By Hand

**Beemerboy** · 01-12-2012, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by Todd Helme

Hello!

You will get better results by doing either of the above processes by hand vs. using just a store bought wax or just a store bought paint sealant. When you separate the processes of cleaning, polishing (or glazing), and waxing/sealing you can use products formulated specifically for each task. The end result, though time consuming, is often superior to using a product that does all of the above (and is thus less focused) in one-step.

You might want to read this thread as it provides a basic understanding of the concepts of paint care: The Autopia 5 Step Paint Care Cycle

In my years as a detailer I have probably done 90-100 brand new car preps. These are cars that have literally just been delivered from the factory. In every case, except 1 (a silver Porsche) the paint was swirled up and benefited from machine polishing/paint correction. This was true regardless of the brand (from high end cars such as Ferrari`s and Aston Martins all the way down to more pedestrian makes such as Honda and Mazda).

Usually a dual-action polisher such as Porter Cable 7424XP becomes an enthusiasts best friend because they give you the power to polish paint in a user-safe manner and allow you to apply and remove waxes/sealants with ease. Given how hard modern paint`s are it is almost impossible to do paint correction by hand. It`s akin to polishing a diamond with pudding.

If you are limited to working by hand and use something that is considered a premium product (not limited by price point such as many store bought products) line I would suggest looking into the BLACKFIRE line-up.

BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish works great by hand or orbital dual-action polisher. It would be considered step one (after claying). It will remove very very fine swirl marks (to increase gloss) while deep cleaning the paint and wetting it with a glaze. It also prepares the paint for the second step.

The second step is the paint sealant, BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection. This sealant uses a unique blend of three different polymers sourced from Germany and Switzerland to give the paint a liquid shine that appears almost 3 dimensional. It really is a unique, rich look that would be stunning on blue. It is also extremely easy to use by hand. This is one of the most talked about and universally loved paint sealants in the world, and for good reason.

The best news is that both of these products are on sale right now, so you can pick them up from autopia-carcare.com for about the same price as you would store bought products and really enjoy the benefits of using a premium brand.

Hope this helps.

Todd

Todd,

Sincerely, I known that BLACKFIRE is a good line, but do you every recommend anything else in paint correction and protection, other than BLACKFIRE.

**07gtcs** · 01-12-2012, 10:45 AM

Originally Posted by Todd Helme

Hello!

You will get better results by doing either of the above processes by hand vs. using just a store bought wax or just a store bought paint sealant. When you separate the processes of cleaning, polishing (or glazing), and waxing/sealing you can use products formulated specifically for each task. The end result, though time consuming, is often superior to using a product that does all of the above (and is thus less focused) in one-step.

You might want to read this thread as it provides a basic understanding of the concepts of paint care: The Autopia 5 Step Paint Care Cycle

In my years as a detailer I have probably done 90-100 brand new car preps. These are cars that have literally just been delivered from the factory. In every case, except 1 (a silver Porsche) the paint was swirled up and benefited from machine polishing/paint correction. This was true regardless of the brand (from high end cars such as Ferrari`s and Aston Martins all the way down to more pedestrian makes such as Honda and Mazda).

Usually a dual-action polisher such as Porter Cable 7424XP becomes an enthusiasts best friend because they give you the power to polish paint in a user-safe manner and allow you to apply and remove waxes/sealants with ease. Given how hard modern paint`s are it is almost impossible to do paint correction by hand. It`s akin to polishing a diamond with pudding.

If you are limited to working by hand and use something that is considered a premium product (not limited by price point such as many store bought products) line I would suggest looking into the BLACKFIRE line-up.

BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish works great by hand or orbital dual-action polisher. It would be considered step one (after claying). It will remove very very fine swirl marks (to increase gloss) while deep cleaning the paint and wetting it with a glaze. It also prepares the paint for the second step.

The second step is the paint sealant, BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection. This sealant uses a unique blend of three different polymers sourced from Germany and Switzerland to give the paint a liquid shine that appears almost 3 dimensional. It really is a unique, rich look that would be stunning on blue. It is also extremely easy to use by hand. This is one of the most talked about and universally loved paint sealants in the world, and for good reason.

The best news is that both of these products are on sale right now, so you can pick them up from autopia-carcare.com for about the same price as you would store bought products and really enjoy the benefits of using a premium brand.

Hope this helps.

