n00b questions about first use of the PC 7424...

D

drew.haynes

New member
Last night I tried out the PC... only got a bout a third of the car done in SSR2.5 before the bugs were too many to handle.



Anyway...



First - How hard do you push? The harder you push the more it vibrates and the more it seems to bog down a little. I tried different pressures alot but couldn't tell what worked best.



Second - Yeah, the Poorboys definately dusts alot... but how much do you let it dust before you stop buffing?



Third - I was going back and forth, then up and down, slowly. How many passes over one panel should I be making?



Fourth - SSR2.5 made an INSTANT difference on my hood and fenders where it was horribly hazy before. They are now a dark black again and have far less swirls... BUT... they still HAVE alot of swirls. I threw a little SSR1 on, but it didn't seem to do anything at all! Obviously I'm either not using the 2.5 to it's full potential... or I'm not using SSR1 correctly... what's the deal?





Ok, that's all I can think of for now. I'll post a pic or two in just a little while.





Thanks alot, you guys are amazing!





Drew



EDIT: Larger res picture:

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Can't really answer your questions about PB's SSR line, but I can say that I push between 10-20 lbs of pressure, depending on the type of polish and pad used, and how much defects you are trying to remove.



With Optimum products, I make about 4 up and down passes and 4 side to side passes, not including the initial passes to spread the polish on the panel.



Did you clay the car? What type of pad are you using? Also, what speed did you use? If anything, maybe you should try a different pad or go over the car a second time with SSR 2.5.
 
tustah said:
Can't really answer your questions about PB's SSR line, but I can say that I push between 10-20 lbs of pressure, depending on the type of polish and pad used, and how much defects you are trying to remove.



With Optimum products, I make about 4 up and down passes and 4 side to side passes, not including the initial passes to spread the polish on the panel.



Did you clay the car? What type of pad are you using? Also, what speed did you use? If anything, maybe you should try a different pad or go over the car a second time with SSR 2.5.
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I am using an Orange LC VC pad with the SSR2.5 @ 4-5 speed on the PC. Maybe I just need to make more passes... who knows.. lemme go get that pic, btw. Almost forgot..
 
Ok... 4 pics. 2 are the hood after taping off a section and hitting it with SSR2.5. As you can the difference is drastic... but there are still alot more swirls than I'd like. The other 2 are a fender. HORRIBLE before (thanks incompetent body shop), but now a good black again... but still not the clarity I'd like in the reflection - still swirling.
 

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sometimes more than one application is needed, and slow down your movement- let the polish do its work.



The clarity will come later after you do an application of SSR1, SSR2.5 will leave some micromarring and hazing depending on pad bite- as it is the workhorse of the two.



Also, as the polish begins to near breakdown lighten the pressure. It has taken me about 3 times out to really understand the PC7424 as well as watching a 2 hour video by Mike Phillips. I have finally been able to get results that others on here post.
 
Also, don't keep polishing after it starts dusting, the dust will cause more marring. How much polish are you using? It's common to use too much. There's a video of PC use around here somewhere. I don't have time for a proper search, but it's worth digging for.
 
velobard said:
Also, don't keep polishing after it starts dusting, the dust will cause more marring. How much polish are you using? It's common to use too much. There's a video of PC use around here somewhere. I don't have time for a proper search, but it's worth digging for.
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I'm not using too much I don't think. I'm only working very small areas at the moment - about 1x1' at the most, so I'm just putting a few small dabs on the pad. (my source for the polish also said not to use very much)



If SSR1 is applied to an already very good surface, should it cause scratches if it's not fully worked?



Greg.

p.s Please note that I'm not trying to hijack this thread. :)
 
Greg2 said:
Please note that I'm not trying to hijack this thread. :)
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No I appreciate you asking these Q's... they help me too.



As far as dusting... it's worst when I hit corners and edges... seems like it makes the dust just pop up everywhere. I don't know how to possibly avoid rubbing the dust all over with the PC and cause more marring... but I know some people do get good results w/ ssr2.5.
 
Hmm. I've found blobs of green stuff in my SSR1. I've emptied mine into a large shallow container, and I noticed that when I stirred it a bit, the green blobs showed up. Since these blobs are near the top, that means they were probably down the bottom of the original container.



I'll upload a photo of a green blob which I've plucked out shortly.



Btw, I've just tried hitting my panel with some more SSR1, after first cleaning my pad. It's just no use. I think the more I polish, the cloudier it's becoming. It's just not working.



Greg.
 
