n00b questions about first use of the PC 7424...

[drew.haynes]

Last night I tried out the PC... only got a bout a third of the car done in SSR2.5 before the bugs were too many to handle.



Anyway...



First - How hard do you push? The harder you push the more it vibrates and the more it seems to bog down a little. I tried different pressures alot but couldn`t tell what worked best.



Second - Yeah, the Poorboys definately dusts alot... but how much do you let it dust before you stop buffing?



Third - I was going back and forth, then up and down, slowly. How many passes over one panel should I be making?



Fourth - SSR2.5 made an INSTANT difference on my hood and fenders where it was horribly hazy before. They are now a dark black again and have far less swirls... BUT... they still HAVE alot of swirls. I threw a little SSR1 on, but it didn`t seem to do anything at all! Obviously I`m either not using the 2.5 to it`s full potential... or I`m not using SSR1 correctly... what`s the deal?





Ok, that`s all I can think of for now. I`ll post a pic or two in just a little while.





Thanks alot, you guys are amazing!





Drew



EDIT: Larger res picture:

http://members.cox.net/drew.haynes/pub/IMG_3697.jpg

[tustah]

Can`t really answer your questions about PB`s SSR line, but I can say that I push between 10-20 lbs of pressure, depending on the type of polish and pad used, and how much defects you are trying to remove.



With Optimum products, I make about 4 up and down passes and 4 side to side passes, not including the initial passes to spread the polish on the panel.



Did you clay the car? What type of pad are you using? Also, what speed did you use? If anything, maybe you should try a different pad or go over the car a second time with SSR 2.5.

[drew.haynes]

Can`t really answer your questions about PB`s SSR line, but I can say that I push between 10-20 lbs of pressure, depending on the type of polish and pad used, and how much defects you are trying to remove.



With Optimum products, I make about 4 up and down passes and 4 side to side passes, not including the initial passes to spread the polish on the panel.



Did you clay the car? What type of pad are you using? Also, what speed did you use? If anything, maybe you should try a different pad or go over the car a second time with SSR 2.5.



I am using an Orange LC VC pad with the SSR2.5 @ 4-5 speed on the PC. Maybe I just need to make more passes... who knows.. lemme go get that pic, btw. Almost forgot..

[drew.haynes]

Ok... 4 pics. 2 are the hood after taping off a section and hitting it with SSR2.5. As you can the difference is drastic... but there are still alot more swirls than I`d like. The other 2 are a fender. HORRIBLE before (thanks incompetent body shop), but now a good black again... but still not the clarity I`d like in the reflection - still swirling.

[imported_bpfoley]

sometimes more than one application is needed, and slow down your movement- let the polish do its work.



The clarity will come later after you do an application of SSR1, SSR2.5 will leave some micromarring and hazing depending on pad bite- as it is the workhorse of the two.



Also, as the polish begins to near breakdown lighten the pressure. It has taken me about 3 times out to really understand the PC7424 as well as watching a 2 hour video by Mike Phillips. I have finally been able to get results that others on here post.

[Greg2]

FYI, I have the same problem. (my thread is here: http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=73990



I`m a raw newbie though.



Greg.

[velobard]

Also, don`t keep polishing after it starts dusting, the dust will cause more marring. How much polish are you using? It`s common to use too much. There`s a video of PC use around here somewhere. I don`t have time for a proper search, but it`s worth digging for.

[Greg2]

Also, don`t keep polishing after it starts dusting, the dust will cause more marring. How much polish are you using? It`s common to use too much. There`s a video of PC use around here somewhere. I don`t have time for a proper search, but it`s worth digging for.



I`m not using too much I don`t think. I`m only working very small areas at the moment - about 1x1` at the most, so I`m just putting a few small dabs on the pad. (my source for the polish also said not to use very much)



If SSR1 is applied to an already very good surface, should it cause scratches if it`s not fully worked?



Greg.

p.s Please note that I`m not trying to hijack this thread. :)

[drew.haynes]

Please note that I`m not trying to hijack this thread. :)



No I appreciate you asking these Q`s... they help me too.



As far as dusting... it`s worst when I hit corners and edges... seems like it makes the dust just pop up everywhere. I don`t know how to possibly avoid rubbing the dust all over with the PC and cause more marring... but I know some people do get good results w/ ssr2.5.

[Greg2]

Hmm. I`ve found blobs of green stuff in my SSR1. I`ve emptied mine into a large shallow container, and I noticed that when I stirred it a bit, the green blobs showed up. Since these blobs are near the top, that means they were probably down the bottom of the original container.



I`ll upload a photo of a green blob which I`ve plucked out shortly.



Btw, I`ve just tried hitting my panel with some more SSR1, after first cleaning my pad. It`s just no use. I think the more I polish, the cloudier it`s becoming. It`s just not working.



Greg.

[Greg2]

That blob is about 0.25" in length. There is still a bit of the polish proper left on and around the blob. (I wiped away most of it)

C:\green_blob.jpg

[Greg2]

Here`s a blob. It`s on the end of a chopstick (to give you an idea of the size)

src="http://www.sullivang.net/images/green_blob.jpg"

[Greg2]

Here`s the blob. It`s on the end of a chopstick, to give you a sense of the size. (the blob is about 0.25" long)

http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/green_blob.jpg

[Greg2]

Update: I`ve reduced the amount of hazing/clouding by hand applying the SSR1 with a t-shirt. So I tried a few more hand applications, but I still can`t get a nice glassy finish. This is driving me nuts.



If I have soaked the pad in water, how important is it that the pad be very dry? I was thinking that it would not be all that important, because folks often seem to moisten the pad before use anyway. All I did was to try to squeeze as much water out as possible, but I did not let the pad dry out naturally for any appreciable amount of time after that.



Greg.

[Greg2]

I had posted about finding some green stuff in my polish. I can`t be 100% sure I didn`t introduce this contanimant, so I`ve deleted the post (and the photo). The reason for my doubt is that I`ve found some green stuff on the bench where I was working, so I`m thinking I may not have inspected the spoon I used closely enough before I used it to scoop out last bits of the polish from the bottle.



I`m really sorry for this.



Greg.