Todd

Great Information, Thanks a bunch. Looks like my christmas $ will be well spent. I got time to get my supplies as my baby is tucked away and covered for the winter right now.

**Todd@RUPES** · 01-12-2012, 10:49 AM

Originally Posted by 07gtcs

Great Information, Thanks a bunch. Looks like my christmas $ will be well spent. I got time to get my supplies as my baby is tucked away and covered for the winter right now.

No problem!!!

It`s my pleasure to help!

**07gtcs** · 01-13-2012, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by Todd Helme

Hello!

You will get better results by doing either of the above processes by hand vs. using just a store bought wax or just a store bought paint sealant. When you separate the processes of cleaning, polishing (or glazing), and waxing/sealing you can use products formulated specifically for each task. The end result, though time consuming, is often superior to using a product that does all of the above (and is thus less focused) in one-step.

You might want to read this thread as it provides a basic understanding of the concepts of paint care: The Autopia 5 Step Paint Care Cycle

In my years as a detailer I have probably done 90-100 brand new car preps. These are cars that have literally just been delivered from the factory. In every case, except 1 (a silver Porsche) the paint was swirled up and benefited from machine polishing/paint correction. This was true regardless of the brand (from high end cars such as Ferrari`s and Aston Martins all the way down to more pedestrian makes such as Honda and Mazda).

Usually a dual-action polisher such as Porter Cable 7424XP becomes an enthusiasts best friend because they give you the power to polish paint in a user-safe manner and allow you to apply and remove waxes/sealants with ease. Given how hard modern paint`s are it is almost impossible to do paint correction by hand. It`s akin to polishing a diamond with pudding.

If you are limited to working by hand and use something that is considered a premium product (not limited by price point such as many store bought products) line I would suggest looking into the BLACKFIRE line-up.

BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish works great by hand or orbital dual-action polisher. It would be considered step one (after claying). It will remove very very fine swirl marks (to increase gloss) while deep cleaning the paint and wetting it with a glaze. It also prepares the paint for the second step.

The second step is the paint sealant, BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection. This sealant uses a unique blend of three different polymers sourced from Germany and Switzerland to give the paint a liquid shine that appears almost 3 dimensional. It really is a unique, rich look that would be stunning on blue. It is also extremely easy to use by hand. This is one of the most talked about and universally loved paint sealants in the world, and for good reason.

The best news is that both of these products are on sale right now, so you can pick them up from autopia-carcare.com for about the same price as you would store bought products and really enjoy the benefits of using a premium brand.

Hope this helps.

Todd

After your suggestion and much research I just sent in my order for these products and an p/c buffer and pads. Spring won`t come soon enough for me to try them out.
Thanks again.

**Todd@RUPES** · 01-13-2012, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by 07gtcs

After your suggestion and much research I just sent in my order for these products and an p/c buffer and pads. Spring won`t come soon enough for me to try them out.
Thanks again.

Spring gives you enough time to hang around here and learn what you can!!!

**Concours.John** · 01-13-2012, 06:00 PM

I`ll add one thing. If you can pick up a scrap hood from an older vehicle that is in decent shape it is great for practicing the steps. Plus you can lay it against the wall when not in use.

The benefit is you can use it to practice scratch/chip repair. You can swirl it up with a scotch brite even after you work on it to try different techniques/polishes and pads. Once you wear the paint off trade it in on another.
It beats messing up on your vehicle and dealing with a learning curve on a vehicle. It`s also a great way to test a new products durability. Just set it out back and do nothing to it for a while.
I learned rotary and spraying/painting techniques this way.

**theamcguy** · 01-13-2012, 07:35 PM

The difference between the hand and the machine, the amount of time it takes to do the job. Machines were invented to allow detail professionals to do multiple jobs in a day. Perfectly good results can be obtained by hand but it takes longer and may need multiple steps. If you are really serious about doing i by hand then plan on the job taking place over multiple days, rather than in a few hours.

**classofshine** · 01-13-2012, 08:10 PM

Originally Posted by theamcguy

The difference between the hand and the machine, the amount of time it takes to do the job. Machines were invented to allow detail professionals to do multiple jobs in a day. Perfectly good results can be obtained by hand but it takes longer and may need multiple steps. If you are really serious about doing i by hand then plan on the job taking place over multiple days, rather than in a few hours.

Ive had it take days using a machine as well! Correcting by had just isnt practical, unless you are doing only 1 panel or some small area. Now cleaning by hand is very doable if that is all you are looking to do.