Dusting

[Osok]

Can someone clue me in to what causes dusting when buffing...particularly with the orange pad and SHR? I'm religiously sticking with a 3 pea drops to start a 2x2ish section. Any repeated passes I simply just give the pad a spritz with DS. When I start the next section I'll put at most 3 more pea drops on..and many times just 2. No matter how much attention I pay to quantity of product I still get A TON of dusting.

 

Any other causes of it I should be aware of? It gets to be a big pain in the a$$ with the amount of dust that ends up all over the car /glass/trim while buffing.

 

Thanks!

[camaro2ssblack]

I started my first correction last night and I'm having the same problem. Brand new pads, mid 60s temps and very little product. Each pass starts with a spray of DS and second pass is DS only...

I have also noticed that the edges are definitely the trouble area.

[mc2hill]

I'm religiously sticking with a 3 pea drops to start a 2x2ish section. Any repeated passes I simply just give the pad a spritz with DS. When I start the next section I'll put at most 3 more pea drops on..and many times just 2. No matter how much attention I pay to quantity of product I still get A TON of dusting.

 

Once the pad get primed (a few sections) you can reduce the amount of polish applied to the pad, which should reduce the amount of dusting.

I have this problem on occasion myself. If a little bit is good, a little more must be better, but it works the opposite!

[Adam]

Sorry to hear about the dusting! Be sure to thoroughly clean out the pads after each use, and in this case, be even more thorough.

 

Hit them with extra sprays of APC, work it in much more, and then rinse the pad with a good stream of water from your hose.

 

Repeat. Repeat.

 

Then, when using the orange pad with S&H, use more Detail Spray, and less polish.

 

Problem should be solved! (Sounds like lots of the old polish is in your pad, hence the dust.)

 

[Osok]

Shoot 10 seconds at a time, we can veiw them like a flip book LOL!

 

I'd say that SOME dusting is normal, but just minimal amounts.

 

Be sure you're keeping the pad flush with the panel at all times, product has the chance to escape when you cross a gap, a body line, or lift an edge on the pad.

 

Also, I didn't see it mentioned, but are you stripping the car prior to polishing? Old wax on the surface can cake up a pad and that sometimes will lead to dusting as well.

 

Yea, for me I've always been stripping the car first. All but one of my pad usages came after dawn wash, claybar, rewash then onto pads. Just the other day I isopropyl + water because i was just working on one quarter panel that had a couple of scratches and was using the pc and focus pads..and saddly, I even got the focus pads to dust a little.

 

Is it possible that I'm going too long on the actual buffing and drying out the product too much on the car itself and thus causing it to dry and flake and dust? But now that I think of it most my dusting occurs off the edge of the pad if i get near an edge or ridge.

[Kustom_FX]

What our leader said is correct. On my first correction I had excessive dusting.. Junk pointed out to me To Much material, not enough DS. When I did my 2nd correction no issues at all! I soak my pads in a bucket of APC water as I change them. Then agitate, blast with a hose and do the Junkman spin dry trick in the clothes washer! Hope this all helped!

[Ian6]

I really think the temperature has something to do with it because when the temp is below 80 I get very minimal dusting but the closer to 100 it gets the dusting increases dramatically

[Junkman2008]

... Is it possible that I'm going too long on the actual buffing and drying out the product too much on the car itself and thus causing it to dry and flake and dust? But now that I think of it most my dusting occurs off the edge of the pad if i get near an edge or ridge.

 

That is very well a possibility. Also, the edge thing does cause some dusting.

[camaro2ssblack]

Yea, for me I've always been stripping the car first. All but one of my pad usages came after dawn wash, claybar, rewash then onto pads. Just the other day I isopropyl + water because i was just working on one quarter panel that had a couple of scratches and was using the pc and focus pads..and saddly, I even got the focus pads to dust a little.

 

Is it possible that I'm going too long on the actual buffing and drying out the product too much on the car itself and thus causing it to dry and flake and dust? But now that I think of it most my dusting occurs off the edge of the pad if i get near an edge or ridge.

 

This may be my issue as well, I am finding it hard to tell exactly when the product is broken down and ready for fresh product or detail spray (maybe because of the black paint) - I make several passes very slowly horizontal and then vertical before freshening up the pad..my results so far are great but the dusting is annoying.

[Team Adam's]

Is it possible that I'm going too long on the actual buffing and drying out the product too much on the car itself and thus causing it to dry and flake and dust? But now that I think of it most my dusting occurs off the edge of the pad if i get near an edge or ridge.

 

Always a possibility, perhaps you are simply over working the product.

 

One sure way to know if its the edges giving you problems. Buff an area in the middle of a panel next time, stay away from egdes, gaps, bodylines, etc. If you don't get the same dusting you have your answer.

 

Anytime you allow a pad to leave flush contact with the panel you're gonna get more product residue thrown out.

 

This may be my issue as well, I am finding it hard to tell exactly when the product is broken down and ready for fresh product or detail spray (maybe because of the black paint) - I make several passes very slowly horizontal and then vertical before freshening up the pad..my results so far are great but the dusting is annoying.

 

Black is the easiest color to see the product "flash" on. You'll notice it goes from a semi-opaque/hazy consistency to an oily consistency and looks like someone smeared armourall or bacon grease on your finish.

