Practiced today with Adam's new microfiber pads/new polishes

[intensifi]

I kept my old (dented) black fender knowing I'd be getting the new Adam's stuff at some point. I figured it's best to practice on a "throw away" piece.

The black fender had a few very light swirls in it. These were left over from my last polishing session with the Adam's foam pads. In mine and Adam's defense it's hard to get all the swirls out when I polish in the garage, think it's perfect then go outside in the sun and realize it needs more work.

So today I tried the new MF 4" pads and polishes with my Porter Cable. I washed a section of the fender with dawn, then rinsed, dried and clayed said section. I spread the polishes on setting 1, and polished on setting 5. I marked the pads with a Sharpie per Dylan's suggestion so I could see the rotational speed. In all cases the pads were spinning pretty much the same rate as in Dylan's videos.

I polished outside with the fender on the ground while sitting in a folding chair. There was no wind.

After I used the orange polish and pad, I thought I had achieved perfection in the sun!

(I buffed it out in between polishes to see how much the orange pad did)

I then put the white pad on to finish. I got it very good (pretty much perfect) in the sun. But in some ways I think it was better with just the orange pad.

The swirls were gone with the orange and the finish looked glass like.

After the white pad, the swirls were still gone but I can kind of see the paths I took with the PC.

Anyone have any idea why this would happen?

Note: There is no way these paths would show up even in a high res photo. You have to be on top of the fender (in the sun) to see it.

So I'll practice again next weekend before I polish my car.

[ihaveacamaro]

hard to say but if I had to guess, my guess would be dry buffing. Try adding much more of the white polish to the white pad and try it again.

[WiSSDiver]

Originally Posted by ihaveacamaro

hard to say but if I had to guess, my guess would be dry buffing. Try adding much more of the white polish to the white pad and try it again.

And a sprits of Detail Spray

Once your pad is properly primed, you shouldn't need to use as much polish and "wake up" what polish is left in the pad with detail spray.

[Adam's Polishes]

If you're seeing the results you are shooting for after using the Correcting Polish, then that's great! No need to spend extra time/effort/product polishing further.

Was it a Camaro fender? My guess is that the white MF pad may be a little too aggressive for the clear coat you are finishing down.

Try a white foam pad with a slightly lower speed in the same area and see if that cleans up all of the left over marks.

[Adam's Polishes]

Originally Posted by intensifi

The black fender had a few very light swirls in it. These were left over from my last polishing session with the Adam's foam pads. In mine and Adam's defense it's hard to get all the swirls out when I polish in the garage, think it's perfect then go outside in the sun and realize it needs more work.

A set of 500 watt construction lights (around $30) is a perfect solution for this. Gives you intense, focused light to see the true condition of the paint in your garage. In many cases lighting like that will be even more critical than full sunlight.

Originally Posted by intensifi

So today I tried the new MF 4" pads and polishes with my Porter Cable. I washed a section of the fender with dawn, then rinsed, dried and clayed said section. I spread the polishes on setting 1, and polished on setting 5. I marked the pads with a Sharpie per Dylan's suggestion so I could see the rotational speed. In all cases the pads were spinning pretty much the same rate as in Dylan's videos.

One issue here is your speed is TOO HIGH for a 4" pad. We don't recommend anything higher than speed 4 on the 4" pads when working with a machine like the PC.

If you were working a 4" pad at speed 5 and seeing the same rotation as my videos then you were pressing REALLY hard. To slow a 4" pad down like that would require a ton of pressure.

Also, any particular reason you're using a 4" pad instead of a full sized 6.5" pad? They aren't designed for full panel correction (save for using 2 of them on a cyclo) its more for spot correction and tight spaces.

Originally Posted by intensifi

I polished outside with the fender on the ground while sitting in a folding chair. There was no wind.

After I used the orange polish and pad, I thought I had achieved perfection in the sun!

(I buffed it out in between polishes to see how much the orange pad did)

I'm a little confused here... you saw perfection with just the 1 step... so why proceed to the next? When its perfect its perfect. Theres not really a 'more perfect'.

Originally Posted by intensifi

I then put the white pad on to finish. I got it very good (pretty much perfect) in the sun. But in some ways I think it was better with just the orange pad.

White foam or white microfiber?

Originally Posted by intensifi

The swirls were gone with the orange and the finish looked glass like.

After the white pad, the swirls were still gone but I can kind of see the paths I took with the PC.

Anyone have any idea why this would happen?

Note: There is no way these paths would show up even in a high res photo. You have to be on top of the fender (in the sun) to see it.

So I'll practice again next weekend before I polish my car.

Most likely some damage as a result of the speed you were working. Even the PC with a 4" pad at high speeds will spin fast enough to leave something that resembles 'light holograms' or similar effects.

The other possibility is that you had some polishing oils left on the surface.

