Detailing Meet - UK Style!

[imported_Dave KG]

Its becoming a regular thing in the UK for folk to meet up and chat about detailing, have demos of products and machines, asnd technqiues and a good bit of banter along the way too... And I frequently travel all over the UK for them from my home up in Dundee, and today was no different as I did a 570 mile round trip today for a meet just outside Manchester... some folk think I`m nuts doing this, but the days are great fun and well worth the travelling effort...



So I though I`d share some pics from the event :)



So - some pics:



Start off with my car on arrival - not exactly Show n Shine material after a 286 mile drive south...



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0007.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0009.jpg



not helped by the fact a dive bombing pidgeon mis-judged my car for a good place to land, while on the M6 at 70... made an almighty cracking noise but thankfully did no real damage - got the feather left behind and some smearing...



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0008.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0010.jpg



But from a distance, the car was looking good in the sunlight with its Zaino layers and 85RD finishing polish I thought, if you ignored the flies!:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0032.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0037.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0038.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0039.jpg



But anyway, enough of my car... onto the meet itself.



Demo car was a Focus RS, a few swilrs on the bonnet so perfect opportunity for some machine polishing demos - but first, a wash:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0022.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0043.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0044.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0049.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0050.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0045.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0046.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0047.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0048.jpg



Epoch making sure it was perfect:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0052.jpg



Washing



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0055.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0058.jpg



Onto the machine polishing, this is what we are dealing with:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0065.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0066.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0067.jpg



G220 first up, and while Menzerna Final Finishing on a polishing pad was delivering around 90% correction, we stepped up to Intensive Polish to knock out the RDS as well to get the finish nigh on perfect by DA... Me in action:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0062.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0063.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0064.jpg



and we get:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0077.jpg



Also, fjs and rsrobin used the G220 on the bonnet, see Epoch`s pics :)

[imported_Dave KG]

After lunch (:thumb:) it was on to the rotaries, and just to show exactly what a very light polish would do, 3M Ultrafina on a black 3M pad was used to achieve around 90 - 95% correction on this finish:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0072.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0074.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0075.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0071.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0069.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0070.jpg



Not bad, and just goes to show the value of not going in heavy unless you really need to! Stepping up to 3M Polish Ultrafine gor rid of a little more and delivered a really nice finish to the car, with both myself and Iain working away showing well how two people with widely varying techniques can polish to an LSP ready high quality finish! :)



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0080.jpg



Then, time to let the games begin: Epoch arrives with scrap panel:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0012.jpg



Iain polishes half with Ultrafina to get cracking 50/50 on this soft paint:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0079.jpg



Still, that didn`t stop Epoch getting the Meguiars 105 and a cutting wool pad out for a go!



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0085.jpg



Compounding marks anyone?!:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0086.jpg



40um of paint left the car from this hit along! I then tried to get through the clear, not with a burn through but by typical polioshing to show what would happen if you just went a little to far with the wool... though I had managed it, but then reifnied the finish with 3M Polish Ultrafine only to find I hadn`t!!... finish was decent, not perfect:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0087.jpg



Epoch then did a great demo of the Mirka sanding...



4000 grit:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0092.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0093.jpg



Dry sanding a little scratch:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0095.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0096.jpg



2000 grit:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0097.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0098.jpg



Refine with 4000 grit:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0099.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0100.jpg



Then polish to a beautiful finish:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0102.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0105.jpg



Decided I`d have a go, so keyed the panel! Sanded 2000, 4000, 3M Polish Ultrafine to refine it...



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0113.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0111.jpg



I wasn`t convinced at all there though, the sanding was great, the machine finish wasn`t as good as I weanted, there was marring there for sure... so instead, over to my favourite finishing polish for this very soft paint: 85RD:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0115.jpg



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0116.jpg



Much better, can sleep easy now :)



One last demo - Bilt Hamber Autobalm... take the swirly wing:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0128.jpg



One application of Autobalm later:



http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee41/DaveKG/Detailing/NW%20Meet/2008_0713NWMeet0130.jpg



Excuse the product residue in that shot, but I think we can say that this is mighty effective filling of defects and to add to this, a lovely glossy edge added to the finish to boot and durability that knocks most other LSPs for six! Its getting more air time these days, and deservedly so, as this product is showing itself to be a very good and excellent value for money product capable of a lot more than simply protection: it fills well, it leaves a lovely finish, it lasts well. And its damn good value. One of my favourite products this for these very reasons, and it performs at its best here again today. Highly impressive.