Foam Gun Video

I'm glad that video got posted so people can see what actually comes out of the Gilmour foamgun. But the way it was used in the video has absolutely nothing in common with the way *I* use it to cut down on wash induced marring. The way I use it is a lot *more* work than a regular wash (and can take several minutes, or even more, for a single panel), whereas what was shown in the video looked like a low-effort, touchless sort of process (or maybe just a presoak).



That was my analogy about moving abrasive stuff off a surface without marring it. Yeah, it can be done- the black rent-a-Suburban stayed marring free and that was some nasty winter [stuff] I washed off it. I mention that since keeping our silver vehicles marring-free doesn't seem to impress anybody ;)



Bill D and I (and others) have posted on the foamgun-centric wash techniques many times. Sometime I'll put together a new thread about how I'm doing it these days (methods evolve ;) ), but basically it's the same principle I mentioned in my Non-Marring Wash Technique thread, located in the Hall of Fame. You dislodge and flush with the least possible pressure against the panels.
 
Pats300zx said:
..when using the foam gun, does the whole "two bucket" wash method go out the window?
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No, you still do that. The foam just provides constantly-flowing lubrication and rinsing during the time your wash media contacts the panels.



Sorry, I know nobody wants to go searching for the pertinent posts but I really don't have time to put together a well-thought-out description of the process at present.
 
Accumulator said:
No, you still do that. The foam just provides constantly-flowing lubrication and rinsing during the time your wash media contacts the panels.
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EXACTLY! (for the 10,000th time ;) )



My washing solution looks like that - low foam but still providing lubricity to flush away dirt whilst washing with a sheepskin or sea sponge.



And I ditch the trigger handle in favor of a shutoff valve.
 
sorry if this is OT, but the foam gun looked to have alot less pressure than normal water, and it looked like it wasn't really a 'fan' spray, but more direct/narrow.



i haven't used it, but would a large, say 3 gallon manual pump pressure sprayer work just as well?
 
Lee:



You wet the car down first, then soak the area you are washing. Like Accumulator stated above, the flowing suds allows the dirt to be whisked away while washing preventing accumulation in your mitt that may marr the surface as you continue to wash. I still use the 2 bucket method with the added step of flowing soapy water coming from the foam gun while washing.



Pat:



I think he did the whole car for demo purposes. I foam down a section at a time then go back with the 2 bucket method with the added step of flowing soapy water on the panel I'm washing.



Just imagine washing like normal with the 2 bucket method with the wash mitt in your right hand (or vice versa if you're a south paw). But, with your free hand, you're holding the foam gun and spraying down the panel while you are washing allowing a constant flushing with soapy water. That's how *I* do it.



Others abandon the wash bucket (not the rinse bucket) and spray the panel with the foam gun and wash away.



Then there's Accumulator with his unique mitt balloon, 13.25 buckets, 8 wash mitts, back flip, shake n' bake wash method. :laugh:
 
another question, about the foaminess, as the gilmour gun is just mixing water with the provided car soap, so i wouldn't expect it too foam alot.



but ... could a foaming agent be added into the soap solution? for example, something like SLS (sodium laurel sulfate)



i think this might already be used in some car washes, definitely used in things like hair shampoo, toothpaste, etc. .. can anyone comment if this is safe to add to car wash and what affect it might have?
 
I wouldn't dare soak the whole car in soap IF it were outside, in the sun. Yeah, the soap would dry up on one end of the car pretty quicky. It is hard enough to keep the soap from the gun on only one panel, but it is doable. On the other hand, when the sun is away, you won't see me care as much, about where the foam goes. I still use the two-bucket method, somehow I feel safer knowing that soapy water is coming out of the mitt from the inside. It helps to kind of create an extra barrier beween my mitt and the finish.
 
