Taking the Challenge

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DT08

New member
Hey guys!! It's been a long time since I was on here. Messed up my ankle a while back and last year was tough not being out there doing cars. It gave me time to read up on buffing/paint correction which is my weakness. Before my injury, I had went to the junk yard and bought an old hood and was practicing on that.

What was the learning curve that many of you faced and when did you feel confident enough to go at a customer's car?
 
First of all. Welcome back!

I did my personal car first. And once that turned out well I personally was confident enough to start on customers cars. But I started slowly offering AIO, and me step + wax to begin with and built up from there as I got more experience under my belt. I just did some wet sanding on my own personal test subjects and with a little more practice will soon offer that as well. As always practice makes perfect.
 
Welcome back, glad to see you back and your injury has recovered.

Everybody learns at their own pace. I got a PC, did half of my hood, then went and worked on a customer's car the next day. Probably not the best idea, but this was years ago, and it worked on well.
 
Welcome back. A foot injury can put a stop to so much your used to doing. Good your recovering.

I started detailing as a hobby by hand and a Craftsman "buffer". When I went full time it was all thrown at me. The vehicles then were mostly for show prep but driven.
I then specialized in final primer blocking and final paint sanding and finishing. Through the years also being involved with all aspects of restoration.

The best advice I can give is do your research and practice. If it's something you enjoy it all can become second nature.
 
Thanks for the advice and support guys. It's a challenge. I spend almost two hours after work practicing. It's fun, but I know it's going to take more work. I'll be back at the junk yard this weekend looking for another hood or something to practice on.
 
One of the best things about a practice panel is you can try anything. Mess it up with All the things you can think of. Sit under trees, scouring pads, sand paper, and work to find out how easy it is to buff through an edge. It all helps in real world.

Nice thing is you can correct it over and over then you will gain experience with super thin paint. You will then recognize the start of clear failure(if clearcoated).
 
I've often thought that a professional detailer should get an old panel from a junk yard and detail only half of it then hang it on the wall for customers to see what a professional can do.
 
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