The next in my series of FAQ threads, addressing our most common questions and concerns with aspects of detailing.
So you've taken your first crack at machine polishing and noticed that as you start the machine is casting dried up polish everywhere. While not the end of the world it still can be quite annoying. This writeup is designed to help you identify the causes of 'dusting' and arm you with the tools to prevent it.
WHAT CAUSES POLISH DUSTING?
There are a few common factors that can be blamed for excessive polish dusting. First, understand that some dusting is normal, as products are worked its inevitable that some of the spent polish will be cast out. Typically you'll notice it most on the hood of a vehicle when it accumulates near the wiper cowl or along the wiper blades. Excessive dusting is caused by one, or a combination, of the following factors.
CAUSE: Too Much Product - A mistake most new machine polishers make it to assume that 'more is better' and while this may be true for some things, its not true in the world of detailing. Excessive use of polishes not only causes dusting, but it will also clog up the pad prematurely rendering it less effective, as well as not allowing the products to be broken down, subsequently resulting in less than stellar results. As a general rule use an "X" across the face of the pad with the polish for the first panel, for each panel after that add only 2-4 pea sized drops, much more than that should not be needed.
SOLUTION:
Try polishing a panel without adding anymore product. Simply prime the pad with a few shots of
DS
, then proceed as usual. The
DS
will reactivate a lot of the polish trapped deep within the pad and bring it to the surface. Continue using nothing but
DS
until the polish beings to thin out and dusting stops. From that point forward add only a few drops of polish with each new panel.
CAUSE: Insufficient Pad Cleaning - Once used and allowed to sit polishes will dry deep within the pores of polishing pads and become very difficult to remove. This residual polish trapped in the pad can then be responsible for dusting the next time the pad is used. To prevent this washing pads immediately after being used or allowing them to soak in a water/APC mixture bucket until they can be cleaned is helpful.
SOLUTION:
If you have a pad that has dried polish trapped in it that doesn't seem to come clean easily try washing with warm water and soaking for a few minutes before scrubbing. Unfortunately, pads with this issue will pretty much continue to have the problem until cleaned completely so you may need to swap to a new pad if you're in the midst of a detail with the problem starts.
CAUSE: High Heat/Direct Sunlight - Even when using the appropriate amount of product for the job, environmental conditions can play a factor. High ambient temperatures or working on a panel heated up by direct sunlight will cause the polish to dry out prematurely. This dried polish then tends to be cast out of the pad and thrown on the car. If working in high heat/direct sunlight be prepared to work harder, though the products can be used in direct sunlight it does make them more difficult to work with.
SOLUTION:
If there is no shade or shelter available to work under prime the pad more frequently with Detail Spray and/or attempt to cool the panel down using damp towels or a spray bottle filled with ice water prior to polishing. If all else fails hold off polishing until you can work in cooler temps or find shade.
CAUSE: Panel Gaps, Body Lines, or Protrusions - The Porter Cable 7424xp and the Flex 3401 are both tools that are only effective when the pad is flush with the surface being polished. When the pad comes out of contact with the panel or strikes a hard edge it can cause the pad to cast dust. While it may be tempting to just go right across that door gap to save time, realize that you're going to cause excessive polish dusting and other issues (including pad damage) by doing so.
SOLUTION:
Tape off badges, washer fluid nozzles on the hood, or other similar protrusions also present areas that will cause a spray of polish dust to fly so taping areas like this off and avoiding hitting them excessively with the pads will not only prevent dusting, but damage to pads as well. Avoid crossing body panel gaps, polish up to the line from either side, but not across. The same applies for hard body lines as well.
HOW SHOULD I REMOVE DUSTING IF I HAVE IT?
Generally polish dust isn't sticky so it will remove rather easily from all surfaces. Using forced air from a tool like the Metro Blaster Sidekick or the Master Blaster is a great way to get polish dust out of tight spaces without much effort.
For a little more low tech approach simply mist a small amount of Detail Spray or Waterless Wash onto a plush microfiber towel and use almost no pressure to remove. The moisture will cause the polish to cling to the towel and you won't be forced to rub excessively to remove.
Avoid spraying cleaners or Detail Spray directly onto polish dust as it will re-liquify the polish and make it more difficult to remove or cause smearing.
Question
Team Adam's
The next in my series of FAQ threads, addressing our most common questions and concerns with aspects of detailing.
So you've taken your first crack at machine polishing and noticed that as you start the machine is casting dried up polish everywhere. While not the end of the world it still can be quite annoying. This writeup is designed to help you identify the causes of 'dusting' and arm you with the tools to prevent it.
WHAT CAUSES POLISH DUSTING?
There are a few common factors that can be blamed for excessive polish dusting. First, understand that some dusting is normal, as products are worked its inevitable that some of the spent polish will be cast out. Typically you'll notice it most on the hood of a vehicle when it accumulates near the wiper cowl or along the wiper blades. Excessive dusting is caused by one, or a combination, of the following factors.
CAUSE: High Heat/Direct Sunlight - Even when using the appropriate amount of product for the job, environmental conditions can play a factor. High ambient temperatures or working on a panel heated up by direct sunlight will cause the polish to dry out prematurely. This dried polish then tends to be cast out of the pad and thrown on the car. If working in high heat/direct sunlight be prepared to work harder, though the products can be used in direct sunlight it does make them more difficult to work with.
CAUSE: Panel Gaps, Body Lines, or Protrusions - The Porter Cable 7424xp and the Flex 3401 are both tools that are only effective when the pad is flush with the surface being polished. When the pad comes out of contact with the panel or strikes a hard edge it can cause the pad to cast dust. While it may be tempting to just go right across that door gap to save time, realize that you're going to cause excessive polish dusting and other issues (including pad damage) by doing so.
HOW SHOULD I REMOVE DUSTING IF I HAVE IT?
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