That blob is about 0.25" in length. There is still a bit of the polish proper left on and around the blob. (I wiped away most of it)

 
Here's the blob. It's on the end of a chopstick, to give you a sense of the size. (the blob is about 0.25" long)

green_blob.jpg
 
Update: I've reduced the amount of hazing/clouding by hand applying the SSR1 with a t-shirt. So I tried a few more hand applications, but I still can't get a nice glassy finish. This is driving me nuts.



If I have soaked the pad in water, how important is it that the pad be very dry? I was thinking that it would not be all that important, because folks often seem to moisten the pad before use anyway. All I did was to try to squeeze as much water out as possible, but I did not let the pad dry out naturally for any appreciable amount of time after that.



Greg.
 
I had posted about finding some green stuff in my polish. I can't be 100% sure I didn't introduce this contanimant, so I've deleted the post (and the photo). The reason for my doubt is that I've found some green stuff on the bench where I was working, so I'm thinking I may not have inspected the spoon I used closely enough before I used it to scoop out last bits of the polish from the bottle.



I'm really sorry for this.



Greg.
 
Yeah, I'm kinda frustrated. I am not giving up but don't have all the motivation I need right now... my car's polishing is still not complete. The hood is still VERY swirly after several passes of SSR2.5 - better than the body guy left it - but not near what it was last summer. Makes me wanna try Optimum polish or Menzerna... but I don't really wanna buy more when I may just be doing something wrong.



I'm gonna detail everything in sight on my g/f's navy Jeep Liberty tomorrow... gonna use some SSR1, maybe 2.5 on it... it only has minor swirling. Should I post pics (probably just afters)?
 
drew.haynes said:
Makes me wanna try Optimum polish or Menzerna... but I don't really wanna buy more when I may just be doing something wrong.
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Exactly!! This is how I feel too. (the Optimum is more expensive, too!)



I'm gonna detail everything in sight on my g/f's navy Jeep Liberty tomorrow... gonna use some SSR1, maybe 2.5 on it... it only has minor swirling. Should I post pics (probably just afters)?
Click to expand...



I'm looking forward to your results. (yes, I'd like to see the photos, for one)



My next step is to hit my panel with SSR1 again, but using a lighter touch. I might be pressing too hard. I've been talking a bit with the supplier of the SSR, and he said he just uses the weight of the polisher, and lifts off at the end. This is how most folks here seem to do it. I've been pressing firmly, because that's what the writeup at the Meguiars web site says to do (10lb or even more of pressure). If this still doesn't work, I'll try SSR2.5 again, but again using a light touch, and then follow up with SSR1. If all this doesn't work, I'm going to try starting with the SSR1 again on a fresh area of the panel. (recall that I'm testing on a panel which is already in good condition, at the moment. My logic is that if I can't at least leave a good panel in good condition, then there's little point in trying to do any real correction until I find out what's wrong)



The SSR1 is working great on my plastic mobile phone screen, FWIW. I'm just using a t-shirt to hand rub it. It's removing scratches like magic, and leaving a nice polished surface.



Greg.
 
Greg2 said:
Exactly!! This is how I feel too. (the Optimum is more expensive, too!)
Click to expand...



But no! I would have got the Optimum if I had paid better attention!!! SSR is like 13 bucks roughly, Optimum is like 17 or so... BUT... that's for 32oz of Optimum! Twice as much... what was I thinking... it's CHEAPER than SSR... significantly!



About the Jeep... like I said it's navy (close to black right?). My car that i've been trying these polishes on is a black trans am... has HORRIBLE HORRIBLE marring from an idiot body shop guy. I figured maybe I should try learning a little on her Jeep since my T/A is not working so well... she has far less marring.. so maybe I can get a better idea of the differences in the abilities of SSR1 and 2.5 by using her car tomorrow. Idk how many befores I may get... but I'll try to at least get some pics of some taped off sections on panels to compare.
 
Don't wet the pad. The SSR line needs a bone-dry pad in order to work its best-So says the Poorboys rep on the detailcity.org forums. Also, you are probably using to little. He actually recommends using more than most people would think is the right amount (much more than the 4 dimes thing).
 
Hmmm - the Optimum Compound is actually more expensive per ounce from my supplier (in Australia), and a lot more expensive in absolute terms for experimental purposes, if I'm never going to use it all. :)



Regarding amount of polish to use, my supplier has told me that less is better, so that's interesting. I'll try using more.



I'll try with a dry pad next time.



Just a sanity check. Will SSR1 realistically produce a very smooth and glassy surface? Or, is this just impossible with an abrasive, requiring an LSP to cover up the last remaining fine swirls?



Thanks,

Greg.
 
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