What did I do wrong, Help Please.

Fishing

Member
Hello, First time poster here and First time polishing for me and first time using a DA. I am using a Griots DA, Pad and the one step polish sealant they have. I washed the truck, turned the truck so tailgate was not in the sun. 70 degrees day. I clayed the tailgate with Mothers clay and Mother detail spray, both came together in a kit. After claying I wiped off all spray. I coated the pad with the polish/sealant. Put 4 pea size drops on the pad. Pressed the pad on half the tailgate in 4 different spots to spread the polish/sealant out. Put the DA on 3 went over the half tailgate to spread it out then turned the DA to level 4. Then went up down across half the tailgate, slow, then left right slow cleaning the pad with compressed air between changing directions. Ok here is my question #1 . I started to get small spots of sling polish/sealant flying on the bumper and tanue cover. It is a very small amount but never the less it is there. Should this be happening ? When reading about detailing I didn`t see any reference to people dealing with this. Question #2 When I was working on a different part of the truck I noticed the polish was hazing as I was polishing. What can I do to prevent this ? What am i doing wrong here. Thank you SO much for any help/suggestions with these questions.
 
1. You need more pads. I use 4-6 (more normally 6 pads) to do a durango
2. Where it was hazing, you were drying out the polish/seal either too long or too fast and too much heat generated.. (or pad loaded up on you)
 
Welcome to the forum, Fishing !

What size pads and Backing Plate are you using ? What brand are they and what color ?

Are they correcting or finishing pads or what ?

What is the Griot`s product name you used ?

To "prime" a pad, you put a little of your product, (compound, polish, all in one, etc..), on it and spread it around just lightly with your finger, not too much, not a thick coat of it..
.
That is why you got it splattering all over, it was too much product on the pad to begin with..
This condition will definitely affect the rest of the work being done with that pad until you remove it with a clean dry, preferably cotton towel..

I like to spray a little pad conditioner on the pad as well, to get it a little moist all around and it works better that way and doesn`t dry out quickly, if I keep up this process..

I would never attempt to correct an entire Tailgate with a Random Orbital with just one application of product on the pad; instead, I would break it in half and do half at a time..

Tell us how much the pad was rotating when you were using it on the Tailgate - was it rotating all the time?
Did you press down on the machine as it was working? You need to do that..

It needs to be rotating as much as possible to get the product to break down and do its work.
Higher speeds help the rotation go faster which is what you need..

How long did you work the pad on half the Tailgate before you stopped and wiped off the Tailgate?
Did you wipe off the pad surface thoroughly after that work, and then start again with just a little more product on it ?

You need to wipe off the pad surface every time you finish using it on the paintwork, to get all the dead paint, dirt, etc., off the pad so you dont put it back on the paint and cause other issues on it..
Dan F
 
Fishing- Welcome to Autopia!

As noted, too much product, too large an area, not enough pads (I too consider 6 a good number for an All-In-O​ne product like this that`s a mix of polish and Last Step Product).. Noting that the Conventional Wisdom says to work 2` x 2` areas, and/but I prefer smaller ones. So I wouldn`t worry about working "too small" of an area at a time.
 
Proberly to much of product when primeing the pad as said. The thing I noticed was that you wrote that you clean the pad when changing the direction. Is that when you are change from going up and down to side to side? If so that is not necessary you work through the 4-6 passes per sections. Then clean the pad and start on new section. Often when the polishes you are useing clears up you have broken down the abrasive in them. This can be different with AIO as some may need a couple of more passes to activate the protection in them. Don`t know how it`s with the griots thou. If you are getting that residue that you described as dust when you have done some sections with one pad. It`s have been saturated with product and dirt and paint residue and it`s time to switch to a clean pad. You will see when blowing the pad clean if you don`t get the dirt out and the seems clogged it`s time for a clean pad. Sometimes it can be usefull to use a brush to clean the pad with also. If your paint has much of imbedded dirt and oxidation it takes more pads to do the first polishing step and also when you compound a paint in bad condition.

Let us know how it works out for you. And just ask more if you need to and we will help you out if we can. Pictures of what you are haveing problems with helps alot and what kind of products as brands, line of products, sizes and media etc.
 
WOW thank you all for the great info,,,,can`t wait for the next nice day to continue working on the truck and try some of the new suggestions,,,,again thank you :)
 
+1 too much product and with an AIO you don`t need high speed or heavy pressure. They contain a combination of some or all of the following.
Paint cleansers: Solvents to break down dead paint and grime.
Abrasives: to polish the paint
Fillers: help hide finer imperfections.
Sealant/Wax: Protection
You don`t need high speeds or heavy pressure with AIO. The speed and pressure generates heat which flashes the solvents much faster. You want to allow the AIO to do it`s job the longer you are able to extend the buffing cycle the better it will work. If your outside. Run the polisher speed 4 and moderate pressure. Try foam orange medium cutting pad and white polishing pad and see which one gives you best finish. Work on a area no bigger then the width of your shoulders. I stay smaller or larger depending on what the product allows me to get away with. Usually 16x16. It will help keep you balanced and keep the polisher level and allow you to focus on your hand speed, pressure and pass speeds.
 
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