Megs 105 and PC HELP!!!

mdbohica · 10-26-09, 12:30

Hello all,

First time with a PC and megs 105.

I am using an LC orange 5.5 inch pad on my black 2001 ford escape.

Machine is set to 4.5 and using moderate pressure.

How long should I work the polish in before buffing? I worked it for about 1 minute and let dry and it was a $()$*)@#$ to buff off. Needed to use a MF and detail spray.

Someone school me on this please, I am trying to get my hood 105'd today.

Thanks.

99GrandAM · 10-26-09, 12:48

I guess my question is why are you letting it dry after the 105 broke down? Once you break down the polish completely you can just wipe it off. 105 has a reputation for not taking a lot of time to break down (one of the nice things about it) so you shouldn't have to work it for too long...

Also, did you prime the pad with QD or polish? Its not completely necessary...each has their own preference. I found it to help a little when I rubbed a little 105 in the pad before polishing.

SuperBee364 · 10-26-09, 12:59

105 is known for drying fast and being hard to remove, so don't let that stop you. It's one of those products that you just have to keep working with and eventually you'll get the hang of it.

Some guys just spray a bit of water on the dry 105 (I don't do this, though) and keep working it.

Just remember to do the last few passes with minimal pressure to give you the best finish.

JimmyCutlass · 10-26-09, 01:05

I would recommend that you give your pad a sprits with a QD (Last Touch is good/cheap) and a few of small beads of M105 soaked into the foam. Do not let it dry completely or it will be difficult to remove. Once it begins to "flash" its working time is over, you can get more out of it with another spray or two of QD.

Accumulator · 10-26-09, 02:31

A few sorta-random thoughts:

M105/M205 don't break down, they just dry out (or rather, the oils and other carrier agents dry/flash leaving pretty much just the abrasives behind).

5.5" pads never work for me the way they do for others, smaller pads work a whole lot better via PC.

Priming the pads properly (I only use the product, no QD) makes a world of difference and is, IMO, critical.

I'd use speed 5 or even 6 if using pads larger than 4". The only time I use ~4-4.5 is with 4" pads.

Overworking the product, as opposed to stopping to wipe off and clean/reload/whatever's necessary the pads is a bad idea.

Speaking of overworking it, one minute is too long. [insert appropriate emoticon here, it's that much too long

]

Working smaller areas is better than working larger ones, and IMO it's pretty much impossible to work *too* small an area with M105.

Reactivating it via water/QD is something I wouldn't recommend to somebody who has limited experience. I've done it with good results but I didn't feel insulted when others here were all

that I tried it due to the risk factors.

Using a MF and detail spray is still a good idea because the abrasives don't break down (worth repeating

) and anything you can do to make the buff-off more gentle is thus worth doing as it'll minimize micromarring (and also not-so-micro marring).

dschribs · 10-26-09, 03:19

Speed is probably your biggest issue. Crank it up to 6. You'll need that speed for any correction work with that size pad.

I needed to QD the panel to remove the residue. I think lots of people do the same thing.

GREAT tips for using 105: http://www.autopia.org/forum/1310251-post216.html

Blake · 10-26-09, 03:47

Original batch was not meant for PC. I have a bottle from this early formula and mix it 50/50 with Ultimate Compoud. Works fine mixed.
Make sure the bottle says it is meant for PC

mdbohica · 10-27-09, 03:04

Ok, I recently bought a bunch of stuff. I also bought a six pack of 4" pads in the same colors as the 5.5 inch ones.

The 5.5 inch ones are not flat pads, they have the little dimples in them, the 4" ones are flat.

Here is what I am hearing and correct me if I am wrong.

Use the 4" pads instead of the 5.5" and prime the pad with the product and let absorb in for a while. then add 3 pea-sized drops to the pad and start buffing. Use speed 5ish on the PC with the 4" pad and work the product until it flashes.

I was curious about the flashing part of this because it does not take long at all to flash, maybe 15 seconds and I was under the impression that correction with a PC and this stuff takes longer than that.

