Polishing direction

[imported_Davida]

I read some where that it is past to polish a vertical panel with an up and down vertical motion, and a flat panel(hood, roof, etc.) by moving back and forth from the front of the car to the rear. Is this accurate information? What difference does direction make?

 

[topnotchtouch]

The idea is that if you happen to leave scratches behind they would be less noticable in a straight back and forth motion.

 

[Corey Bit Spank]

I read some where that it is past to polish a vertical panel with an up and down vertical motion, and a flat panel(hood, roof, etc.) by moving back and forth from the front of the car to the rear. Is this accurate information? What difference does direction make?

Some go in water flow and some go with air flow.



I go with air flow. :nixweiss

 

[kustomsol]

Here's what Sal Zaino says (www.zainostore.com)



"Want an even higher level of optical light refraction and reflectivety. Here's how. When applying Show Car Polish do the following; On all Top surfaces of vehicle, use a back and forth motion (from front bumper towards windshield). On all Side surfaces (doors, fenders, etc.) use a vertical motion, up and down. This technique will increase the way light attracts and reflects off of Show Car Polish. The body lines and contours of your vehicle will seem to glow."

 

[imported_Davida]

Thanks for the response, I'll have to try it and see if there is any difference.

 

[az57chevy]

Expect it to take a while to become natural. You just automatically try to go in circular motions but after a while it becomes second nature.

 

[2159ClassicRed]

ditto the above...............all about making it a natural habit .



Happy Motoring,

Kurt

STS2 #5

 

[togwt]

Here's what Sal Zaino says (www.zainostore.com)



"Want an even higher level of optical light refraction and reflectivety. Here's how. When applying Show Car Polish do the following; On all Top surfaces of vehicle, use a back and forth motion (from front bumper towards windshield). On all Side surfaces (doors, fenders, etc.) use a vertical motion, up and down. This technique will increase the way light attracts and reflects off of Show Car Polish. The body lines and contours of your vehicle will seem to glow."

~One manâ€â„¢s opinion / observations~



âہ“This application technique affects the paints optical properties by optimizing light refraction and the reflectivity of the bodylines and contours of the vehicle.â€Â� Scientific Fact = Factual information not theory



As for general â€Ëœpolishing directionâ€â„¢ with an abrasive polish use in one direction only, using an abrasive and circular motions will cause swirl (circular) marks. With any product that is non-abrasive it doesnâ€â„¢t matter what type of motions you use.



~Hope this helps~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted [each one / teach one]

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ JonM

 

[topnotchtouch]

~One manâ€â„¢s opinion / observations~



âہ“This application technique affects the paints optical properties by optimizing light refraction and the reflectivity of the bodylines and contours of the vehicle.â€Â� Scientific Fact = Factual information not theory



As for general â€Ëœpolishing directionâ€â„¢ with an abrasive polish use in one direction only, using an abrasive and circular motions will cause swirl (circular) marks. With any product that is non-abrasive it doesnâ€â„¢t matter what type of motions you use.



~Hope this helps~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted [each one / teach one]

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ JonM

Not to be contrary but, I don't buy the straight line argument. I think it is just an old school habit that is passed on. If circular motions cause swirls than it shouldn't be possible to remove swirls with the PC or for that matter a rotary buffer.

 

[Accumulator]

I'm with rjstaaf on this. As long as you don't induce marring it doesn't matter which direction you use. PCs/Cyclos don't go front-back and nobody claims they do anything wrong. Rotaries go in circles, that's how they get their work done. Straight scratches are less noticeable, but as long as you're not scratching the paint I can't imagine it mattering. I do whatever is comfortable and lends itself to complete, uniform coverage (hint, it's not front-back ).



Use the right product, with the right application/removal medium, avoid abrasive contamination, and it won't matter. Only matters when something goes wrong.



As for certain directions leaving a better looking LSP, I'll believe it when I see a controlled test that proves it. Even under magnification, I can't tell a difference with the products I use. But I wasn't testing with Zaino either.

 

[Mikeman]

Hehe....once I read about PCs and how they worked, I went back to the tight circular motion I prefer. I was never going to admit it on this forum though. I just make sure my pad and paint don't have a stray piece of grit on them before each application of fresh polish.



Mikeman

 

[imported_pugoman]

I'm of the opinion that if your materials are clean and your paint surface is clean, then it shouldn't matter which way you polish or wax your car... just boils down to personal preference IMO.

 

[cwcad]

~One manâ€â„¢s opinion / observations~



âہ“This application technique affects the paints optical properties by optimizing light refraction and the reflectivity of the bodylines and contours of the vehicle.â€Â� Scientific Fact = Factual information not theory

just was wondering how this became a scientific fact. i actually do polish front to back on the hood and all horizontal piece's. i also use my pc front to back on all my vertical piece's. mostly because in the pc literature it states do do it that way.



i would like the source of the scientific fact.

 

[Alfisti]

I'm of the opinion that if your materials are clean and your paint surface is clean, then it shouldn't matter which way you polish or wax your car... just boils down to personal preference IMO.

The problem is that there is no way of guaranteeing a surface is clean...some dust or grit can easily settle within seconds of cleaning a surface...it's happened to me frequently on dark colours which render everything visible. By using a back-and-forth motion you minimize the chance of inducing obvious scratches on previously cleaned surfaces. If it's happening on dark colours, it's happening on lighter colours - you just can't see it.

 

[Mikeman]

I do my polishing in a carport walled on two sides. Airborne stuff settles on my red paint very quickly, even when it is not windy. However, this stuff is very light, more like small particles of lint (pollen?) than dirt. I don't think it scratches paint easily. If it does, they are VERY shallow.



Having said that, I ALWAYS wipe down a panel with a damp MF immediately before working on it using David B's's Quick Detailing method. I do this wipedown between each application of fresh polish too. I check my pad for bad stuff frequently. I also avoid working on paint when it is windy.



I do mar the paint occasionally while polishing, but it doesn't happen often enough, and the marring is not severe enough to be a problem. I attribute these incidents to excessive pressure on the pad and/or that stray piece of grit.



Mikeman

 

[1 Clean WS6]

I'm of the opinion that if your materials are clean and your paint surface is clean, then it shouldn't matter which way you polish or wax your car... just boils down to personal preference IMO.

I agree. :up

 

[oaevo8u]

The idea of having a clean surface and pad and it not making much of difference is the thought I have and when it comes to roof and hood or doors and fenders I have use a front and back and side to side motion but alway finish up with a front to back. I also think that David B's quick detail method before each application of polish and final wax is a good idea as well.

 

[Mochamanz1]

IMO the up and down method produces the best result, hands down. (Z2,Z7 layering, per Sal citing "special effects")I applied polish with my cyclo, and it was good, after that, I used the up and down method, and the increase was more than could be expected for 1 additional layer. I rhought I was being subjective, but everybody who saw it suddenly noticed the shine (reflectivity) also , the car catches the street lighing in a strange way, the metalflake in the paint, unnoticiable by daylight, glows at night under the sodium (red) street lights. I added FMJ to the process and continue to build layers. Tan turns to lumious gold.... But to each their own