A Newb`s Q`s re: Polishing/Waxing with Tape...

[bmw5541]

One bit of advice that I find get reinforced on every detail I do... take taping seriously. Take your time not only getting all areas and trim done but really making sure your precise in laying it down, the worst is when your foam pad snags a piece of tape when polishing.

+1 on that one. I learned that the hard way. Do not rush the tapeing step. There are many steps in a complete detail, and the reason why it is called detailing, is just that. The details!!!

[imported_Stokdgs]

Joe,

Alot of people like to tape edges and seams if they are compounding with something that makes alot of dust as it drys and flies everywhere, like into the seams between doors, fenders and doors, trunklids, hood seams, etc.

I hardly ever tape up seams because I try to use products that dont make much or no dust as much as possible, or try to stop buffing right before the product dries..

You want to tape paint edges if you are going to be buffing close to them and are worried that the paint is really, really, thin, and you dont want to burn through the edge.

Again, some people do this taping religiously, I dont, because I can control my rotary enough so I dont get near edges, and if I do, I let up on pressure, and go quickly over it if I have to.

Unless you are going to be doing serious buffing like with wool or purple foamed wool pad and something like Meguiars 105, you are probably going to be ok using your Flex 3401 VRG random orbital near edges.

On most vehicles anyway, an edge is hardly dirty in the first place because there is such little surface area to begin with for dirt, etc., to stick to.
If you really want to be careful, you can avoid edges completely, and go back after and do them carefully by hand with an applicator and your product.

And like has previously been said above, there are a few really good tutorials available here, put together by one of the best detailers around, who is also the Moderator of this Forum.

Good luck !
Dan F

[imported_JoeinLA]

Thanks again for all the help! The car is silver and I`m only using menzerna super finish so hopefully I won`t screw anything too badly .

Thanks again for all the help!

[imported_Stokdgs]

Joe,

Oh, ok you are using Menzerna PO106FA then.

This used to be the last step in getting all the lightest defects out of the paint to really clarify and jewel the paint, and is probably still used that way.

With a very soft, non-agressive pad, it will only be able to do very lttle correcting; but with a more aggressive pad, it should be a little better at correcting, depending on the machine used (rotary/random orbital), the paint, the paint condition, and the experience of the user. But it wont cut much, because it was not designed that way.

Look at the little picture on the side of the bottle, the arrow for the amount of "cut" is almost at the end of the graph opposite of the most cut.

Let us know sometime, how it`s going if you want. Glad you are interested in trying to do this ! Wish you best of luck !
Dan F