Best technique when using Gilmour gun?

Q

qbmurderer13

New member
Hey guys, I got a gilmour foam gun on the way with some CG CWG and was wondering what was the best way to utilize the foam gun. If I rinse the car and pre-soak it with foam and rinse it off again... Do I use the 2 bucket method with more CG CWG or just re-foam the car and give the car a pass with a wet wool mitt?
 
qbmurderer13 said:
Hey guys, I got a gilmour foam gun on the way with some CG CWG and was wondering what was the best way to utilize the foam gun. If I rinse the car and pre-soak it with foam and rinse it off again... Do I use the 2 bucket method with more CG CWG or just re-foam the car and give the car a pass with a wet wool mitt?
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I initially purchase thinking I would use to wash with mitt, but I did not feel I was getting the car clean enough for my liking, or saving time. I had to use a bucket to rinse anyway the mitt, so I use the Gilmour for a nice presoak, and still use the two bucket method. I think the gun comes in handy though when just getting rid of dust and pollen (especially in spring early summer), then blow dry with leaf blower. That is a nice quick wash without fear of marring, or having to use two bucket method for when you feel like a lazy quick wash.
 
If you are looking to do it as safely as possible you will want to:

Thoroughly rinse the vehicle top to bottom

Attach foam gun and pre-soak the vehicle top to bottom

Allow it to soak for up to a couple minutes, depending how what the weather allows

Rinse with pure water top to bottom

*Pre-shoot foam onto a single panel, and then begin to wash that panel with the mitt

Rinse the panel

Foam and wash the next panel, and so on.



*The foaming of each panel as you go is possibly overkill, but I find it adds a solid coat of soap to reduce potential of marring. I would likely only use this for follow up washes after the vehicle has already been polished. If you are going to polish the vehicle when you finish washing this level of care is likely not worth your time/effort.
 
Lumadar said:
If you are looking to do it as safely as possible you will want to:

Thoroughly rinse the vehicle top to bottom

Attach foam gun and pre-soak the vehicle top to bottom

Allow it to soak for up to a couple minutes, depending how what the weather allows

Rinse with pure water top to bottom

*Pre-shoot foam onto a single panel, and then begin to wash that panel with the mitt

Rinse the panel

Foam and wash the next panel, and so on.



*The foaming of each panel as you go is possibly overkill, but I find it adds a solid coat of soap to reduce potential of marring. I would likely only use this for follow up washes after the vehicle has already been polished. If you are going to polish the vehicle when you finish washing this level of care is likely not worth your time/effort.
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that is what I do with the gun. After I'm done with the car, I go ahead and use the rest of the soap that may be remaining and just cover the car. Once I've used all the soap, then I wash, sheet it off. . . move on to the rest of the detail. I also use the gilmour to provide soap for the panel when I'm claying it.

I can't really say its overkill (okay maybe a little). . .but its the reason I have virtually no marring on my paint.
 
I presoak the panel in question, and then do my first pass(es) with a BHB, spraying foam at the point where the bristles touch the paint; I move the foamgun so the foam is contantly being distributed along the entire length of the BHB.



I move the BHB (and any other wash medium) in short, interrupted jiggling motions so that a) there's a greater chance that abrasive [stuff] will get flushed out/away by the foamgun and b) any marring that does occur will be a short little scratch, not some long arcing one.



Rinse, inspect, repeat until the panel is pretty clean. Anything big that doesn't come off with the BHB gets clayed off with Sonus green Ultrafine and lots of Glyde lube.



The foamgun pretty much flushes the BHB clean (especially with my boosted water pressure) but I still rinse it out frequently in the rinse bucket.



After using the BHB to get most of the "big stuff" off, I switch to a sheepskin or MF mitt and repeat the process, again using the foamgun to provide constant flushing and lubrication. Before each contact with the paint I fill the mitt with wash solution and hold it shut at the cuff. When all the solution has seeped out of the mitt (or when I think it might be soiled) I rinse it out and refill it before continuing. I rinse the mitts out much more often as they don't flush clean the way the BHBs do. I might rinse a mitt many times in the course of doing a single panel (and note that this is after having done most of the work with the BHB).



I end up washing each panel several times, but each pass is so gentle that I don't get much marring (I polish less frequently than once a year).
 
Accumulator said:
I presoak the panel in question, and then do my first pass(es) with a BHB, spraying foam at the point where the bristles touch the paint; I move the foamgun so the foam is contantly being distributed along the entire length of the BHB.



I move the BHB (and any other wash medium) in short, interrupted jiggling motions so that a) there's a greater chance that abrasive [stuff] will get flushed out/away by the foamgun and b) any marring that does occur will be a short little scratch, not some long arcing one.



Rinse, inspect, repeat until the panel is pretty clean. Anything big that doesn't come off with the BHB gets clayed off with Sonus green Ultrafine and lots of Glyde lube.



The foamgun pretty much flushes the BHB clean (especially with my boosted water pressure) but I still rinse it out frequently in the rinse bucket.



After using the BHB to get most of the "big stuff" off, I switch to a sheepskin or MF mitt and repeat the process, again using the foamgun to provide constant flushing and lubrication. Before each contact with the paint I fill the mitt with wash solution and hold it shut at the cuff. When all the solution has seeped out of the mitt (or when I think it might be soiled) I rinse it out and refill it before continuing. I rinse the mitts out much more often as they don't flush clean the way the BHBs do. I might rinse a mitt many times in the course of doing a single panel (and note that this is after having done most of the work with the BHB).



I end up washing each panel several times, but each pass is so gentle that I don't get much marring (I polish less frequently than once a year).
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I wonder if there is another Autopian in the North East Ohio area? It would be great to get someone to videotape this procedure. When I have read about this more than once, to see it in action would be great.
 
bert31 said:
I wonder if there is another Autopian in the North East Ohio area? It would be great to get someone to videotape this procedure. When I have read about this more than once, to see it in action would be great.
Click to expand...



I was thinking the same thing.....:bow
 
Ever since I got my Gilmour and CRSpotless, I've been doing once-a-week soaks / rinses, and that's it. My weekly routine is:



  1. Rinse the car with water to remove the basic dirt / dust.
  2. Cover with "watery" foam all over.
  3. Rinse.
  4. Cover with thicker foam.
  5. Rinse.

Once a month, I'll actually break out the two buckets and mitt. When I do use the mitt, I don't foam ahead of the mitt's path because I'm lazy, but the mitt more or less glides over the paint and isn't weighed down on it by gravity. Since my area isn't prone to harsher weather like snow, etc., I can probably get away with this.
 
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