Tips and Tricks: Shake your products!

Nickc0844

Nickc0844

Owner and Tech. Rep
Hey folks,

I've been blessed with a fantastic hobby that turned into a business where I get to learn more and more about the Art of Detailing. Through my professional training, personal experiences, and knowledge I have gained through online sources such as Detail City, I'd like to share with others every so often, a Tips and Tricks thread.

We started "hinting" to this subject in our sponsored forum, so I wanted to start a seperate thread about it.

Purchasing by the gallon is great if you can legitmately go through it within it's shelf life. It's less expensive in the long run, and there is a convenience factor for refilling. However, are you shaking your product BEFORE you refill you bottle? If you aren't, shame on you. :ticked Just kidding, but you should know that it is best to do so. See, when you let your refill sit for a period of time, many products seperate by nature, some more than others. That is not a bad thing, but for optimum use, shake it before refilling it.

Are you shaking you products as frequently as you should? That doesn't mean just your gallons, but even your smaller say 12, 16oz bottles as well? I learned from a respected chemist in the industry (which happens to be one that does not make chemicals for us), that a monthly routine should be implemented to all who use detailing chemicals.

So once a month, go out to your stash, and just shake them up. On that same note, shake EVERY product you use before dispensing it onto the surface or pad. This will ensure you get the same consistancy, and in some cases, protection, each time you use it. :bigups

In the end, that's what DC is all about
:dcrules
 
Great advice. It should be second nature to shake everything before you use it since most directions tell you to. Alway read directions first.
 
Should always shake things. Well, except maybe for Nitro glycerin :rofl Just kidding. Thanks for the tip Nick.
 
Here are some basic examples of what I am talking about (the pictures represented are not meant to "spam" this forum by any means, they were clear and present examples of why you should shake your bottles). It should be noted that dark bottles and/or thick viscosity products can make some forget to shake. Therefore, shake every product, regardless of color or viscosity before and during use.

Glaze:
975DSC00243-med.JPG

This is a spare bottle that has been sitting for about 3 weeks. Notice the seperation of the the material in there? This product natually seperates like this in a matter of hours. If you use the squirt bottle, you will be pulling everything from the bottom and none from the top, hence making this product no where near as effective as if it were shaken.

975DSC00244-med.JPG

After shaking the product for 3-5 seconds, it is where it needs to be for proper use. Please note that the viscosity of the product will determine the amount it needs to be shaken: thinner products take less time to shake and vice-versa

Polish:
Here is a pure polish that has been sitting for 4 days since it's last use. Notice the reddish-orangish liquid sitting on top? The viscosity of this polish is quite a bit thicker than the one below it. At times, it can be difficult to see the seperation, but as a rule of thumb, shake before each use
975DSC00258-med.JPG


Here is a polish that has been sitting as well. Notice that the material on top is not water I poured in there. That is an essential chemical that makes this polish work. Alone it does nothing, but combined with the material below, it allows it to be used they way it was designed.
975DSC00252-med.JPG


Gallons:
More than likely, you only use your gallons to refill, right? That means that they sit around the bulk of their life. It is important that when you go to refill from your gallons, that you at least move the product around inside of it first. While seperation might not be clearly visable in some products, you can be assured that your product will work more effectively if it was mixed the way it was intended.

Metal Polish:
There are not many pure liquid metal polishes out there, but after using thesee the day before, you can see how much they seperate
975DSC00245-med.JPG
 
Thanks for the tip Nick :) I always shake any product i have before use. But i'll do it a bit more often now :)
 
Is it me, or after writing this, do I shake just about everything around the house now? :crazy I even noticed that I shook my cough syrup, my mouthwash, milk, etc... :lmfao

Don't shake beer :beer or sodas.
 
Poorboy said:
actually Nick, Spray and Wipe doesn't ever seperate and we recommend NOT shaking it;)
Click to expand...

I've noticed S&W doesn't separate but why do you recommend NOT shaking it?
 
Hello Jay,

Professionally, this is what I have done:
I enrolled in the Meguiar's 3 day Professional Detailer's school (2002), spent 2 days with Adam's Polishes (2002) when I decided to start the business, and then apprenticed at a Paint shop for 3 months (2004) when I decided to properly learn how to use the rotary and wetsanding work.
 
Nickc0844 said:
Hello Jay,

Professionally, this is what I have done:
I enrolled in the Meguiar's 3 day Professional Detailer's school (2002), spent 2 days with Adam's Polishes (2002) when I decided to start the business, and then apprenticed at a Paint shop for 3 months (2004) when I decided to properly learn how to use the rotary and wetsanding work.
Click to expand...


Does that count as any credibility towards detailing. I was thinking about attending a 3day event but i decided not to. I mean its not like the certificates certify you to do anything right?
 
Experience more than anything, counts for credibility. Having a portfolio is great credibility. However, when explaining to customers that I have been trained and am not just another hack detailer (which seems to be very popular here in ATL), it gives them a better sense of confidence....especially when I'm detailing a brand new 2005 Aston Martin DB-9, like yesterday ($200,000+ car).

Certificates aren't going to do anything for you. However, when Ferrari of Atlanta gave me a call (from the 03' Modena I have done here on DC), they asked me what my credentials were. The training was good to say, but the apprenticeship was an extensive "hands on" approach to the detailing business.

Was the Meg's class worth the $$, :nono not in my opinion. The flipside to that is everyone and their mother has heard of them, so name recognition comes into play.

In the end, the purpose of this thead, and the series to come, is to help newbies establish a sound foundation. The Title and Subject of this thread might sound easy, but I enjoyed going a little deeper into it, and I hope someone will benefit from it. DC is a cool place, and as opposed to talking about products all the time, it's a change of pace to help spread some Tips and Tricks :bigups
 
Yeah, I think its great Nick, and I wish that I could get to some "classes" locally just to hear other people and pick up a few things. I really think that at some level, if you are going to call yourself a pro, you should have passed a course of some sort. You know, like 100 hours detailing with a rotary for rotary approval, do X amount of cars, etc. I would be willing to do all of that, and I have thought about going to some classes, but they are expensive and wayyyyy, out of town from me (Denver.)
 
A valued DC member and I were talking one night and he came up with this expression, "Just because these people get paid to detail, doesn't mean they are professionals." There are no standards in the business, which is both good and bad I suppose.

I strongly promote others to start detailing on the side, and possibly, become a legit business down the road. Anyway, sorry for the rambling, I just felt that I should defend what I said.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top