A lesson in PFW...

**SuperBee364** · 06-24-2008, 03:12 PM

I`ve always had great luck with SIP and PFW finishing down *very* well. Rarely would I get grams or compounding marks.

I had also had some pretty good luck getting M105 and M95 to finish down pretty well with PFW, too. Sometimes I could finish holo-free with it, other times it looked pretty nasty.

So yesterday, Greg Nichols and I were working on a Bentley. Black, of course. We both started off with PFW`s. Greg was working M105, and I was working M95. Neither one of us were having very good luck in finishing out our respective polishes. We really weren`t surprised, since Bentleys have such incredibly soft paint. So we just kinida took our lumps, knowing that we were in for a very long day of compounding haze/holo cleanup. Then Greg pulls out a brand new PFW. He does one application on the trunk with it with 105, and it finished out *completely* holo free. He then successfully did two more panels holo free. After that, it didn`t matter how much he spurred the pad, it left holos like crazy. So I grabbed a brand new PFW (thanks, Greg!) and had the exact same results: three body panels finished down completely holo free, but after that, grams like crazy.

Now the really funny part of this is that we had tried all sorts of different pads with the 105, ranging from red wave finishing foam up through PFW. Every pad *except* for the brand new PFW`s left crazy holograms. Even the zero-bite red wave finishing foam. Yet the brand new PFW`s finished down flawlessly.

We were far enough into the correction that we didn`t wash the pads and try again, but our clean (but used) PFW`s didn`t give us the finish that the new pads did.

Anyway, just thought I`d pass along the results of using PFW and 105/95 on *really* soft paint. It kinda looks like PFW`s are the winning pads when it comes to the finish you can get with Megs new compounds.

I normally don`t post C&B`s on client cars, but I think Greg and I are planning on posting one after we get the car done. We`re going to work on it again this coming Monday.

**Evenflow** · 06-24-2008, 03:19 PM

glad to hear you guys found a solution, and am looking forward to seeing the C&B

Interesting however. A clean PFW would yield holograms, yet a brand new out of the package PFW would not. Doesn`t make sense to me. I`d hate to have to use a BRAND NEW PFW after every three body panels.

**imported_gators241987** · 06-24-2008, 03:20 PM

2 new PFW pads for every detail would be quite expensive

**imported_Denzil** · 06-24-2008, 06:06 PM

Wow, definitely interesting results with the PFW. That Bentley paint sounds almost as painful as some of the newer Infiniti G`s out there.

**Mindflux** · 06-24-2008, 06:07 PM

I wonder if the foam is getting loaded up? Maybe those pads need a deep cleansing.

**SuperBee364** · 06-24-2008, 06:11 PM

Originally Posted by gators241987

2 new PFW pads for every detail would be quite expensive

Yeah, it sure would. For the most part, though, I`ve been able to get 105/95 to finish down *very* well on most paints. It`s just the soft ones that seem to really be hard to finish down well. And honestly, we`re being spoiled here; even when 105/95 finish down "poorly", they still finish down *much* better than any of the other heavy weights out there. I mean, prior to 95/105 coming out, were any of us disappointed cause the heavy compound we were using left holos?

**Eliot Ness** · 06-24-2008, 06:16 PM

Hey Supe, it sounds like a good reason to invest in a System 2000 Pad Washer to me!

**SuperBee364** · 06-24-2008, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by Eliot Ness

Hey Supe, it sounds like a good reason to invest in a System 2000 Pad Washer to me!

It sure does! My wife just doesn`t understand logic, though.

**Junebug** · 06-24-2008, 07:35 PM

My old boss use to say,"It`s easier to ask forgiveness than permission" - it works with with my wife, most of the time - LOL!

**imported_shine** · 06-24-2008, 07:48 PM

Very interesting observation. Thanks for sharing.

**imported_Picus** · 06-24-2008, 08:59 PM

Really though, on a car like that even @ $10 a pad it`s worth the $20 to save so much time, plus you can use those PFW`s later, so it isn`t like $20 out the door. Actually, this is a great reason to keep a few unopened ones kicking around.

**imported_gators241987** · 06-24-2008, 09:49 PM

Originally Posted by Eliot Ness

Hey Supe, it sounds like a good reason to invest in a System 2000 Pad Washer to me!

Rick said that that system wasnt best used with a rotary or flex, but the universal was better suited.

**Mindflux** · 06-24-2008, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by gators241987

Rick said that that system wasnt best used with a rotary or flex, but the universal was better suited.

The System 2000 IS rotary specific where as the UPW isn`t. Not sure if you got your signals crossed or what.

**imported_gators241987** · 06-24-2008, 11:12 PM

Originally Posted by Mindflux

The System 2000 IS rotary specific where as the UPW isn`t. Not sure if you got your signals crossed or what.

Whew long day. I re-read the email. System 2000 is only for rotary whereas the UPW can handle the flex and da as well. Wouldnt UPW make more sense than the 2000 then?

**Eliot Ness** · 06-25-2008, 06:09 AM

Originally Posted by gators241987

Whew long day. I re-read the email. System 2000 is only for rotary whereas the UPW can handle the flex and da as well. Wouldnt UPW make more sense than the 2000 then?

I guess it would if you only had a DA polisher, but they each work a bit differently. I personally like the concept of the System 2000 spurring the pad instead of just spinning it against a grit guard type device (simplified explanation).