Originally Posted by Detailed Image

Excellent transformation XtatiC, especially for your first time using your buffer. You'll only get better every time you use the polisher and become more familiar with the polishes.

Regarding your polishing speeds, I typically will spread the product at a low speed (~3 on the dial) to outline my working area (usually 18" x 18" or smaller). Then once I'm ready to polish, kick it up full go to 5 or 6. The only time I don't run the buffer at full speed is if it's bothering / numbing my hands. There's usually a noticeable increase in vibration going from speed 5 to 6, but those are the speeds you want to use when breaking the polish down.

Regarding the dusting, my guess is you either used too much polish, or you weren't cleaning out / swapping out your pads and the product was building up and spitting out of the pad. I typically will use 3 pea sized drops per 18" x 18" working area, no more than that. Using too much polish will also diminish your results as you won't be able to completely break down the abrasives as effectively since the polish will dry up before it completely breaks down.

I typically use between 4 - 6 pads per coat of polish. After every 2 or 3 panels, I'll take the pad off (looks like polka dots all over) and swap it out for a fresh one. If you don't have multiple pads to use, then you want to make a conscious effort to clean out the pad after every panel. To do this, simply take a toothbrush and run the buffer at a low - medium speed and gently glide the brush over the foam pad. Do this away from the car as it will typically kick up a lot of product.

The combination of using the right amount of product and fresh pads typically yields little to no dusting for me, but it takes a lot of time and experience to master. Just keep those things in the back of your mind for your next polishing job and see if it's any better. On a car the size of the G, I'd estimate using 1.5 ounces of polish per coat or less to give you an idea.

Also, not sure how fast you moved the buffer, but you want to try to move the PC at a rate of 1" per second, which is SLOW. You want to be applying between 15 ~ 20 lbs of force on the head of the buffer as well when working the polish into the paint.

Back to the results, killer job again on your car, especially since it was your first time. Your results will only improve the more you get to practice with the buffer and polishes. Keep up the great work and keep us posted if anything I mentioned helps next time around.

Thanks for sharing and thanks for the kind words. Now enjoy your new finish, it's certainly night and day!



George

Originally Posted by XtatiC

Thanks a lot George, after reading your post I see what I need to do different. I used way too much polish and only used 2 pads per coat.

One more question.. after polishing I put the pads in a bucket with water and a packet of the detergent that was sent with my kit. when I'm ready to use the pads again, what do I need to do with the pads to get them ready to go again?

Originally Posted by Gamedog

I've never used the little packet stuff, I just use a small drop of laundry detergent in the middle of the pad and work it with my thumb from the center of the pad to the edges, while rotating the pad with my other fingers. Then rinse them off doing the same thing. It takes about 3-5 minutes each pad but it gets the job done believe it or not. Then I put them all back on my Cyclo and spin the water out of them for a few seconds. Then just leave them in the garage face down on a MF towel to fully dry for a day or so. Should be good to go. My prior detailer told me about this cleaning method BTW.