budman3
Detail time!
Hi everyone
I just got back from a vacation in Florida and while I was down there I picked up a natural sea sponge for car washing duty. It is the wool type sponge which is surprisingly soft. I never would have thought of using one of these on a car but at the store they had a bucket of water to show how soft they get and how much water they absorb. I was pretty much sold right there. It passed the first step- being soft enough for me to think safe to use on paint.
I read Gearheads (http://www.detailcity.org/forums/car-wash-accessories/16716-natural-sea-sponge.html?highlight=sea+sponge) thread about the sea sponges and instead of bringing that thread back up I figured I'd post a new one and share my experiences.
While I was soaking up the sun in Florida my truck was left on the roof of a parking garage at the airport and when I came back I noticed a mess. There was all types of junk on the paint - none of which I could recognize. It was very oily which could either be jet fuel exhaust, de-icer, other 'junk' from surrounding areas, etc. Anyways, this stuff needed to come off. The sea sponge, to me, was soft enough to use on paint and I figured I'd try it out with QEW.
So I mixed up a bucket of hot water and went to work. The paint was a mess so I pre-soaked it with some S&W. I then rung out about half of the water in the sponge and gently glided it along the paint. With sheepskin mitts I sometimes could feel and hear the dirt grabbing against the paint but with this sponge I did not. But then again I never sprayed S&W as a pre-treat either. So the spnge was a little small but easy to handle. I assume the dirt got captured in the holes because it wasn't on the paint or on the surface of the sponge. In the bucket I aggitated the sponge and the dirt began to come out. I would have liked to try the sponge out with a traditional wash but it's only like 20 degrees out so that is a no go. Very little water was left on the garage floor, which would have been near impossible with sheepskin. I didn't notice any marring either. The paint is in very good condition and is cared for so that may be a reason as well.
So if you come across a natural sea sponge and haven't tried one before, I would recomend to atleast try it out. I got fed up with sheepskins falling apart so I tried the shmitt and liked that and now I tried the sea sponge and liked that as well. If you have never tried a sea sponge before then don't talk about how abrasive it is because once it is saturated, it is very very soft. Proper care should be taken to ensure that the debris is out of the sponge before using.
Sorry this came out so long... I have been away from DC for a while and felt the need to post :drive: Nice new smilies too :crazy2: :excited:
I just got back from a vacation in Florida and while I was down there I picked up a natural sea sponge for car washing duty. It is the wool type sponge which is surprisingly soft. I never would have thought of using one of these on a car but at the store they had a bucket of water to show how soft they get and how much water they absorb. I was pretty much sold right there. It passed the first step- being soft enough for me to think safe to use on paint.
I read Gearheads (http://www.detailcity.org/forums/car-wash-accessories/16716-natural-sea-sponge.html?highlight=sea+sponge) thread about the sea sponges and instead of bringing that thread back up I figured I'd post a new one and share my experiences.
While I was soaking up the sun in Florida my truck was left on the roof of a parking garage at the airport and when I came back I noticed a mess. There was all types of junk on the paint - none of which I could recognize. It was very oily which could either be jet fuel exhaust, de-icer, other 'junk' from surrounding areas, etc. Anyways, this stuff needed to come off. The sea sponge, to me, was soft enough to use on paint and I figured I'd try it out with QEW.
So I mixed up a bucket of hot water and went to work. The paint was a mess so I pre-soaked it with some S&W. I then rung out about half of the water in the sponge and gently glided it along the paint. With sheepskin mitts I sometimes could feel and hear the dirt grabbing against the paint but with this sponge I did not. But then again I never sprayed S&W as a pre-treat either. So the spnge was a little small but easy to handle. I assume the dirt got captured in the holes because it wasn't on the paint or on the surface of the sponge. In the bucket I aggitated the sponge and the dirt began to come out. I would have liked to try the sponge out with a traditional wash but it's only like 20 degrees out so that is a no go. Very little water was left on the garage floor, which would have been near impossible with sheepskin. I didn't notice any marring either. The paint is in very good condition and is cared for so that may be a reason as well.
So if you come across a natural sea sponge and haven't tried one before, I would recomend to atleast try it out. I got fed up with sheepskins falling apart so I tried the shmitt and liked that and now I tried the sea sponge and liked that as well. If you have never tried a sea sponge before then don't talk about how abrasive it is because once it is saturated, it is very very soft. Proper care should be taken to ensure that the debris is out of the sponge before using.
Sorry this came out so long... I have been away from DC for a while and felt the need to post :drive: Nice new smilies too :crazy2: :excited:
Thought that was what the vendor forums were for. It seems like folks sure do get a lot of negative heat for posting about things other than praise for certain products. I guess rules are only for certain people and information is only good if it promotes vendor products...