How to use FPII and PC?

B

B737Capt

New member
Finished claying the car today and started to use FPII and my new PC for the first time. Just did the hood so far and it looks great! Still could see just a couple of small scratches under a very bright Halogen light but dont think I will see these under normal lighting conditions. This is how I used FP with the PC:



1. Drew a circle with FP around the Sonus green pad and a small circle in the middle.



2. Blotted the polish three or four times on the area I was going to polish.



3. Started the PC on 1.5 and moved the polish around the area real well.



4. Moved the speed up to 4.5 until the polish was almost see through.



5. Repeat steps 1-4 for the rest of the hood.



6. Used polishing MF to remove majority of polish.



7. Used buffing MF to buff to a very nice shine.



Is this how you guys do it or is there a better method that may give me even better results?
 
Everything sounds good to me....To let you know, dont expect too much swirls or scratch removing capabilities with FPII, it really isnt that abrasive, its more for burnishing the paint to bring out the gloss and take away any micro-marring from a previous polish. Ip would be a better candidate to remove defects. But your process sounds like you did everything correctly.
 
Three points...



First, as 01blucls said, FPII is a final polish. Not very aggressive. Try Menzerna IP with a polishing pad and then move to a compounding pad if necessary. Follow that with FPII to get maximum gloss.



Second, work the polishes well and keep the working area small.



Three, use a 50/50 combination of isopropyl alcohol and water to remove the resulting polish. Especially with IP, you'll have more dust and this keeps it down. It also helps ensure that you have a very clean surface for the LSP. Finally, if you work IP well, you shouldn't have any remaining large particles, but I believe the alcohol/water mix helps wash them off rather than buff them off. Use a polishing MF rather than a nice buffing MF for this.



Maybe I'm anal, but I finish my prep with a complete alcohol\water wipe-down to ensure that the surface is squeaky clean.



Regards,



Dan.
 
B737Capt, I would only add a couple of things to your process.



Work the FP until it totally gone, not just "almost see through". Work it 'till it's see through on 5, light pressure, keep working it 'till only the slightest oily residue is left.



Then remove with MF and the surface will be dry and squeeky....and very, very, glossy!



Also, after the initial loading of the pad, you'll only need half the amount you originally applied to it.



However, you might have to step up to IP to get all the scratches out.
 
Since Menzerna polishes were designed from the gitgo to be used under a rotary, I think 4.5 is too slow. When I use it with a PC, I use #6 on the PC with a LC gray pad. I ONLY use it to burnish the paint after other polishes have been used to remove blemishes. When worked until "dry and dusting" the only thing required for wipedown is a clean MF. You will be amazed at how easily if comes off - literally, there in nothing left on the paint but "squeek".



I you have, or can get ,some EO Wipe & Shine, you can "extend" the polishing effort. As the polish approaches "dry", give your pad a small spritz and keep on polishing until this is dry and dusting before wipe down. Rewetting the almost completely broken down polish should ensure that it is fully broken downby wipedown time. It doesn't appreciable add time to your job.....
 
I ended up using FP with the Sonus green pad and initialy applied with the PC set at 3 to spread it around. Then I sped up the PC to 5 and worked it real good until it seemed that there was no more coming off. I didn't have any EO wipe and shine to try that method. Afterwards it took a bit of rubbing with a MF towel to remove the remainder. Should it take some effort to remove FP? Am I using too much product? Or maybe not working it long enough? Seems like I am working it for quite a while. End results are very good but have a feeling that I may be making this a little harder than it supposed to be.



Also, what do you guys use to apply FP on areas that are to small or thin for PC? I used a MF applicator but not sure that it works real well.
 
It sounds like you may be using too much. Either try just a circle on the outside of the pad or a small circle in the middle depending upon the area you are doing. For me with menzerna and the PC less is more. I find i only need a small quarter size in the center of the pad for the rear fenders.



I normally don't work it in until it's completely dry, but still slightly wet. Also crank it up to 6, have no fear. Meguiars used to make these MF's with a black border, they are perfect for removing Menzerna, but it seems like they discountinued them.
 
Agree with previous posts and only comment I can add is Menzerna recommends removing FPII residue with a damp MF towel. Residue can be a bit difficult to remove with a dry MF so make sure the MF is damp but not soaking wet.



They do not specify tap water, distilled water, 50/50 water/ isopropyl mix .... just make sure the MF towel is damp.
 
I will try using a damp MF next time! That may be the ticket.



How much product do you guys use for something like the hood of the car? Trying to figure out if I am using too much. I was using one thin circle on the outside of the pad for most every panel ecacept the hood and roof which I split into 4 sections with the same amount of product.
 
I've use this method as described by CMA with excellent results.





http://www.properautocare.com/menfinpol.html



Generally I work an area that's a bit larger than 2' x 2' but alot depends on the condition of the surface. As usual with detailing products, I would err on the side of using less product rather than too much product. More product does not make it better, it frequently makes the process more difficult and/or time consuming.



Do a section, wipe down that section with a damp MF towel and assess the results of using "X" amount of FPII. Too little will dry-up to quick and too much will require you to work the section for a longer time.



Can't advise on how long a 2' x 2' section takes because of variables like temperature, humidity, who's polishing/finishing pad you're using, PC speed, and surface condition.



Also not a bad idea to shake FPII before using (it's a habit) even though the container does not say that you should.
 
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