[intensifi]

Originally Posted by Nick@Adams

If you're seeing the results you are shooting for after using the Correcting Polish, then that's great! No need to spend extra time/effort/product polishing further.

Was it a Camaro fender? My guess is that the white MF pad may be a little too aggressive for the clear coat you are finishing down.

Try a white foam pad with a slightly lower speed in the same area and see if that cleans up all of the left over marks.

Yes it was a Camaro factory fender. Will do on the white foam pad.

Should I not be using the white MF pads on my Camaro?

[intensifi]

Originally Posted by Dylan@Adams

A set of 500 watt construction lights (around $30) is a perfect solution for this. Gives you intense, focused light to see the true condition of the paint in your garage. In many cases lighting like that will be even more critical than full sunlight.

Thanks for the tip! Sounds like a great product for Adam's to sell. I volunteer to be a tester.

Originally Posted by Dylan@Adams

One issue here is your speed is TOO HIGH for a 4" pad. We don't recommend anything higher than speed 4 on the 4" pads when working with a machine like the PC.

Good to know. Where is this documented? I didn't see anything on the pad plastic bag. Maybe I missed something in a video???

Originally Posted by Dylan@Adams

If you were working a 4" pad at speed 5 and seeing the same rotation as my videos then you were pressing REALLY hard. To slow a 4" pad down like that would require a ton of pressure.

Also good to know. I lift weights so a "ton of pressure" is kind of relative (for me). This type of stuff is the reason I wanted to practice with the new MF pads and polishes before I moved to the car. Maybe a video showing the proper spin speed for the each of the pads/types on each of the machines? This is the type of "knuckle dragging" tutorial guys like me (knuckle draggers) could use.

Originally Posted by Dylan@Adams

Also, any particular reason you're using a 4" pad instead of a full sized 6.5" pad? They aren't designed for full panel correction (save for using 2 of them on a cyclo) its more for spot correction and tight spaces.

My first correction location on the car is on the spoiler and rear end. So that is why I was starting with the 4" pads. The bigger ones just don't fit. I'd even like a 3" pad for the A pillars.

Originally Posted by Dylan@Adams

I'm a little confused here... you saw perfection with just the 1 step... so why proceed to the next? When its perfect its perfect. Theres not really a 'more perfect'.

Because I'm a knuckle dragger and was following your video. Based on what I have read in your post, I need to slow the speed on the 4" MF pad. With that adjustment I wouldn't have achieved perfection (yet) so I'd need the final pass with the white MF pad anyway???

Originally Posted by Dylan@Adams

White foam or white microfiber?

My thread is about the new MF pads/polishes.

Originally Posted by Dylan@Adams

Most likely some damage as a result of the speed you were working. Even the PC with a 4" pad at high speeds will spin fast enough to leave something that resembles 'light holograms' or similar effects.

Great info. Again where is this documented? I feel like I read EVERYTHING on your site and watched ALL the videos. The only 4" video I remember seeing is when you mounted one on a real drill for correction on the front end of the black Camaro SS.

Originally Posted by Dylan@Adams

The other possibility is that you had some polishing oils left on the surface.

I used one of your clean double soft towels to buff it out. Since I can "push too hard" with the PC, I'm thinking I would have gotten all the oils off. I used the same pressure with the towel after the orange MF pad and there were no apparent oils left then. So it's probably the "damage" you mentioned earlier.

Based on your comments regarding the 4" MF pads and the PC, it sounds like I should just apply enough pressure to just barely keep it flat on the painted metal surface as I didn't feel like I was pressing very hard at all. Or maybe no white MF pad on the Camaro and instead use the foam?

Also any differences in speed/pressure when polishing the plastic bumpers versus the metal surfaces?

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

You want absolute perfection, finish off with a zero cut foam pad and a finishing polish. Try Adam's black foam pad with their Fine Machine Polish and you should be blown away.

Dunno why you're getting DA haze from the white pads (unless they're microfiber, then it makes total sense - they're too aggressive)... though it has happened to me before, I still couldn't understand why. Try reducing the speed of the machine to around 4 and see if that helps any.

[intensifi]

Originally Posted by nUcLeArEnVoY

You want absolute perfection, finish off with a zero cut foam pad and a finishing polish. Try Adam's black foam pad with their Fine Machine Polish and you should be blown away.

Dunno why you're getting DA haze from the white pads (unless they're microfiber, then it makes total sense - they're too aggressive)... though it has happened to me before, I still couldn't understand why. Try reducing the speed of the machine to around 4 and see if that helps any.

Thanks for the idea. I've only been using the black pad to spread their sealant.

Please elaborate on the white MF pads being too aggressive.

[CamaroDreams07]

Originally Posted by intensifi

Please elaborate on the white MF pads being too aggressive.

Yes, please.

[Adam's Polishes]

Originally Posted by intensifi

Good to know. Where is this documented? I didn't see anything on the pad plastic bag. Maybe I missed something in a video???