The water pressure on the foam gun isn't what everyone expects. It's a foam gun, it's not meant to be a pressure washer. For its use, the pressure is sufficient for spraying frothy, foaming, wash solution. On max dilution setting and about 3-4 ounces of car wash solution you'll get a VERY foaming and sudsy output. The video doesn't really show what the gilmour gun can do. Of course the solution will go fast if you place it on the max setting and you'll probably use more car wash solution than you normally do but it works. I've bought boat loads of car wash supplies (as we all have on this board) including the vac'n'blo senior, souveran wax etc. and the gilmour gun is probably one of the very few things that has really impressed me first time out. Plus it's fun as hell to use. I would also reccommend a shut-off valve in lieu of the nozzle gun.
 
ybajwa said:
...could a foaming agent be added into the soap solution? for example, something like SLS (sodium laurel sulfate)



i think this might already be used in some car washes, definitely used in things like hair shampoo, toothpaste, etc. .. can anyone comment if this is safe to add to car wash and what affect it might have?
Click to expand...



Autogeek is apparently working on a high-sudsing shampoo specifically for foam guns.
 
Hey, guys...the DC thread linked in the first post says something about increasing the foam by unscrewing what Gilmour calls the "metering screw" from the top of the gun. I know the gun doesn't work at all without it because mine fell out into the box during shipping, and without it, it just pulled in air instead of liquid out of the cup. Apparently the gentleman who made the video loosened his to increase the foam output. Anyone else do this? Gilmour must endorse that, because they call it a metering screw, but I would be afraid if I loosened it, it would unscrew the rest of the way and wind up lost. Comments?
 
I had the screw on the side of the metering bar come out last weekend. I didn't notice it come out but all of the sudden I got no foam. I was lucky and found it on the driveway by my bucket. I'll start making sure it is tight before each use.
 
Just check the Hall of Fame for Accumulator's original thread on using the foam gun. It's golden in my book. I think the posting of a video of a a foam gun is beneficial. An in person demonstration back in NJ finalized my decision to get one and a video can serve as a good substitute.



I'll fiddle around with mine this weekend to see if I can make more foam but I'm really quite satisfied with the constant flow of soapy solution that acts as a buffer between the paint, dirt, and mitt it already provides.
 
Addressing some of the Qs:



Preliminary note: IMO the only reason to bother with the foamgun is to reduce wash-induced marring. The foamgun doesn't get the vehicle cleaner. It doesn't save time or water or shampoo. It doesn't make things easier (although some people find it makes the wash more fun). No way around it- just dunking a mitt/brush/sponge in a bucket and scrubbing the car is fast, easy, and effective (and, unfortunately, a fast and easy way to effectively mar the paint). If you don't care about marring you can wash with a BHB and a bucket in a small fraction of the time/effort it takes to wash with a foamgun (and then spend the next few hours polishing out the marring ;) ).



-Foaminess: you don't really need/want ultra-foamy stuff coming out of the gun, at least not if you're washing the way I do. I can see it for the "cling factor" if doing a presoak or a touchless-type of wash, but that's not what I'm trying to accomplish. Regular shampoo (I use Griot's, 4-5 oz/gallon water) at the lowest strength setting (except for really dirty areas) works fine. Too foamy would compromise the flushing aspect of it. Too strong a mix, and/or too long a dwell-time, would be hard on your LSP.



-Loose mixture bar fittings: try some blue Lock-Tite. Well worth the few minutes it takes. I've never had the need to disassemble mine, but I use conditioned ("softened") water and that might make a difference.



-Comparison with pump sprayers: No contest. The pump sprayers I've used (pump 'em up, spray for a long time) didn't compare in any relevent regard. There really doesn't seem to be any functional equivalent to the foamgun.



I feel safer knowing that soapy water is coming out of the mitt from the inside. It helps to kind of create an extra barrier beween my mitt and the finish.
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That's why I *never* use a mitt without filling it with wash solution (try using the foamgun for this ;) ) and holding the cuff shut while the solution seeps out of it. And that brings me to..



