Product "Working Time"

basswood

basswood

Atlanta
Enthusiast here. Based on the recommendations and reviews on this forum, I polished my black car today with HD Speed and topped it with HD Poxy. Yowza! Both were easy to use and the car looks great.

While I understand the concept of product working time, I don`t understand how to tell when the product has stopped working. I`m asking primarily about the HD Speed or a similar product. I think I have the Poxy or other LSP figured out.

Thanks.
 
basswood said:
Enthusiast here. Based on the recommendations and reviews on this forum, I polished my black car today with HD Speed and topped it with HD Poxy. Yowza! Both were easy to use and the car looks great.

While I understand the concept of product working time, I don`t understand how to tell when the product has stopped working.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
For me when a product stops performing, a mild dust may form depending on the product. Or I do not see the product on the panel any longer. I hope this is a clear explanation

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 
Polishes usually start looking like a creamy lotion and will turn clear at the end of their working cycle. When it`s clear, dries up or starts dusting, it`s done. Working time can be heavily influenced by heat and humidity. Generally, you`ll get about 4-5 passes of working time with most products, but sometimes more. Products like m205 and HD Polish seem to be be able to work for about forever. And you can always add a spritz of water or detail spray to extend the cycle a pass or two if needed.
 
basswood said:
Enthusiast here. Based on the recommendations and reviews on this forum, I polished my black car today with HD Speed and topped it with HD Poxy. Yowza! Both were easy to use and the car looks great.

While I understand the concept of product working time, I don`t understand how to tell when the product has stopped working. I`m asking primarily about the HD Speed or a similar product. I think I have the Poxy or other LSP figured out.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

When I first started I also had that concern. What I started doing was just working a 2x2 area using medium pressure. I would go side to side overlapping my previous pass by about 50%, then do the same up and down. I`d stop, wipe down the area and check if that worked, most of the time it did. Once you get more experience you will know simply by look.
 
IMO a lot of people overwork products much of the time.

I go by:

-Visible difference (the opaque product that "turns clear").

-Clues that the product is starting to flash off/dry (I only work a product until dry in some *VERY* rare instances, and those probably don`t come up more than twice/decade).

-Differences in how the application medium (by hand or by machine) feels to me, e.g., the product becoming more/less "grabby".

In other words, I try to discern any/all *differences* from how things started out.

And just FWIW, I basically never do the "standard" 2 x 2 areas these days when doing significant correction, that`s just *WAY* too big for me to feel that I have complete control over the proceedings. And it can be large (at least to me...) in terms of being able to carefully inspect it too.
 
A great question and awesome answers. Personally, I feel like the pad and paint are getting too hot before my polish is done with, so I almost always stop because of heat, not so much because the polish is spent. I may take a note from Accumulator and start working smaller sections.
 
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