Its in red text at the bottom of all the 4" pad pages

NOTE: Adam's 4" FOCUS Pads are recommended for spot treatments only or for use with the Cyclo Model 5 Pro. They are not designed to be used for polishing your entire vehicle with other machines. Do not exceed speed setting 4, or 4000opm depending on the application/machine type.


Also, you're assuming an awful lot applying the techniques in videos that utilize fullsize pads and applying that to a smaller pad/plate combo. Thats like saying you were shocked when your Camaro didn't get 42mpg because you watched a video about the Chevy Cruze.

Not apples to apples. You have to make some technique and approach adjustments, not just apply the learning from one setup to another. In all honesty we don't have an in depth video on the 4" pads on the PC anymore because its just not advisable for most users to attempt.

Originally Posted by intensifi

My first correction location on the car is on the spoiler and rear end. So that is why I was starting with the 4" pads. The bigger ones just don't fit. I'd even like a 3" pad for the A pillars.

Some overlap is fine, but I can see why you went that way. When in doubt just shoot us an email or a phone call... don't assume things and make leaps in judgement if you don't know the answer.

Originally Posted by intensifi

Because I'm a knuckle dragger and was following your video. Based on what I have read in your post, I need to slow the speed on the 4" MF pad. With that adjustment I wouldn't have achieved perfection (yet)

Why would you assume you wouldnt get perfection at speed setting 4?

Originally Posted by intensifi

I'd need the final pass with the white MF pad anyway???

Again, here you're applying information from a video using a full size pad setup and assuming it applies to all pad sizes. You're also forgetting what we talk about in the very first video of this entire video series - EVERY SITUATION IS DIFFERENT. There was a thread recently where a customer, using a good technique was able to 1 step with the Correcting Polish and an orange foam pad... we don't demo that, but it doesn't mean that its not a viable solution to his situation.

The videos are a series of BEST PRACTICES for our products. There are a million variables. You can't choose to follow one part to the letter (orange followed by white) But then ignore the fact that you were applying a 7" technique with 4" pads.

Originally Posted by intensifi

Great info. Again where is this documented? I feel like I read EVERYTHING on your site and watched ALL the videos.

bottom of all the 4" pad pages
http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-969-n...ds-2-pack.aspx
http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-970-n...ad-2-pack.aspx
http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-746-a...ad-2-pack.aspx
http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-747-a...ad-2-pack.aspx

Originally Posted by intensifi

I used one of your clean double soft towels to buff it out. Since I can "push too hard" with the PC, I'm thinking I would have gotten all the oils off. I used the same pressure with the towel after the orange MF pad and there were no apparent oils left then. So it's probably the "damage" you mentioned earlier.

Oils won't be removed by a towel alone if you're getting down to that level of inspection. If there are polishing oils hiding anything then the best method to remove them is diluted isopropyl alcohol.

Originally Posted by intensifi

Thanks for the idea. I've only been using the black pad to spread their sealant.

Please elaborate on the white MF pads being too aggressive.

Not necessarily too aggressive, but maybe not finishing as well for some people as foam does. Again, as we outline in the videos not all cars respond the same and not all people get the same results with the pads.

Some cars finish better with foam, some finish better with MF... just depends.

[intensifi]

Dylan,

Thanks for the insights.

Do you have a polishing recipe for Camaros? "It all depends" leaves a lot for me/us Camaro guys to discover on our own. I'd rather learn from your "best practices".



I see what happened on the 4" pad speed settings. I hadn't read the web site pages on the 4" pads since you had just the foam pads. I looked at the 4" green pad page in the closeouts section as I think this is the same as what all of them used to be like/say:

http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-745-c...ds-2-pack.aspx

Notice there is no speed mention warning on this page.

It's good you added the warnings to the foam and new MF 4" pages. My bad for not reading/remembering this new material. Maybe it's worthwhile to add a piece of paper to the 4" pad bags stating the warning??? Maybe on the polish bottle labels???

I'll try again with this new info and post the results.

I'm so happy I kept the old fender to practice with.

Thanks again!

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

Yes, please.

I'll elaborate my foot in your ass. :P Lol, JK


But Intensifi, he's right, I spoke too soon for which I apologize. I didn't even know Adams made microfiber pads, I haven't been updated on their catalog in awhile.

I've always used foam, and when microfiber pads just started picking up steam, they were mostly known as having heavy correcting power so I guess I still stuck to that mindset. If you're using a finishing microfiber pad, then I guess my foot should really go squarely in my mouth. Again, try lowering your speed on the PC to see if that improves the DA haze. It is definitely an annoying issue to deal with. You could also try a bigger pad: bigger the pad, the less cut it has, and a finer cut is exactly what you're looking for.

But like I said, also try using a no-cut foam pad with a fine polish... it would be right above jeweling in aggressiveness, so it should provide just enough cut to actually make a difference. You should be really impressed.