Paint correction and polishing in direct sunlight on a 80 degree day

[Andrew-BigRed-Chevy]

Ok guys here's my question... Is it ok to do paint correction and polishing in direct sunlight? I know general rule of thumb is to do it on a cool surface, but unfortunately I have no shade to park under or anywhere to park inside to do the work. If anyone has any information or a link to another post about this it would be highly appreciated! Thank you

[Beemer]

Drink lots of water. Also - start early. Sunrise or earlier.

[sahls01gmc]

Go 1, maybe 2, panels at a time.

 

And, drink lots of water. Your actual duration will be slightly longer, but it is do able in the sun.

[rrmccabe]

Something like this might be some cheap relief too.

 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-10-x-10-Instant-Straight-Leg-Canopy-Gazebo/34528397?action=product_interest&action_type=title&item_id=34528397&placement_id=irs-106-t1&strategy=PWVUB&visitor_id&category=&client_guid=b38995e7-c53d-4af1-9e7b-a9feaf42e290&customer_id_enc&config_id=106&parent_item_id=42338314&parent_anchor_item_id=42338314&guid=02b659f1-bcda-4491-8b5e-9386410d7fef&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&beacon_version=1.0.1&findingMethod=p13n

[AvsBest]

Try to follow the sun sorta speak so that the sun is never directly on the panel as much as possible

[Kingsford]

Honestly, I think it would be very difficult. The polish will dry faster on hot panels, you'll go through more pads and it may not have the results you want.

 

I've polished on hot panels (not in the sun) and the polish dried almost instantly and just created a huge mess. 

 

Maybe buy a tent you can park it under. Lots of people do that. Someone also mentioned early morning, great idea! Just try to be done before 11 or you'll start running into issues with heat and polish drying.

[Dan@Adams]

We are constantly machine polishing on very hot panels in direct sunlight at shows like the Carlisle events. This past weekend Kyle, Dave, and I were paint correcting a gloss black Jaguar XK8 at Carlisle with panel surface temperature of 164 - 166 F. While not ideal polishing conditions in the least bit, it is possible. You will need to work in a smaller area, say 1 foot by 2 foot. The Correcting Polish and Finishing Polish will dry much more quickly, and you will want to keep the machine moving more quickly as well. Residue will be much more difficult to remove, so give a full trigger-pull of Detail Spray onto the residue to make it wipe off more easily, or go over it with Brilliant Glaze.

 

Polishing in the shade with a tent or a garage, or in the early morning hours will be a more enjoyable experience. 

[pirahnah3]

Its hot, you will be tired and beat from it but it can be done. Ive done it and as Dan said no fun, I can also vouch for the carlisle temps there are days its just plain nasty on that field and no amount of anything can help. 

[Kingsford]

Get a Canopy. They break down easily and store in small areas.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Caravan-Canopy-20-Feet-Domain-Carport/dp/B0032UY0C4/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1464305223&sr=8-12&keywords=canopy

 

http://www.amazon.com/Quik-Shade-Expedition-Straight-Instant/dp/B00II9JX30/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1464305223&sr=8-7&keywords=canopy

[PHOKUS]

Direct sun slows the process considerably. If you can get under some shade, things move faster.

[Ricky Bobby]

This may not have been mentioned previously but if you don't have shade and are polishing, in order to make your residue removal and wipedown easier, keep a bucket of diluted Rinseless with a few single soft towels in it.

 

Wring one out really well so it's just damp, then after polishing the panel wipe down the area with the damp towel, it will be effortless to remove your polishing residue

[PacificNWBuckeye]

I did my dark blue Crown Vic in the sun, I had to do smaller sections and used quite a bit of detail spray to reactivate the pads as they would dry out quickly. As said above, start early and one it gets hot keep up your water intake.

[Z06Seal]

I did this with my corvette (it was hotter though) the polish flashed very fast I got dust EVERYWHERE. It was pretty bad. Find some shade. lol

[Dylan@RUPES]

Never ideal to polish in full sun/high heat conditions, but obviously there are times it simply can't be avoided.

 

Aside from the user experience issues (dusting, short cycling polishes, etc) you also need to consider the detriment to performance. The heat will have an impact on the surface, the pads, the compounds, the tools, etc. and how they perform and not in a positive way.