 

Not an easy thing to understand, but you'll know it when you see it.

[Osok]

I think I've definitely gone past the bacon grease look many times to where it's almost chalky. I guess maybe I"ll try to pay more attention to the hue next time and even stop a little earlier vs late.

[Captain Slow]

I think I've definitely gone past the bacon grease look many times to where it's almost chalky. I guess maybe I"ll try to pay more attention to the hue next time and even stop a little earlier vs late.

:drool:MMMMM :drool::drool::drool:bacon:drool:

[Junkman2008]

For those having dusting issues, how about making and posting a video of exactly what you are doing, giving detailed information of your process. What you are posting here and what I might see with my own eyes could be two different things. I have sucessfully corrected a lot of bad techniques with this method.

[Osok]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I did my brothers Marano all day today and definitely still fought the dusting

 

It's definitely not a temperature issue since I'm in upstate NY and well it was about 60 all day today, and the other night while doing my car i was in my garage at night and it was about 50.

 

As far as cleaning, i soak them good with APC rub it in with my hands then run them under a lot of water in the utlity sink and rinse them until the water squeezed out of them is clear. When it's done the pad looks brand new..at least on the outside.

 

I guess I'll keep tweaking how much product i'm using. And the issue definitely seems way more predominant with orange pad + SHR combo for me. I'll start doing 1 or 2 pea sized drops of product.

 

One thing I noticed today the flaking/drying seems to be an issue mostly at the edges of the pad. I can see some build up there over time that looks like it dries whereas the inner portion of the pad maybe is getting more of the DS when I'm spritzing it between passes.

 

I guess at this point..based on everyone's input it's my technique thats the issue so I'll keep testing and learning.

 

Thanks again for all the input...as always..an ever helpful crowd here.

 

Now if only I could get Bill Gates to personally chime to help me with endless windows errors like Adam does here

[Osok]

For those having dusting issues, how about making and posting a video of exactly what you are doing, giving detailed information of your process. What you are posting here and what I might see with my own eyes could be two different things. I have sucessfully corrected a lot of bad techniques with this method.

Oh how I'd love to do this AJ..and actually was even thinking of it last weekend when it was happening. But alas..I don't have a digital camcorder. Oh how I'd love the Junkman to set me straight because this dusting thing has me stumped.

[Junkman2008]

Oh how I'd love to do this AJ..and actually was even thinking of it last weekend when it was happening. But alas..I don't have a digital camcorder. Oh how I'd love the Junkman to set me straight because this dusting thing has me stumped.

 

Do you have video capabilities on your phone?

[Osok]

Do you have video capabilities on your phone?

My phone does video..15 seconds max per clip at 10 frames per second. So really, no.

[Junkman2008]

My phone does video..15 seconds max per clip at 10 frames per second. So really, no.

 

 

That definitely wouldn't work!

[Team Adam's]

My phone does video..15 seconds max per clip at 10 frames per second. So really, no.

 

Shoot 10 seconds at a time, we can veiw them like a flip book LOL!

 

I'd say that SOME dusting is normal, but just minimal amounts.

 

Be sure you're keeping the pad flush with the panel at all times, product has the chance to escape when you cross a gap, a body line, or lift an edge on the pad.

 

Also, I didn't see it mentioned, but are you stripping the car prior to polishing? Old wax on the surface can cake up a pad and that sometimes will lead to dusting as well.

[lawson4450]

I have a pad cleaning brush it looks like a gun handle with a small stiff brush on it used for cleaning pads. what i do after a couple of panels i just turn the machine on and run the brush over it and it gets any excess stuff out of the pad pores it also allows me to use the same pad longer. Mark from detailersdomain.com has the thing im talking about here is a link http://www.detailersdomain.com/foampadconditioningbrush.aspx

[JJ1o87]

I have a pad cleaning brush it looks like a gun handle with a small stiff brush on it used for cleaning pads. what i do after a couple of panels i just turn the machine on and run the brush over it and it gets any excess stuff out of the pad pores it also allows me to use the same pad longer. Mark from detailersdomain.com has the thing im talking about here is a link http://www.detailersdomain.com/foampadconditioningbrush.aspx

 

Glad you mentioned that brush - I wanted to get one but didn't know if they worked.

[JPEGXP]

How often have you used that pad? Is it possible that is hasn't been cleaned well enough and you still have product caked up in it from previous uses?

[Osok]

How often have you used that pad? Is it possible that is hasn't been cleaned well enough and you still have product caked up in it from previous uses?

 

This is only the third time I've used the pad. Both times prior after using I sprayed with APC rubbed it in for about 2 minutes with my fingers then rinsed it under cool water until it was back to its original color and water rinsing out of it was clear..so I assume its clean.

[JJ1o87]

This has been a long time issue with my pads, I wish I had an answer for you.

 

Sounds like you're doing the right things tho.

[Chris@Adams]

Are you working outside,is your paint hot? Every so often skip the product and just give your pad a spray of DS. Sounds like to much product or the pads where not real clean to start with or the heat is drying out your product too quick.Hope this helps!

[Junkman2008]

If you are using the right amount of polish, you shouldn't have any build up. There is no reason for build up to happen unless you are using too much polish. If you pay attention to your pads as you work, you should be able to see a build up begin to happen and start implementing detail spray to flush out the pad.