Help with technique PDX area

[Adroc33]

Ok so I got the basic Flex kit and spent last weekend correcting my new to me 01 Subaru Legacy. It looks alot better and I am mostly happy with the results but I am pretty sure my technique is lousy to say the least. I know that it takes time to perfect the technique but I feel like I am using way too much polish for fear that I might overwork it. The reason I think I am using too much polish is I had dust every where in the garage and on my car. My biggest concern is not having enough polish on the pad and overworking the polish. After watching the Adam's updated videos on the Flex for about the millionth time I realized that I may have been working to fast and not working the product near enough. It is hard to tell from the videos how long Adam works the polish into the paint because they cut away but when it shows the car again it looks like there is almost no polish on the car. Are there any videos to show how long until the polish flashes or what flashing looks like? If any one around the Portland area has experience with this I would love to meet up with you. Seems like besides keeping the pad level and moving at a correct speed this is the most important thing to be aware of. I would go to a detailing clinic but the last one that was anywhere near me was 2 years ago and the closest one this year is over 3 hours away. Apparently Portland isn't a big detailing town. Lucky there are such great people on here to help.

[Team Adam's]

Because there are so many variables on what it takes to get a polish from start to 'flash' its not something you can just watch and say "OK... 2 minutes, 18 seconds!" Temps, humidity, amount of product, area being worked, speed being used, etc all play a role in how long it will take.

 

The best description I can give you is when the polish goes from a hazy look to an oily, almost Vaseline like smear, it has flashed.

[Adroc33]

Dylan thanks for your quick reply. I understand about the variables and flashing will take different amounts of time but my problem seems to be that hazy and oily look almost the same to me when I use the Flex on speed 6. Especially if I don't add polish to the pad and instead reactivate the product with detail spray. It seems to go to oily almost instantaneously so then I start to worry about overworking the product which is why I think I am not working it enough. Seems like one of those things that once I see it I will have an "ah ha" moment which is why I was hoping someone in the Portland area would be willing to take a look but as I mentioned before doesn't seem like there are many of us out here. Might have to post a video but even then I am not sure people will be able to tell whether I have worked the product long enough or not.

[Team Adam's]

If its hard to tell back your speed down to 5... it will make the work time a little longer and give you a chance to see the change. What color is the car you're working on BTW?

 

On light colors (silvers/whites) its VERY difficult to tell... on dark colors (like black) its very easy to see.

[Adroc33]

It's hard to tell in this picture becuase it was raining but it is more of a light aqua green. I believe Subaru called it a Winter Green. If I am hearing you correctly it would be easier to work on my technique on a darker colored car correct? If thats the case I am planning on doing my mom's car this weekend and it is more of a grayish color. I will back it down to a 5 and see if I can notice it more clearly. Oh and congrats on the new ride.

 

 

 

[Adroc33]

Tried doing my mom's car this weekend but gave up half way through. Up to this point I have done my car and half my mom's and while they are both better than when I started I still think my technique is off as I see all kinds of imperfections in the paint. I would post pictures but that is another thing I am having trouble with. Taking a picture to show what my eyes are seeing is near impossible for me even though its pretty easy to see with the naked eye. I have tried to work a 2x2 section on the hood of both cars to get it the way I would like it to work but no matter how many passes (more than 3x with SSH>SH>FMP) I do it still comes out the same. The paint is somewhat corrected but imperfections still remain. For the amount of work/time I am putting in I don't feel like I am getting out of it what I put in. This is making it extremely frustrating as I feel like I'm beating my head against a brick wall.

[PacificNWBuckeye]

I'm not far from you, but I am a noob when it comes to machine poishing. I would suggest going back to the videos, even watching the Junkman series. He shows alittle more of the working time in his videos, but again not all of it.

 

Don't give up yet, something seems to be off in your technique, so study a little more and give it another go.

[camaro2ssblack]

I also agree the flash point can be the toughest part to get the hang of. I would really like to see one of the polishing videos for just one panel shown in real time for this very reason.

[Adroc33]

I'm not far from you, but I am a noob when it comes to machine poishing. I would suggest going back to the videos, even watching the Junkman series. He shows alittle more of the working time in his videos, but again not all of it.

 

Don't give up yet, something seems to be off in your technique, so study a little more and give it another go.

 

Thanks for the encouragement. In no way am I giving up. I really want to get good at this but I'm a little discouraged that I can't even get one 2x2 section right. I have watched all of Junkman's videos but he doesn't use a Flex in any of them and he has stated on the forum many times that his and Adam's methods are completely different so I choose to go with Adam's. Are you using a Flex or PC?

[PacificNWBuckeye]

I got the PC, supposed to be easier to learn less chance to damage the paint. I will be making my first attempt next week. If I knew the weather would have been so nice recently I would have started yesterday.

[Adroc33]

Let me know how your attempt goes next week. I'll be courious how it turns out. I am going to try and finish my mom's car tonight. If I knew how to take a decent picture I could post my progress but the light always ends up blinding me and I can't see what I'm taking a pic of