Jeweling - Flex

[KnuckleBuckett]

I have a Flex.



I have the full line of Menz polishes, Megs 105, 3M UF SE, and a full line of LC pads.



I have taken the finish on my Lexus LS430 down to maybe 99% correction. I cannot detect any swirling, hazing, etc in full sun.



It is Moonlight Pearl.



I would like advice in getting that last bit of snap into the shine.



There is plenty of information in the forums about jeweling, but always with rotary and or PC speeds. I find correlation difficult when it comes to something as refined as jeweling.



I would really appreciate specific help with the Flex. Speeds, foams, polishes, pass speeds, etc.



Thanks.

 

[uzj100]

IMHO, it's going to be hard to add 1% to that color. It's so "blinding" when you view it in the sun.



Here's one that I did in that color (an LX470)--first showing a 50-50 of the hood--I just did half of the hood, but didn't tape it off, so there's not a "sharp" line between the two sections of it.

Then here's a close up of the hood area finished (sorry, not the best photos). I started with SIP/orange pads via Metabo and finished with 106FA on white pads.



My suggestion for using the Flex would be probably the same pad/polish combo for correction and speed 5, perhaps speed 5 with your finish polish too, then a finessing pass at speed 4. Others will chime in I'm sure

 

[Accumulator]

I haven't tried jeweling/burnishig with the Flex yet, preferring to do it via Cyclo.



But if I were to do it with the Flex, I'd probably try a speed around 4 (not too low or it might make the polish misbehave, not too high because you want it to be very gentle).



As with any other such process, I'd use a finishing pad and a product that's *almost* functionally nonabrasive on the paint in question. NOte that I often use *polishing* pads for all sorts of stuff (including AIOs), but for this I'd want the softest finishing pad that'll work OK with the product in question (not too tight porosity-wise, some finishing pads are awfully "tight").



In this sense it *is* just like the rotary/PC approaches. You want the least degree of abrasion that you can get, but if you go all the way to nonabrasive you're just cleaning the paint (not the same thing). Note that the difference will probably be so subtle that you'll wonder if you're *really* seeing an improvement at all.



Lexus paint is sorta soft, right? So I'd go *VERY* gentle.



IMO, the short answer/best guess would be Menzerna FPII on a finishing pad at speed 4. I'm not familiar with how that product behaves, but *IIRC* it has to be worked a bit more than one would think...somebody like SuperBee364 would know.

 

[KnuckleBuckett]

FPII and a red pad at speed 4 to 5. Light pressure?

 

[uzj100]

That's been my experience with it. I recall a recent thread about the Flex and speeds people are recommending. IIRC speed 4 and 5 seemed to be favored by most?



HTH



Here's some before and afters of a black IS350 I did. First passes were with SIP/orange/Metabo and finishing passes were with 106FA and black pads

Finished, no LSP

Outside, no LSP

 

[JohnKleven]

I find you get a clearer finish when you finish with a rotary polisher over a dual action. You could finish with a rotary, and put a high quality wax on it like Zymol.





John

 

[KnuckleBuckett]

I am a firm UPGP user!



Hey thanks for the advice folks!

 

[michaeljbird]

[quote name='Accumulator']I haven't tried jeweling/burnishig with the Flex yet, preferring to do it via Cyclo.







May i ask what your procedure is to jewel/burnish with a cyclo ? I own one and im always wanting to try new techniques.

 

[imported_etml12]

short answer/best guess would be Menzerna FPII on a finishing pad...

FPII with a non-abrasive pad on a flex or rotary are my go to when jeweling my soft NBP honda paint. Not that there is a tremendous concern for damage with such a gentle combo when using the rotary but sometimes (i.e. after a long compound/polishing session) the flex is just the ticket. It provides just a bit more of a safety factor.



Last time around, I believe I used a LC blue pad with the flex and FPII. Working small sections with light pressure, I start with a high speed (5-6). Just as (or just after) the polish breaks down completely, notch the speed down every couple passes.

 

[Accumulator]

May i ask what your procedure is to jewel/burnish with a cyclo ? I own one and im always wanting to try new techniques.

First, get the paint to where you think it's ready-to-wax. *Then* try the burnishing, and remember that the improvement will be very subtle.



Pads- I use either Cyclo white finishing pads or Sonus Blue pads (the blue Cyclo gentle polishing pads might work OK too, haven't tried them). Same idea I keep repeating, use the mildest pad whose porosity that works with your product.



Product- On hard clear I really liked how 1Z High Gloss worked. I basically worked a small amount of 1Z HG until it was *almost* gone, with hardly any residue to buff off. I did this two or three times (and in the shop's lighting I couldn't see any benefit).



Note that the 1Z HG might be a bit aggressive for softer paint, in which cases I'd use the Menzerna FPII using whatever techniques more knowledgeable people recommend.



I've done OK burnishing via Cyclo with 1Z Pro MP and WPS too, and those're very gentle stuff. They basically break down into a synthetic cleaner-wax so it's almost impossible to botch up with either, but they might not play nice with your LSP of choice.