Brushes/Trim/Wax

Dellinger

Dellinger

New member
So, to refresh the members here... I'm a noob.



Anyway, back for more!



I need some recommendations on some utensils... mainly brushes: inside, outside, wheels, and anywhere else that they may be of value. I understand that the boar's hair are the most desirable most likely because they are less scratch prone?



Secondly... Trim (maybe it is, maybe not)... you know on some 4 door cars there is usually a black painted vertical piece (either metal/plastic) with a satin or glossy black, usually located to the left of where the window seals against. Do you gentlemen polish these as well (as in with a paint polish like 205)? My gut says ''No" because it would seem that the paint layer is fairly thin (if metal) and if I'm correct what product do you use to remove oxidation? Is there a dedicated 'trim compound' for plastic and the small black metal surfaces? I've read about the Black Wow and such but not sure this is the product I need for what I'm describing.



Wax- I've always wondered when I see it offered by the gallon, what products detailer's prefer in this size? This is nothing more than me being bored at night wondering but if you care to indulge me, I would appreciate it. There are some pretty good deals to be had in this size (CG Butter Wax, Megs X-press Wax, etc...)



Regards,

-Dellinger
 
Dellinger- I'll polish smooth/glossy trim if it gets marred...but *NOT* with M205 (which does weird stuff due to its oils and can scour the finish due to the nature of its abrasives). Yeah, gotta be careful to obtain/maintain a uniform finish; don't overdo it and have "smooth spots on a textured panel".



You specifically mentioned the "B" pillars on sedans. Some are painted, some are a plastic cover, and some are a thin plastic appliqué. Yeah, gotta be kinda gentle as the paint/appliqué can be *very* thin; I compromised the black paint on a Mazda with two gentle corrections using the old 3M PI-III Machine Glaze (mild product) via PC.



One sorta-aggressive product that seems to work OK on such trim and also on *textured* trim and even rubber, is Hi-Temp Heavy Cut Leveler (AKA "357"). As long as you buff it off before it dries you shouldn't have any staining issues as with most such products.



KAIO is great for such trim, but I do *NOT* like Zaino' AIO as the initial cut of its abrasives can scour the finish to a surprising extent (took me several steps with other abrasives to fix it). If in doubt, I'd just use the KAIO. KSG is good for the topper too, it's what I'm using on a few "B" pillars, otherwise just use your regular LSP.



BHBs are great *within certain limits* and *if used properly*. Almost oughta put that "used properly" in scare-quotes as it's both critical and easily messed up.



BHBs rinse cleanly, like nothing else I've ever used. Since they soften up when wet, they can be extremely gentle if you only let the tips (preferably flagged tips) touch the surface being cleaned. But if you press hard enough that the sides/shafts of the bristles bend over and touch the surface, you can get marring (from the bristle shafts themselves and/or dirt that they'll rub into the finish). But when used properly/gently, they can be so mild as to not get 100% of the dirt off. The temptations can be to either rub harder (sorta undoing the point of using the BHB in the first place) or to let it go and cause marring when you wipe with the drying medium; better IMO is to use the BHB to get the "big stuff" off and then rewash with a mitt/etc.



When using large BHBs to wash a vehicle, the big temptation is to cover areas that are too large (the BHB will pick up dirt and become a scratch-machine). It's tempting because the BHBs hold *so* much shampoo solution it can seem like you might as well cover big areas with long, sweeping strokes (big mistake!) and keep going until it needs rewetted (another mistake, stop and rinse it out frequently). Sure, you can wash a big vehicle in minutes that way, but you won't get it perfectly clean and you're likely to mar it up.



The only wax I've ever bought by the gallon was Malm's liquid, a product you don't hear about much. It's kinda like M26 liquid, good stuff but nothing special by today's standards. I got that when I had the dealership, and even with employees who probably used too much product it lasted for quite a few years (inventory cars, personal cars, it went on everything). A gallon of LSP...that oughta take a long, long time to use up!
 
Accumulator- good to hear from you, hope things are well. I appreciate the feedback.



Regarding the KAIO... in your examples with trim how are you applying it? (applicator, terry cloth, machine?) What rubber sealant do you prefer to keep weatherstriping and such plyable and looking good?



And the BHB, I don't know that I'll be using them to wash a panel per se... more of wheels, clean dust out of the in-betweens, and seats/carpet.



Yes, not going to pick up a gallon of wax, lol... I was just curious about volume detailer's choice in this instance... all for sake of conversation I suppose.



Best,

-Dellinger
 
This is my favorite brush at the moment for getting dust and old wax (I don't wax rubber) off trim and getting the little debris out of the seams seats and all kinds of other things. Bucket Brushes : Atlasta Soft Tip | PartsBrush.com The bristles are stiff enough to work but rounded on the end and flexible enough they don't gouge. And no, I don't get paid for promoting them, or the Makita BO6040 or the Hitachi SP18VA or the Lake Country backing plates or the AirVantage sanders, I promote what I like because I think others like these tools too.



You're wasting time if you don't have at least one of these.



Robert
 
Dellinger said:
Regarding the KAIO... in your examples with trim how are you applying it? (applicator, terry cloth, machine?)
Click to expand...



Depends how aggressive I want to get and/or how stained I expect the applicator to get. Large areas I might use a polisher, otherwise I just do it by hand with terry or MF, sometimes foam. It's basically a case where I don't think there's a right/wrong way or application technique, just don't let it dry before you buff it off.



What rubber sealant do you prefer to keep weatherstriping and such plyable and looking good?
Click to expand...



I very seldom have to treat mine, but when I do I use either the of the 1Z or Wurth (prefer the latter) Gummi Pledge sticks. I sometimes use the Wurth Rubber Treatment in the aerosol can, but I spray it on an applicator swab.



Most of the time I just wipe my rubber/etc. with ValuGard's Fast Finish when I'm drying the vehicle.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top