoon for me!!