PC vs hand application

R

russeus

New member
Which statement is more accurate - a PC produces better results than hand application, or a PC produces results more quickly & easily than hand application?



The most successful & best-known of the hand-application crowd is probably Scottwax, who has a thriving business & tons of photos to prove his prowess of hand-detailing vehicles. I may be wrong, but I thought I read that all of Scott's work is done without the benefit of a PC. Yet, his work is as impressive as any on this site. :up



W/ all the great testimonials of the PCs, I've always wondered whether stunning results - not just shine, but scratch & swirl removal, etc, can be achieved by hand. I know it's not possible to quantify w/ any accuracy, but how much more effective is a PC is at surface prep as compared to hand application - 50% more effective, 25%?
 
With a wax or a sealant you will only save time when doing it with a machine. When you are dealing with swirl removal or paint cleaning then there is a huge difference in results when done by machine. The human body can only repeat a motion for so long before it starts to show damage. Remember, when you are removing swirls you are actually cutting down the clear coat. Look at it this way; if you wanted to refinish a desk then you would have to sand it down first, right? Which would be eaiser and produce better results: Doing it by hand or with a sander? This is a similar principle with a PC and by hand. Sometimes it just saves time (which in the detailing business is money) and sometimes it saves you phisically while doing a better job at the same time. It really just depends on what you are tryng to do. If you are just waxing then I'd say that you'd be fine doing it by hand. Everything else is greatly benifeted with a machine.
 
I concur with previous post. If your swirls and surface marring is very deep and wide spread your best bet might be to have the finish restored by a professional with a rotary. From that point on if you use proper technique ( read e-book) for washing and QD'ing hand polishing should be sufficient. I am a hand application detailing hobbist but use the PC once a year to strip and remove any surface marring. I finish off with a hand applied glaze (p21S gloss enhancing paint cleaner (GEPC) (previously used 3M IHG), sealant protectant (Blackfire) and carnuaba (P21S) topper. The yearly stripping and deeper marring repair is made quite a bit easier with the PC but it still takes me a week of evenings to complete the job.:xyxthumbs :wavey
 
Thanks for the input guys. I recently purchased a black '98 Audi A4 that was well-maintained (not Autopian-maintained, just well-maintained), though it does have its share of mild scratches & swirl marks.



I think I'll see how successful I am at eliminating these defects by hand this spring. If I find I'm spinning my wheels & making negligible progress, I'll have to make the PC investment.



Either way, it'll be a good time. :)
 
Jngrbrdman said:
if you wanted to refinish a desk then you would have to sand it down first, right? Which would be eaiser and produce better results: Doing it by hand or with a sander?
Click to expand...



The finest furniture features 'hand-rubbed' finishes. That said, the hands doing the rubbing are _professional_ hands. In my case at least, I do _waaaay_ better with the PC.



Robert
 
BlkZ28Conv -



I’m about to do ditto - except I was going to do BF polish right after GEPC…



Do you think that would be redundant? My thoughts are the BF Sealant might adhere better.



What do you think:nixweiss
 
F 355 said:
BlkZ28Conv -



I’m about to do ditto - except I was going to do BF polish right after GEPC…



Do you think that would be redundant? My thoughts are the BF Sealant might adhere better.



What do you think:nixweiss
Click to expand...



Hi F355,

Rather than potentially hijacking the thread please to go

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?goto=newpost&threadid=17403

There I will state my reasoning for my procedure and open this up for discussion.:wavey
 
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