EMC2
New member
I was inspired by the video done by Mike Phillips and Todd Helme where they used SRC to correct some significant swirls and scratches on a new 2012 Camaro. Great instructional video by these two experts:
How To Remove Swirls and Create a Show Car Finish using Blackfire Car Care Products - YouTube
My car also came with some pretty severe dealer sponsored scratches and swirls which became a lot more apparent once the fillers in whatever product they used, wore away.
Step 1:
After washing the car with DP Extreme Foam, I clayed the entire car with Griot's Garage Paint Cleaning Clay.
Step 2:
I used BlackFire SRC Compound with Lake Country Orange CCS Constant Pressure Pads and a Griots Garage Orbital.
Initially I used a little too much product and the removal was a nightmare - very grabby, and left a terrible haze. Once I corrected my process and used the correct amount of product, the product removal was a breeze.
Doing a small area at a time (2ft x 1.5ft) I made 6 passes on speed 6, with pretty firm pressure, followed by 3 - 4 passes on speed 4.
Some of the scratches were pretty deep and required a second pass, and/or a lot more pressure on the pad.
What really impressed me with this combination of pad and product is the smoothness and clarity of the finish. It really seems near impossible to induce buffer trails! In fact I did a quick comparison using a regular Lake Country CCS White pad, and with some deliberate poor technique you could definitely induce some hazing/trails. This really speaks to the user friendly nature of the Constant Pressure pads.
I've included a picture below of a side by side, before and after with a test patch. I was not able to remove 100% of the scratches in some areas as there were some deep ones, but I got really, really close.
Step 3:
After completing the compounding process I followed up with Meguiars Ultimate Polish using a Lake Country White CCS pad on speed 4. The finish was already so good from the SRC compound, that I felt the UP would be fine as a final step before sealing.
Step 4:
2 days later I washed the car with a strong concentration of DP Extreme Foam to remove any excess oils left from the
Ultimate Polish.
Step 5:
I followed up with 2 coats of BlackFire Wet Diamond Sealant with 12+ hours cure time for each coat.
Step 6:
Final step was 2 coats of BlackFire Midnight Sun Spray Wax, applied using a Lake Country Black CCS finishing pad. I know it probably seems strange to apply the spray wax with an orbital, but this is now my favorite means of application for this product. It is really easy to apply, but the removal could not possibly be easier or faster.
The BFMS Spray Wax is superb. I used it before and it concealed the scratches extremely well whilst I was waiting for an opportunity to take care of them properly.
I am really impressed with the results, and SRC compound is definitely another great product from Blackfire.
And of course my thanks once again to Todd and Mike!
How To Remove Swirls and Create a Show Car Finish using Blackfire Car Care Products - YouTube
My car also came with some pretty severe dealer sponsored scratches and swirls which became a lot more apparent once the fillers in whatever product they used, wore away.
Step 1:
After washing the car with DP Extreme Foam, I clayed the entire car with Griot's Garage Paint Cleaning Clay.
Step 2:
I used BlackFire SRC Compound with Lake Country Orange CCS Constant Pressure Pads and a Griots Garage Orbital.
Initially I used a little too much product and the removal was a nightmare - very grabby, and left a terrible haze. Once I corrected my process and used the correct amount of product, the product removal was a breeze.
Doing a small area at a time (2ft x 1.5ft) I made 6 passes on speed 6, with pretty firm pressure, followed by 3 - 4 passes on speed 4.
Some of the scratches were pretty deep and required a second pass, and/or a lot more pressure on the pad.
What really impressed me with this combination of pad and product is the smoothness and clarity of the finish. It really seems near impossible to induce buffer trails! In fact I did a quick comparison using a regular Lake Country CCS White pad, and with some deliberate poor technique you could definitely induce some hazing/trails. This really speaks to the user friendly nature of the Constant Pressure pads.
I've included a picture below of a side by side, before and after with a test patch. I was not able to remove 100% of the scratches in some areas as there were some deep ones, but I got really, really close.
Step 3:
After completing the compounding process I followed up with Meguiars Ultimate Polish using a Lake Country White CCS pad on speed 4. The finish was already so good from the SRC compound, that I felt the UP would be fine as a final step before sealing.
Step 4:
2 days later I washed the car with a strong concentration of DP Extreme Foam to remove any excess oils left from the
Ultimate Polish.
Step 5:
I followed up with 2 coats of BlackFire Wet Diamond Sealant with 12+ hours cure time for each coat.
Step 6:
Final step was 2 coats of BlackFire Midnight Sun Spray Wax, applied using a Lake Country Black CCS finishing pad. I know it probably seems strange to apply the spray wax with an orbital, but this is now my favorite means of application for this product. It is really easy to apply, but the removal could not possibly be easier or faster.
The BFMS Spray Wax is superb. I used it before and it concealed the scratches extremely well whilst I was waiting for an opportunity to take care of them properly.
I am really impressed with the results, and SRC compound is definitely another great product from Blackfire.
And of course my thanks once again to Todd and Mike!