-Esoteric technique (backflip optional ;) ):



That's why I prefer my "mitt balloon" technique for our good cars. I put the foamgun's nozzle inside the mitt (chenille or MF, won't work with sheepskin), inflate it with the foam, and let the foam, that seeps out of the mitt, lubricate the panels. I barely touch the nap of the mitt against the panels. It's just like gently rubbing a soapy balloon against the vehicle. Bill D says this doesn't work well for him and we suspect that my boosted water pressure gives me an advantage on this one. This is the ultimate development of my original Non-Marring Wash Technique.



Using the "foam shot through BHB" technique accomplishes basically the same thing. It does take a little coordination to jiggle the BHB while shooting foam through the BHB (gotta move the nozzle up and down along the entire length of the BHB to provide uniform application of foam). Just be sure to use a very soft BHB and don't press hard or make big long swipes, just jiggle it. And rinse the BHB out frequently.
 
From this thread: http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=68789



Pictures from autogeek:



1708.jpg




1706.jpg




1701.jpg
 
Like Accumulator stated above, the flowing suds allows the dirt to be whisked away while washing preventing accumulation in your mitt that may marr the surface as you continue to wash.
Click to expand...



I can see the value in that but I never seem to marr my surface now. I will probably get the gun and experiment. Seems like it would save time in any event.



Then there's Accumulator with his unique mitt balloon, 13.25 buckets, 8 wash mitts, back flip, shake n' bake wash method.
Click to expand...



Is that process patented? :D



P.S. I've never seen a quarter bucket - must be a Zymol thing.
 
I purchased my first Gilmour foamaster foam gun approximately five years ago. Initially, I sprayed my cars down with the foam gun, as shown in the above pictures of the Hummer. I found that this application method made the rinse step significantly more time consuming as the sprayed-on foam seems to get everywhere.

Shortly after I purchased the foam gun, I purchased a boar's hair wash brush. http://www.brush.com/cgi-bin/Brush.storefront/4425b97317c7b1f42740d8968d64077a/Product/View/A12A0702. In my opinion, having used many types of wash mitts, brushes, The Glove (superior and much less cumbersome than the through-the-mitt foam application method I have reviewed on this forum) and other devices over several years, the boar's hair brush is the safest, softest and most durable car wash applicator. I spray the foam into the boar's hair brush, wash a section at a time, then thoroughly rinse the brush before moving to the next section. Boar's hair has incredible foam retention.

Like others, I long ago removed the spray gun attachment from the foam gun and have used various shut off valves. Most recently, I discovered a patented push-button shut-off valve http://doitbest.com/DoItBest/Main.aspx?pageid=64&SKU=722056 that is far more convenient than the twist and lever valves I've used before and the water flow is just fine (This is more academic with the foam gun as the foam gun's plumbing restricts water flow more than any shut-off valve). This push button valve simply locks on and off with a push of the button but you can push it down slightly without clicking it off or on and still get full water flow. This valve works very well with the foam gun and the boar's hair brush.
 
SamJake- Thanks for the tip on that push-button valve, looks intriguing. Yeah, I've found minimal functional compromises related to the flow of the different shutoffs I've used. My current lever-action one seems to restrict the flow the most of any I've tried and it's still fine for through-the-BHB use. You *can* see a discernable difference though; I suppose it has to get to a certain point before the foamgun's restriction is the primary factor.



I go back and forth between the BHB and my mitt-balloon, which sure *IS* cumbersome to say the least! I find it kinda amusing that I've come full-circle with regard to the BHB, which I was using over 20 years ago; the foamgun makes all the difference.



SilverLexus- As you're not getting any marring now, I'll be interested to hear if you find the foamgun beneficial. The only reason I use it is marring-prevention.



Heh heh, "patented" :lol I'll say this- people who've watched me wash a vehicle shake their heads and say such effort would never be worth it to them :o But then my wife and I look at their paint and, well, we're glad I bother with it ;)
 
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