After this, I will hit it with Megs 205 then probably adams fine machine polish before I seal and wax the hood.

Lastly, there seems to be some orange peeling around the washer nozzles on the hood. I thing I am going to have to remove the nozzles to get to the peel with the 105. Hopefully I can get it out and filled in with my wax.

Thanks

Accumulator · 10-27-09, 09:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdbohica

.Use the 4" pads instead of the 5.5" and prime the pad with the product and let absorb in for a while. then add 3 pea-sized drops to the pad and start buffing. Use speed 5ish on the PC with the 4" pad and work the product until it flashes.

Yeah, or even stop just short of flashing (makes for easier removal).

Quote:

I was curious about the flashing part of this because it does not take long at all to flash, maybe 15 seconds and I was under the impression that correction with a PC and this stuff takes longer than that.

It might just be me, but I do better with numerous short sessions compared to fewer longer ones. Working smaller areas gives you a little more time too.

M105 can do some pretty good work in a short period of time with the right pad and some pressure.

Quote:

After this, I will hit it with Megs 205 then probably adams fine machine polish before I seal and wax the hood.

The step-down to M205 can sometimes be a little tricky and I sometimes use pretty aggressive pads for the first pass(es) with M205.

Quote:

Lastly, there seems to be some orange peeling around the washer nozzles on the hood. I thing I am going to have to remove the nozzles to get to the peel with the 105. Hopefully I can get it out and filled in with my wax.

I wouldn't expect any real improvement in the OP, but removing the nozzles can be worth doing in many cases anyhow.

dschribs · 10-27-09, 10:26

Quote:

Use speed 5ish

Use speed 6!

Rob Tomlin · 10-30-09, 03:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Accumulator

A few sorta-random thoughts:

M105/M205 don't break down, they just dry out (or rather, the oils and other carrier agents dry/flash leaving pretty much just the abrasives behind).

5.5" pads never work for me the way they do for others, smaller pads work a whole lot better via PC.

Priming the pads properly (I only use the product, no QD) makes a world of difference and is, IMO, critical.

I'd use speed 5 or even 6 if using pads larger than 4". The only time I use ~4-4.5 is with 4" pads.

Overworking the product, as opposed to stopping to wipe off and clean/reload/whatever's necessary the pads is a bad idea.

Speaking of overworking it, one minute is too long. [insert appropriate emoticon here, it's that much too long

]

Working smaller areas is better than working larger ones, and IMO it's pretty much impossible to work *too* small an area with M105.

Reactivating it via water/QD is something I wouldn't recommend to somebody who has limited experience. I've done it with good results but I didn't feel insulted when others here were all

that I tried it due to the risk factors.

Using a MF and detail spray is still a good idea because the abrasives don't break down (worth repeating

) and anything you can do to make the buff-off more gentle is thus worth doing as it'll minimize micromarring (and also not-so-micro marring).

I agree with virtually every one of these points.

I have used M105 on two vehicles (both were large) and I still don't know if I like it. There are lots of advantages to it, and one of them is how well it finishes for a compound, but man, I still find it difficult to work with.

It did do an amazing job of removing some very bad/deep swirls in a dark green Denali.

I do wish that the working time was a bit longer.

I've only used it with a rotary.

Accumulator · 10-31-09, 08:44

IMO the M105 work time is just one of those yes/no things; some people (myself included) simply love it whereas others prefer products that don't flash as fast.

BUT.. I've never used it via rotary, only Flex 3401 and PC (and I needed to use 4" pads for that). I have done OK with both versions though, and I actually prefer the v1.0 for use on hard clear.

FWIW, when I reach for the rotary these days, it's so I can use rocks-in-a-bottle compounds, with the idea of doing in one pass what M105 might to in ~three. Trouble is, with products like that I'm *committed* to working them until breakdown, so there's no quitting early if things correct faster than I'd expected. I'm always tempted to do a very gentle wetsanding instead, easier to exercise control in many cases.