Products for hand application

**BigHonu** · 11-14-2006, 04:57 PM

Aloha from a forum newbie!

I am about to get back into some detailing after a 4 year layoff and am preparing to get to work on a couple of light colored family cars.

All work will be done by hand.

For knocking down some of the swirls and scratches I have some Sonus SFX-1 and a foam applicator. If that combo is too aggressive, I`d do the SFX-1 with a MF applicator.

I have AIO (with foam applicator) as the next step to clean up whatever the SFX-1 left behind followed by AIO with MF then SG.

Do I need another polishing product between the SFX-1 and the AIO? If so, any suggestions would be welcome!

Thanks in advance for your answers!

**BigHonu** · 11-17-2006, 04:25 PM

Got the products in and am still working through car #1 (silver Nissan) but have noticed a few things.

My shoulders are a bit stiff.

I forgot how much work it takes to polish out scuffs and light scratches by hand. After 3 passes on the hood, doors, and trunk I could take out minor scuffing, very light scratches, and some minor etching (due to bird droppings). Spider-webs look more subdued as do the deeper and larger scratches. Gloss is coming back as well as some depth.

I`m not looking forward to doing the roof.

MF vs. Foam vs. Terry Cloth.

Terry Cloth is EASILY the most aggressive material. Scuffs would come out the easiest with the Terry Cloth, then the MF, then the Foam.

At this point, there is no need for another polishing product between the SFX-1 and AIO. It seems that moving to a foam pad with little pressure gets a nice polish vs. the Terry Cloth with medium pressure. I did a small patch with SFX-1, AIO, SG and it looks okay. STILL, I`m going add in a less aggressive polish just to see if I can see a difference.

Trying to revive 10 year old paint after 4 years of neglect is a challenge. Maybe a couple of more passes around the entire car, then I should be ready for the AIO and SG....then on to the wife`s car...