Polishing tight spots

M

Moedizzle

New member
I wanted to know if anyone has any experience using the CCS Foam Hand Polish Applicators for tight spots. I currently own a flex, but the pillars are about a little over an inch thick, which is really small for my flex. Would the polish applicators listed above be a great product to use on this kind of circumstance? Are they any good at removing minor swirling?
 
Beats me :nixweiss I just do areas like that with either the overhanging portion/edge of the machine's pad or by hand with the stuff I already have on-hand (not the CCS hand pads).



I don't see any reason why they *wouldn't* work fine, but I don't feel the need to try 'em either. Working by hand, I never find the polishing media to be as critical as when polishing with a machine. 99% of the time I use use a MF towel, occasionally resorting to terry or foam (regular round yellow wax applicator foam pads) if I really need to, which isn't often now that M105 is available.



IMO (and that really is just *my* opinion ;) ) the specialize hand polishing pads might be an answer in search of a question.
 
You mention using your Flex DA I assume your refering to the DA(flex also makes rotary polishers) which is what I use with a 3 inch pad and backing plate to polish A pillars and other tight spots with the trim properly taped off.



If using the DA with the aforementioned trim taped off a 5 or 5 3/4 inch finishing pad should be no problem, however if the tight areas need serious correction a rotary will be needed to acheive the desired result.
 
Compared to a machine, the results I get in those tights spots is 50%-75%.



I have a variety of pads and backing plates for the rotary, and tape up the nearby areas just in case. (Dont limit your taping to moldings. I tape painted surfaces also should I need to hold the machine at an angle that might rub on a nearby surface)
 
Auto Concierge said:
..if the tight areas need serious correction a rotary will be needed to acheive the desired result.
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-AND-



jdoria said:
Compared to a machine, the results I get in those tights spots is 50%-75%.
Click to expand...



At the risk of sounding :argue and noting that I'm all in favor of letting a machine do the work, it *is* possible to effect complete correction by hand. E.g., deep fingernail scratches behind Audi door handles, which simply *must* be done by hand and which I've done many times. It just takes time and effort; used to take upwards of an hour (consider that for a moment... we're talking about a 1" X 2.5" area) but now with M105 it shouldn't take nearly that long. There are all sorts of spots on some vehicles that can't be done by machine and how well they turn out is pretty much just a matter of how long you work on 'em.



Go over some area by hand with the appropriate product a few dozen times and you oughta get the marring out just fine. Whether it's worth doing is another matter....



Last time I got a nasty little RIDS on the A8 I took it out 100% by hand, using M105 for the initial correction. Took maybe eight or ten passes with the M105 before I switched to something milder, can't say for sure as I wasn't counting, but I'm pretty sure the whole job took less than a half hour. Yeah, woulda gone a *WHOLE LOT* faster with a machine but I wanted to see how the M105 would work on an Audi by hand and it works just fine. It's a *whole lot* better IMO than 1Z Pasta Intensiv or 1Z Extra/Ultra, which used to be my choices for such stuff (not many other really aggressive products that'll work OK by hand).
 
jdoria- Ah, yeah..that sounds perfectly reasonable :xyxthumbs



Glad you didn't take my post the wrong way, I really didn't want to sound like a [jerk]. And yeah, it's not like I do that kind of by-hand work every time it's called for either! Those areas on the Audis are just, uhm...something I *really* care about ;) and just because something *can* be done that doesn't mean it necessarily *oughta* be done.
 
Would you choose to hand polish an older car,with fairly thin paint,or would you take the risk of trying to get it nice with a machine,and do the tight areas by hand?
 
Wise 85 said:
Would you choose to hand polish an older car,with fairly thin paint,or would you take the risk of trying to get it nice with a machine,and do the tight areas by hand?
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Depends how seriously thin the paint is. In most cases I'd use a machine but with a very mild spee/pad/product combo and I wouldn't try to do much, if any, correction. That's the approach I use on my Jag's *very* thin oe single stage lacquer. Using a finishing pad and something that's functionally nonabrasive (or close to it) isn't really *IMO* any riskier than using most anything by hand.
 
I have used them (just the orange one so far). I was using it with M105 and it certainly works but it takes some time.



This is the one I was using:

img_3682.jpg
 
Accumulator,thanks for the feedback.The paint is metallic,some panel edges are very thin,and the thickness readings are pretty low all over.I was thinking of using the PC,finishing pad,and a pre wax cleaner/glaze at low speed,to prep it for wax.I would settle for it to look 'nice' instead of trying to go for perfection,and ending up making a big mistake.
 
Wise85- That sounds like a good plan. FWIW, on the Jag I like AutoGlym Super Resin Polish. It has just a *tiny* bit of cut (it's so close to functionally nonabrasive that I'd sure never worry about it) and it conceals better than most other all-in-one products. You can top it with whatever LSP you like or just use it as a true aio.



Or that 1Z WaxPolishSoft. Those are the two I choose between in cases like this.
 
I saw a long time ago a mini and i mean mini DA and it was sold by DeWalt. The head or pad area was about 1 1/2 inch. It was very much like a and size of a battery powered screw driver. But it was 120v. It was called I believe CompactDA. I wonder if they are still made? Home Depot sold it.
 
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