# Sticky  How-To: Starting Out in Machine Polishing, Pt.1



## Steampunk

*How-To: Starting Out in Machine Polishing, Pt.1*
A Steampunk Guide









_Meg's G110 V2 DA & Festool Rotex RO125; shown with Scholl Concepts White Spider Sandwich Pad_​
Whether you're a newbie buying your first machine polisher, or an experienced detailer with countless hundreds or thousands of hours behind polishers, buying a new machine is a decision everyone agonizes over. Partly, because there's some fear in it… If you've never machine polished before, you're worried about ruining your paint, and are skeptical as to whether or not it's worth the money. If you're a more experienced detailer replacing or upgrading an existing machine, you worry about changing something that you've invested so much time into learning, and whether or not your new machine will do all the things your old one did if not more. As a pro, you worry about whether or not the new tool will pay itself off and earn its keep, in an industry that doesn't always have the biggest profit margins… At the end of the day, no matter what stage of detailing you are in, choosing a new machine polisher is one that inspires trepidation in everyone. This is one of those rare experiences as a detailer, that connects people at every skill level.

*Day One*​
Before buying a machine polisher, if you've never machine polished a car before, you first have to overcome the fear around doing so… Using power tools on your car for the first time is genuinely scary; trust me, I was there! I imagined a polisher as being something for lazy people, and that working by hand was much safer, and just as effective. One has nightmares of polishers being like angle grinders, that will hog-off paint faster than you can control, and some romantic notions of 'hand rubbed' finishes… In reality, this is nothing like how it works, and the moment you try it you will see this.

Hand polishing isn't better or safer. Quite the contrary, it just removes paint in a less efficient way, and counterintuitively one can end up removing _more paint_ by hand polishing out a defect, than one can by machine polishing out the same defect. This is something I wish I would have understood sooner.









_P3000 Grit Wetsanding Scratches vs. Optimum Polish II, Microfiber Pads, Kevin Brown Method, & Meg's G110V2 DA; no finishing, or LSP_​
What machine polishing does, is increase the effectiveness of every product. The more powerful your machine, the more the effectiveness of each product is boosted. A very mild finishing polish hardly does anything by hand to remove swirls. You have to upgrade to a compound to fix those sorts of defects. With a machine, that fine polish is now being worked correctly, so can remove swirls without wasting so much paint as one would with a compound by hand. On even more powerful polishers, that polish becomes even more effective. You also save so much time… A correction job that might take 50-60 hours by hand on a small hatchback, is now an 8-hour job, and the gloss levels are higher, because the machine hasn't just done the work more efficiently, or faster, but _more consistently_.

Paintwork correction is in technical parlance, a _refinement and homogenization of surface profile_. Without abrasive polishing, vehicle paint is like a topographical map, with high mountain peaks, and deep canyon gorges; all distributed in the most chaotic fashion. Achieving gloss, depth, and wetness in your paint requires one to homogenize that mess; like leveling, and plowing a field. The aim is to create the lowest possible spread of height between the bottom of the valleys, and the top of the peaks on a plowed field… Hand polishing creates pressure spikes that make this virtually impossible to achieve perfectly, and as one tires one inherently polishes in a more erratic fashion, which further degrades the result. Machines suffer none of these limitations, and if piloted well and with some understanding, can take your results to an amazing new level.

Machine polishing is kind of like driving a car… It's not something to be feared to the point of abstinence, but does deserve respect. As long as you read the rules, practice, and take it easy until you become more confident to push on a little harder, you'll be alright… Drive around the block, and on the quieter roads for awhile before you go on the highway. One of the most common mistakes I see with those starting out, is trying to run before you can walk. Being impatient, and attacking the RIDS they really want to remove, before they really are comfortable with their machine just doing minor enhancement work. Diving in at the deep end, so-to-say. I did this myself… I ended up thinking: "I wished I took this a bit slower!", because now I know I could've fixed those same defects in a safer way, if I'd just been more patient and lived with them a little bit longer while I built up my skills doing less advanced work.









_Scholl S40, Scholl NEO Honey Spider, Russel @ Reflectology's methodology, Meg's G110 V2 DA; no LSP_​
Don't be afraid, because your fear will cripple you from learning something really important, that you will totally enjoy. At the same time, be patient, and take your time… Those deep scratches aren't a time bomb. They'll be much easier to live with for a little longer, once you fix the shallow ones first, and you see how good paint can look with even a little bit of machine correction. With more experience, you'll learn what defects to leave, and what ones to chase. Restraint is probably the greatest skill in detailing. It takes time to learn this, and the only way to learn it is to give yourself time, and learn it slowly. My mistakes, when I've caused damage, have almost always been rash ones... Getting caught up in a moment, and pushing further than I should, ignoring the lessons I have learned.

There's a difference between being 'alright', and 'good', or 'great' at machine polishing… That difference is just practice. A scrap panel is the difference between 'I can kinda do this', and 'I can do this really well'... It builds so much confidence, because you're not afraid of making mistakes, and you can really find where the boundaries are… You can figure out how to get the best from your polishes, and the sorts of results you get from different combos. If you don't have the space, or for whatever reason find it inconvenient to obtain a scrap panel, get a non-abrasive product with a decent working time (I'd suggest Dodo-Juice Lime Prime Lite… It's the only product with a decent working time that I am 100% certain contains no abrasives.), and go to town on your own car with a soft finishing pad… You won't hurt anything. Just get used to controlling the machine, as so much of learning how to be great at machine polishing is developing tactile sensitivity, and muscle memory… There is no ceiling limit to how many hours you spend behind a machine improves your results. So spend as much as you can, learn to settle in and be more zen in those moments, and feel and enjoy the process.

