Detailing Made Simple. Article by Barry Theal

[Dan]

I don`t really buy into the dedicated cleaners as much as going nuts with detailing sprays, washes, polishes and LSPs. My big issues is I get bored with a product. It is really fun to try new stuff. I have 3 complete lines of polishes with all sorts of other stuff thrown in. Probably 10-15 different QD`s. LSP`s is where I am totally out of control. I have 25 LSP`s not including AIOs. And I`ve really cut down what I had.



If I went by a systematic approach of identifying a problem and then finding a solution, I`d probably have 1/8th of the stuff I have.

[C. Charles Hahn]

I don`t really buy into the dedicated cleaners as much as going nuts with detailing sprays, washes, polishes and LSPs. My big issues is I get bored with a product. It is really fun to try new stuff. I have 3 complete lines of polishes with all sorts of other stuff thrown in. Probably 10-15 different QD`s. LSP`s is where I am totally out of control. I have 25 LSP`s not including AIOs. And I`ve really cut down what I had.

I found that organizing my supplies differently has helped me remedy some of that problem. I now stick to fitting stuff into bins, and whatever doesn`t fit I figure out a way to get rid of.

[shirtman]

yes it called UNO. the one mostly commonly referred to here is by 3D.

As Barry knows, the Brilliant Black on my miata has been, well lets just say - a challenge. It would be a great test of any polish.



Jeff

[wascallyrabbit]

As Barry knows, the Brilliant Black on my miata has been, well lets just say - a challenge. It would be a great test of any polish.



Jeff

so does that mean your going try some uno? is the paint really soft? because if it is uno may not be the product for you as it is a non diminishing abrasive type polish.

[shirtman]

Yes. Exactly why I think there may need to be more than one recipe for given paints and clears, but Barry certainly has massively more experience than I do in this area. I just know we had a heck of a time last we got together, although the paint was not cured more than a couple of months on the hood and trunk. Look forward to further guidance on the topic.



Jeff

[wascallyrabbit]

true not all paints are created equal. for soft paints like yours its the same approach of test pads and products to find the combo that works. with soft paint you already know that you`ll need less aggressive compounds, polishes and pads. when you working with barry do you remember what pads and polishes you guys used?

[David Fermani]

Great information Barry. Not everyone has inside info behind the scenes like you. Glad you`re taking charge of this topic.

[autoaesthetica]

This is the exact reason why we supply who we supply and why we are successful at it(see sig).





We made things very simple for our customers, provided items we KNOW work on a daily basis(we are the areas premier restorative service) and simply trampled all the rest of the hype surrounding products whilst providing objective information as to why - as opposed to just repeating or making something up. It beyond ticks me off when I see competitor customers getting pulled into something just because a product was "staged" in a photo but end up with just mediocre results despite their best efforts to find "the next best". All the vets know its the detailer that makes it happen, not the magic in a bottle(but obviously quality has to be there).



With a strong formal education that included a myriad of chemistry and biochemistry classes I am fortunate enough to be able to read right through all the hype even before reading the data sheets and really kind of "knowing beforehand" what label was written to hype something or not.

[imported_Picus]

Uno, try using a little bit less, and clean the pad with compressed air after each section. If it`s really crappy paint, just wet sand with 2000 or 1500, Uno will polish that up with no probelms. BTW, I find myself going the sand paper route a lot more than the old wool/rotary, followed by foam or MF pads. Most of the time you seem to be trying to level a bad scratch or brutal swirls like from a car wash brush, it`s easier - and IMHO safer, to just sand. I know a couple of the scientific types did some experiments a while back with a paint guage and have the numbers to back this up. I forget where I read it, but after trying it I agree.

I think that was (most recently) Todd - he did an article on sanding, vs rotary, vs DA for clear removal, and in the end sanding took off surprisingly little (a lot less than one might think). I sand a lot too.



RE: UNO, I`ve tried using less, to the point of using almost none. I am sure my technique must be off because I still get more cut out of 105 by a pretty decent margin on almost all paint. I do like UNO, I just don`t seem to get the heavy cut some guys do. I`ll keep playing with it.

