Getting ready for my first polishing job

K

king nothing

New member
this is what I have. Anything else I need to pick up.



wash

clay



PC and backing plates

pads (4 and 5.5 inch hydro tech)

Polish (m105 and 205)

tape (3/4 and 2 inch wide)

Quick Detailer (DP rinseless mix)

Pad cleaner and spur tool



Anything else I need to pick up? I dont want to get started and find out I dont have everything I need
 
What car are you working on, and what color? On some paint, such as that on the newer Honda or Toyota black, M105 and M205 may not finish well up to the standards of some of the pros on this forum.



And I may be wrong but you should avoid using a spur tool with foam pads...
 
the_invisible said:
What car are you working on, and what color? On some paint, such as that on the newer Honda or Toyota black, M105 and M205 may not finish well up to the standards of some of the pros on this forum.
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Yeah, that's worth considering, though I'd expect most people to be pretty happy with how M205 finishes out. Also, what LSP are you going with?



The M205 leaves a *LOT* of oils behind, and I hate the way they give a pseudo-hologram appearance in certain lighting. I can't help but wonder if those same oils might cause issues with certain LSPs :nixweiss



So I like having IPA, or even better yet both that and PrepWash, on hand when using M205.



I'm assuming you plan to use the QD to help buff the M105 residue off.



And I may be wrong but you should avoid using a spur tool with foam pads...
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Yeah, I'd find a different way to clean the pads, and with M105 (and to a lesser extent M205), you do need to do a lot of pad cleaning. I've heard that the HydroTech pads are a pain to clean/dry properly, so I'd want to have a plan thought out before I started.



You need to clean the dried product and cut-off paint residue out of the pads, and you really do need to get them *clean*. And you don't want to reuse them while they're damp, lest the M105 (and to a lesser extent M205), misbehave.



I use Dawn Power Dissolver and very hot water, and then I blot them on towels until they're almost dry, and then blow them off with the compressor until they *are* dry. This is such a huge production that I try to just have enough pads on hand that I won't have to clean any until I've finished the job (which wasn't really feasible when doing the YukonXL).



Work small areas with the M105, and don't spread either product around on the panel before you start working.
 
Vehicle is a dodge ram mega cab, dark blue. IPA is just rubbing alcohol, correct?

This spur tool isnt good for pad cleaning on the fly?

Duo Spur Wool & Foam Pad Cleaning Tool: Scrub dirty pads clean with this multi-pupose cleaning tool!

I have heard of people just using a microfiber towel (which I have plenty of) and running the polisher on the towel to clean the pad

Im using 5.5 inch pads for the heavy work. how many pads would one need to do a large vehicle without having to clean the pads until you are done?

LSP, not sure. I have blackfire wet diamond, Blackfire midnight sun, nattys blue, DP max wax (wasnt too fond of this when i used it previously), and some pinnacle signature series II
 
King Nothing said:
Vehicle is a dodge ram mega cab, dark blue. IPA is just rubbing alcohol, correct?
Click to expand...



Correct.



This spur tool isnt good for pad cleaning on the fly?
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I have one and it just sits in the drawer. I use a toothbrush (mainly with diminishing abrasive products) or just wipe with a cotton or MF cloth. When a pad *really* needs cleaned I wash it out and dry it or, perferably, just get out a clean one.

Im using 5.5 inch pads for the heavy work. how many pads would one need to do a large vehicle without having to clean the pads until you are done?
Click to expand...



That just depends on way too many variables for a generalized answer. I use lots of pads because anything other than a cursory cleaning just takes too long, especially drying them out (though the air compressor helps a lot in that regard).

IMO most people probably need to clean *and dry* their pads more often than they'd expect.
 
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