I love to learn about things that make me curious. Sometimes I'm scared by them, and need to take them at my own pace. That's okay… That's not a limitation to becoming really good at something. Take as much time as you need, and take it at the pace you feel comfortable with. Whenever you push yourself outside of your comfort zone to learn something new, don't push yourself so far that you keep making mistakes; always try to end the day on a good note. Ending on failure starts the next lesson on failure, and makes it harder to feel easy with yourself to do what your body can sometimes do, but your mind struggles to allow if you're stressed.

Also, read the classics about paintwork correction to learn the science behind it… The truly iconic threads and articles by DaveKG, Kevin Brown, Russel @ Reflectology, etc. They help far more than YouTube videos (At the time of writing, I've watched all the major YouTube films on the subject, but can't say any are of the quality of some of the classic articles.). Being able to visualize the science behind paintwork correction, helps to give you so much confidence, because when you go to do it, what is happening under your pad is no longer a mystery. You don't just act and react, but understand what it is you do.









_Menzerna SF3500, Lake Country Crimson Pad, ZPM, Meg's G110 V2; no LSP_​
Machine Polishing is one of the coolest detailing skills you can have… Don't be afraid. Just take your time, and learn it your way… If you have questions, never be afraid to ask. Every person who's mastered machine polishing has been in your shoes. You're utterly unalone. There are people who will help you out, especially on a forum devoted to learning about this craft like Detailing World.

*Note: *​
Subsequent parts of this article series will follow… They will be devoted to understanding the differences between machine polishers, how to pick the right one for you, optimizing that machine with the right pads/polishes to get the best out of it, and drills to practice to really gain physical mastery over your polishing machine. If you're an experienced or professional machine user, read on, because there is more content specifically for you to come. This is just the beginning.

_Thank You For Reading!_

*-Steampunk-*​


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## Alan W

Bump as this superb Thread deserves to be viewed by more! 

Dave KG's guides became *THE* machine polishing guides for the 'noughties' and beyond and this new guide has the makings of a present day machine polishing 'bible'. :buffer:

Alan W


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## Stoner

Thanks for bumping this thread - I had missed it!

Steampunk - Looking forward to the second instalment... or have I missed that one too?


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## Steampunk

Stoner said:


> Thanks for bumping this thread - I had missed it!
> 
> Steampunk - Looking forward to the second instalment... or have I missed that one too?


The second installment is about 3/4 finished, and will be coming soon. It's taking me awhile, as it talks about the differences between all the machine types in some practical depth, and how to go about choosing which one fits various scenarios as a detailer...

Each section of this article series will be posted in its own thread in the DW Detailing Guide section of the forum. I thought it would be better to break it up, to make it easier to read, and also easier for me to post.

I'd keep checking this section periodically for new threads... The next segment is called - "How-To: Choosing a Machine Polisher, Pt.2", if you want to look out for it.

- Steampunk


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## pina07

That’s a great write up there steampunk.......So very true!.
You do have a very good way of getting your point across. I am actually in a dilemma at the moment in choosing my next machine(I have a main Rotary machine but but feel I need something smaller to add to the arsenal as well....mini or nano). So I will be following this with great interest. Keep up the great work!.
Regards
Paul


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## Stoner

Steampunk said:


> I'd keep checking this section periodically for new threads... The next segment is called - "How-To: Choosing a Machine Polisher, Pt.2", if you want to look out for it.
> 
> - Steampunk


I will look forward to it. I have a Mequiars DA (original version) that has never been used, and probably never will be and a CP Rotary that has been used a few times with mixed results. I look forward to learn what I am doing wrong


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## scooobydont

Missed this but found it after reading part 2. Brilliant stuff.


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## aitch

*Thoughts from a newbie*

Huge thanks to @steampunk. Your guide was awesome, along with all the tips on DW and YouTube.

I wanted to share a few thoughts for other newbies to help take the plunge. But first, a recognition to all you pro's who do this everyday, i've just finished my first detail and i'm totally shattered!!

I took advantage of the DW group buy via CYC and got a DAS 6 pro. I should've started with a small car, but the Q7 is all I have. About halfway through I wished it was smaller! A lot.

Used mostly bilt hamber (shampoo, surfex hd, auto wheels and korrosol) but gtechniq tar , panel wipe and AG clay kit were on great offer.

Took most of the day to decon fully. I knew from Al the DW tips to prep properly, but alow plenty of time.

First set with Sonax ex 04-06 and 5.5" chemical guys white hex pad on 5" backing plate I was too swift in my passes (the 18mth old Audi's paint is in good condition, didnt need corection but reason for the Sonax instead of a final polish, was to avoid multiple polishes when I do brothers / sons / mates cars). Second set was much better and after that, all good. The Sonax really is dust less, and super gloss. Impresive polish. Tomorrow I will add BH double speed wax over the top.

So my advice to any other 1st timer, give it a go. Car looks stunning, real sense of pride and I know it's well protected. Dont get too worked up on which products if you are doing just a few a year - the 250ml Sonax 04-06 will do fine for me until I get to grips with the whole thing, I toyed with buying the menzerna triple pack, or other sets but I just didn't need a harsh compound until I know what i'm doing. I figured I could vary the pad to alter the cut if required.

My first post, fruits of my labour attached, will wax on top tomorrow.
Last tip for any 1st time DA newbie, get the beers in the fridge before you start, you'll want them at the end of the day!

Have a horrible feeling i'm now hooked.......


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## BrianGT

That's a very encouraging write up and will help anyone sat on the fence to give it a go!
Car looks great too.


Yes you will be hooked.


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## -Kev-

Thread stickied


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## Alan W

-Kev- said:


> Thread stickied


Well deserved and thank you! :thumb:

Don't forget Pt.2. 

Alan W


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