Birthday Detail with New Cyclo (Beware, Minivan)

[Sludge]

My birthday is tomorrow and my wife let me get a cyclo for my birthday. She would not let me use it until my birthday, but with a 60% chance of rain tomorrow I talked her into letting me use it today .
My process was wash with Optimum No Rinse
Clay while wet with Optimum Clay and lubricate with Poorboy's Spray & Wash.
Dry with MF Waffle towel.
Using Cyclo green pads (light cutting) applied Optimum Polish/Compound 50/50 by Cyclo.
Using Cyclo white pads (polishing) applied Clearkote Red Moose Machine Glaze by Cyclo.
By hand with MF applicator applied Natty's Blue.
My goals were to achieve a swirl free finish and increase the depth and wetness of the finish. This particular Nissan paint has tons of metalflake and an equal amount of orange peel. I managed to eliminate ~ 90% of the swirls. I was under a tree for shade which was raining pollen, sap, and assorted debris.
I enjoyed my first cyclo experience. I don't know if it improved my speed, but I don't feel quite as beat up as I did with the PC. Of course the Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter beer (9.2% alcohol) I consumed after the detail might have helped. I started at 9 AM and finished at 4 PM with no breaks.








My apologies to the minivan haters, but this is what I had to detail. Also sorry my POS camera does not do a Autopian level job.
Have a great weekend.
Sludge

[SpoiledMan]

No hater here! I'd rather see the real world utility of a mini-van than the perceived utility of a monster truck!

Looks nice by the way. How do you like the Cyclo? Happy birthday too.

[Accumulator]

A thread with both "Cyclo" and "minivan" in its title is sure to get my attention

Nice job, and I'm not surprised the Cyclo was easier on you than the PC. I feel the same way, it's a tool I just *like* using.

[-KGB-]

Next summer I am going to have to spring for the Cyclo. Too bad I cant rent one to get a feel for it.

[Sludge]

Accumulator
I wondered how long it would be before you showed up. I love the Cyclo. I told my wife I felt like I could do another car tomorrow, I never felt like that with the PC. Like many others, you were instrumental in my getting a cyclo. It is definitely not as heavy or clumsy as it looks.

SpoiledMan,
Thanks, my 56th birthday. Puts me in a new slot in the Autopian demographics.
I look forward to more work with the cyclo. My cyclo has one coat of OCW and one coat of Natty's Blue so far. May have to try Zaino.

[Accumulator]

Yeah, it's a lot of money to spend on something that you've never tried. I floated the idea of an Autopia Tool Rental program a while back but it didn't get any real traction....

I'm always glad when people like Sludge say they like it, as I push the Cyclo fairly hard- I'd hate for somebody to say "I bought this expensive thing and I hate it!" after I said it was so swell.

Don't use it with AIO though, that product just doesn't work well by Cyclo.

Oh, almost forgot- Sludge- try applying the Natty's with the Cyclo; I just *love* it for LSPs. Good for buffing them off too, with MF bonnets over the cutting pads.

[Corey Bit Spank]

CYCLO! It's so much more ergonomic than the PC. Looks great.

[Sludge]

Accumulator,

Just so I'm straight, you apply and remove Natty's with the MF bonnets? I'll get some and give it a try. Have not maxed the credit card yet!

[Scottwax]

Damn! The depth and wetness for a metallic gold is amazing! Regardless of what the paint is slathered over, it looks terrific.

[Accumulator]

Originally Posted by Sludge

Just so I'm straight, you apply and remove Natty's with the MF bonnets?

Not quite. I apply with the white Cyclo polishing pads and remove with suede-style MF bonnets from TOL (over the yellow Cyclo cutting pads).

Those bonnets will load up if your wax is thick (note that I'm sorta fanatical about *THIN* LSP applications ) so get a bunch of 'em. Buff with bonnets, then give a quick follow-up by hand I fog the surface with my breath before the hand work). I find that the bonnets get maybe 95% of the LSP off. Some people do it the other way around (hand then bonnets) but I like the burnishing from all those OPMs to happen while all the LSP is still on there.

[White95Max]

I bet your wife is glad she let you use the Cyclo early now! It looks terrific.

[Sludge]

Scottwax,
Thanks for the compliment. Means alot with the quality of your work.

Accumulator,
Thanks for the clarification. I thought applying with an MF bonnet sounded a bit strange. Will definitely try it out!