[Astro_ng]

Great info Barry, I definitely fell into this trap early on in the game.



I have over 12 types of waxes now, and I really only go towards 2 for my final steps. Like many have said before me, I really enjoy buying and trying new products, especially polishes and lsp.



For cleaners I try and keep it simple, go to Home Depot and buy the Zep line up for APC`s.

[autoaesthetica]

I think that was (most recently) Todd - he did an article on sanding, vs rotary, vs DA for clear removal, and in the end sanding took off surprisingly little (a lot less than one might think). I sand a lot too.

The problem with the technical detail of that article and the "idea" everyone got it and how that pertains to us is that: defect removal = material removal and that wasn`t really what I took when I looked from a "newb" perspective. Powergloss with the lightest of light pressure on a rotary for a single section pass really could remove less material than 106FA for example. The problem between the rest of the methods was the standardization of them. We know that pads can do "work" meaning a finishing polish can almost cut like a medium polish if paired with the correct pad, but as such that polish MIGHT take twice as long on a DA, potentially removing more material - the opposite can be said of the same.



The problem with this is there is no way(cheap way) for each of us to measure every single individual defect before applying our corrective treatment of choice or deciding which of the methods(DA, rotary, sanding) to employ for its individual removal. There is also no standardization of anything in our industry, and would be ridiculously expensive to do anything of an "equalizer"



That said, I sand because its faster . I remember reading someone saying "I chose to sand [a scratch] because it would remove less material than polishing" but in reality chances are the person removed MORE material because of the sanding marks that needed to be releveled AFTER the scratch was releveled...

[gt08vapor]

As a newer detailerwho only 4 years ago started taking to very serious. Keeping it simple can be a tough thing to do. All these compaies are now comming out with the next best and greatest products. Someone can get sucked into it very easily.



This is where reading, reading and then putting what you read to use. It is the detailer that makes a detail great or just good. Someone can go broke trying out the latest greatest. Starting simple, learning how thing work, What chemichals will do what. Once you find something that works for you, keep using it untill it works great.



Now if you just like spending money and trying new things. Waxes, sealants and all the new products that is just fine. Most of the people that do this are the weekenders. If you doing this for money one should put all the effoert into refining there skills and best using what they have to the best of there abilities. If you cant get it to work the way that fit your needs, i would then change products.

[lostdaytomorrow]

Great read Barry, you are a pillar of this community, please stick around and know you are appreciated.

[Lonnie]

Professional detailing has two factors:

1) Time is money

2) Good results yield paying (and returning) customers



If pro-detailers can save time with a "new" product and still end up with reasonably good results, chances are that product will get used and repurchased by the detailing community.



That said, I think most long-time Autopians have been sucked into purchasing the proverbial "flavor-of-the-month" product.



There are some tried-and-true products that the detailing community did use in the past, but VOC regulations made them obsolete to produce or were reformulated and never produced the same results as the old pre-VOC formula did. This is one reason that "new" products" are being produced.





I still think that pro-detailers tend to find a product that that works for them, and if it`s reasonably priced, will use it for some time. I also think that they have a plethora (love that word!) of products because each product has its application for specialized situations and materials found on today`s vehicles. I find it hard to accept that "the-one-size-fits-all" product concept to pro-detailing is a viable reality, but maybe I am wrong. It may sell to the do-it-your-selfer who does not wish to make a huge investment in a variety of products, but as stated at the top, it`s all about having paying (and returning ) customers for detailers who make their living at doing so.



That`s the reason they KNOW how to wet-sand and use a rotary. It`s the fastest way to correct major paint problems, satify the customer`s expectations, and stay profitable. (Barry, you are one of the best at this!)

[Dan]

If pro-detailers can save time with a "new" product and still end up with reasonably good results, chances are that product will get used and repurchased by the detailing community.



That said, I think most long-time Autopians have been sucked into purchasing the proverbial "flavor-of-the-month" product.

I think we all love new products, but there are lots of companies that are hype machines. Once you`ve been around the block a few times (and learned the hard way), you learn to trust certain companies, and sit back and let others do the beta testing.