Zaino/PC/What Pad?/Speed

[jtack]

Putting Z2 on my car with a PC. What pad should I use and at what speed do you apply it?

[bigpoppa]

Originally posted by ejant

IMO I wouldn`t apply Z2 with a buffer. It would be wasteful of the product and Z2 is so easy to apply you`ll have half the car done by the time you set the buffer up.



I agree, you`re better off applying Zaino by hand.

[waynejitsu]

just in case you need a third opinion..., agreed! apply by hand:)

[billrouleau]

Yeah you definately should apply by hand to insure a thin coat...however, buffing off may be easier with a MF bonnet and a PC.

[Hawkeye_TDI]

Give your car a hand job, it`ll love it.

Bruce

[jtack]

What about blackfire...gloss enhancing polish and the All Finish Paint Protection?

[TortoiseAWD]

Counter opinion . . . I get thinner coats, and use less product applying by machine (about 1/4-1/3 oz per coat). I use a 3M grey waffle finishing pad on low speed (1 or 2; you just want to apply the product, not "work" it). I completely wet the pad with water, and then wring as dry as possible before mounting it on the the machine, then let it free spin briefly on 6 to get out any excess water. I use a 35mL oral syringe to apply small amounts to the face of the pad, then dab the pad (PC off) in several places around the panel so that as I spread the product around with the PC on, I occasionally hit one of these dabs and pick up some fresh Z. I also spritz the pad with Z6 about every other panel to keep the layer going on thinly.



The first couple of panels will require more Zaino than subsequent panels. Once the pad "loads up" (about two panels, in my experience), it takes less than 1mL per panel to lay down a thin, even coat. If you`re using ZFX and doing multiple layers (the best time to bust out the PC, IMO), hit the pad with a good shot of Z6 and stick it in a plastic bag between layers to prevent the Z/ZFX left on the pad from setting up at all while you remove the previous layer.



Caveat: I`m a Zaino heretic. I abandoned cotton applicators for foam after one try with cotton, and shortly after that ditched cotton towels for microfiber. Got my PC, and started applying by machine. Topped with S100. Stripped S100, applied a coupla more Z layers, then topped with Blackfire II. Soon, I`m going to see what Zaino looks like on top of BF (my inner mad scientist is giggling).



Multi-layered Z/ZFX by PC . . . :xyxthumbs



Tort

[TortoiseAWD]

Originally posted by bullitt2971

What about blackfire...gloss enhancing polish and the All Finish Paint Protection? I`ve applied BF GEP and BF AFPP II both by machine (grey finishing pads for both), using pretty much the same instructions I posted above for Zaino. However, BF instructions don`t recommend dampening the pad with water or QD, so I just started with a dry pad for both. BF spreads extremely well, and takes only a small amount to cover a panel.



BTW, I have had some problems with the sealant smearing when removing the couple of times I`ve used it, but I`ve also only had the opportunity to apply in temps around the high 40`s. It seems to be pretty sensitive to temp/humidity (like non-ZFXed Zaino), and may take quite a while to dry. Like other sealants, thinner is better . . .



Tort

[jtack]

thank you all!:up

[chris0626]

The first few times I Zaino`d the Jag, I could not get anything like the coverage others mentioned (i.e., some Autopians talked about doing a whole car with just an ounce -- YOWZA!). I was using the applicator Zaino sells (foam wrapped in terry towel). Finally I switched to the yellow foam pads. Eureka! Foam pad didn`t soak up so much product as the Z applicator, and I was able (for reasons I still don`t understand) to apply much thinner layers. Overall result was a huge improvement.



Haven`t yet tried the MF applicators.



My $.02

[C. Charles Hahn]

Originally posted by ejant

IMO I wouldn`t apply Z2 with a buffer. It would be wasteful of the product and Z2 is so easy to apply you`ll have half the car done by the time you set the buffer up.



echo... echo.... same thing I PMed you about ;)

[waynejitsu]

lynn, i had the same "first results" when i used zaino. i am also using the yellow meguiers foam pads, and like you said, they use less, which is better with zaino. i considered fetting a few MF pads, but decided not to, since one of the selling points of MF is the ability to "soak up" lquids, just what i am trying to avoid when using zaino or klasse SG

[imported_Intermezzo]

I too, am a heretic when it comes to following Sal`s instructions to a "T". My vote goes to machine application for pretty much the same reasons as TortoiseAWD. When applying by machine, I was able to get thinner applications while using less product. I think ShowroomLincoln was actually able to get 7 coats per ounce while detailing a few cars at once. Not only do you save product (especially when applying multiple coats), the "evenness of coverage" is much better when applying by machine. Dry-time was pretty much a non-factor (even in cool weather) and the product buffed out with very little effort.