# I get sooo bored polishing ...



## JimBobJones (Aug 6, 2018)

Generally I love looking after the car, happy to take any numbers of rinses, pre washes, mitts, buckets, sealants, treatments, always trying new products, that side is great. 
But after doing 1 panel polishing, I get so bored, and find then that I'm moving too fast, get less and less interested in the results, and have to pack it in again after a 2 or 3 panels before I make a mess. I start off with 5-6 passes at a nice slow steady pace, and by panel 3 I'm flying around with 4 passes and packing it in due to lack of interest.

I like headphones on washing the car and doing other bits, but find it's not a great combination when working with the polisher, prefer to hear it (but with light ear defenders).

Any tips or advice to help keep some concentration or take the boredom out of it?

Cheers,
JBJ


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## cangri (Feb 25, 2011)

Well if you do not like it then is just a state of mind.

Music helps a lot into setting up the mood.


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## MBRuss (Apr 29, 2011)

I'm the exact opposite to you then. I like to get the cleaning out if the way and get all the equipment out, put my headphones in and get polishing. I enjoy polishing the most!

I do particularly like to listen to relaxing/chilled music when polishing. I find the whole experience quite soothing then, and slower music probably helps you keep a slower pace.

I don't find that I need to hear the polisher because I have a DA, so any issues with pressure and I'll see it stop spinning.

Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk


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## Andy from Sandy (May 6, 2011)

Just do one panel to the standard that you want, get some protection on it and pack up.

Nothing has to be completed in the same session. It shouldn't be a chore.


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## Bikeracer (Jan 16, 2015)

Not really surprised you get bored, from my working out which could be wrong, to polish a two foot square at the recommended one inch per second takes approx five minutes to do the recommended across then up, I believe a two foot square done like that counts as one pass.

So to do six passes of a two foot square is approx a half hour job even if only doing a single step correction. 
For me to do the roof of my SUV is a daunting task with a DA with the inevitable stalling, so I bought a forced rotation Makita polisher which is both a free spinning DA and a fixed rotation polisher.

I've every intention of also learning to use a rotary on the scrap panel I have so I can get in all the small places and concave panels.

I've come to the conclusion for me personally that using a rotary will be a lot quicker and the way to go, and from several videos on Youtube I've watched is not as scary as is often quoted.

Allan


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## AndyN01 (Feb 16, 2016)

Maybe this goes a bit deeper than it seems.

We all live in a society/environment where everything is "instant" and it's hyped up that fast is good. You don't want to be waiting around for something to happen - you want it NOW.

Long gone are the days where you'd wait days or weeks for the skilled craftsman to produce something. Some things buck this trend but are generally only available if you have very deep pockets.

I'm assuming you're not a detailing business with customers to find/keep and deadlines to meet?

So, if I may suggest, be content to do a panel or two - properly, with care and attention to detail - then, if you're feeling like you need to rush, pack up and come back later/tomorrow or whenever. 

Take pleasure and enjoyment from the results you've achieved. Then look forward to doing a bit more as and when you want to.

As has been said we don't need to do everything all at once. 

One of my "observations" is that the best way to make someone mess up is to put them under tight time pressure. Watch something like Professional Masterchef. These folk do "food" day in, day out and make their living from it. But put them in front of Marcus Waering & Monica Galetti and give then a limited time to do something and watch how many simply can't deliver the basics - in some cases they can't even get fundamental food hygiene right - let alone what they themselves would describe as a reasonable plate of food.

Hope that helps.

Andy.


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## Brad-ST (Nov 17, 2013)

I have much the same feelings when it comes to polishing. I bought a red fiesta ST back in august which is absolutely covered in swirls. Had all the intentions to get the DA out and polish it, got everything else i needed over Christmas (pads, clay, some new AIO polish) and I just cant be bothered to get everything out knowing I have to spend hours polishing it. I'm sure it'll change when the weather improves a bit but I'm already bored just thinking about having to polish it. Strange as I loved keeping on top of my old focus ST. Might just be because I don't care about this car as much seeing as i only got it because I needed something cheaper to run!


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## Ralphy87 (Nov 27, 2018)

I like doing decon same as you head phones in amd away i go


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## Sam6er (Apr 3, 2016)

Im kinda different in that i love the polishing/waxing stage but hate the washing/decon stage, especially wheels lol


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## JimBobJones (Aug 6, 2018)

I got a new set of AirPods, so might try the headphones again now without any wires to get tripped up on. 
Rotary could be a good idea - a new toy helps keep me focused for a little while too!

I'm certainly the impatient type, but am usually pretty content pottering in the garage on my own, but the polishing just seems to drain the life from me.

1 side of a Seat Leon left to do, and then front/rear bumpers. Another 2 evenings should do it. Then a poxy Jag F-Pace ....


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## davidprice1977 (Jan 20, 2019)

I’m the complete opposite I love getting all the tools out after cleaning decontaminate & claybar etc.Get the headphones out tunes on & away i go i get some much joy out of seeing the end results after a full day or 2 days Polishing & seeeing the expression on customers faces when they pick their pride & joy up👌👌👌👌Ive Just recently invested in the rupes ibrid & wish I had brought one ages ago now it’s a must must I’ve your really into your detailing it really is an amazing bit of kit👌👌👌👌


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## big dave 666 (Aug 2, 2014)

I'm like the OP. Even with headphones on at times machine polishing can get monotonous. If you're bored out of your tree, your concentration lapses and mistakes can happen.
Best thing is to walk away. I've been doing my sons first car, a black focus on and off for about two months. (He will be doing his test in the next 6 weeks or so). So far I'm about forty hours in to the paintwork. And in 35 or so years of machine polishing it will be the best work I've ever done. I would guess by the time I've polished, jewelled and applied a couple of coats of glaze and wax it'll owe me over 100 hours. May seem crazy, however I have to get it bang on. And the only reason it will be as good as it eventually will be is because when I'm bored staring in to the black abyss, I walk away.


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## big dave 666 (Aug 2, 2014)

Bikeracer said:


> Not really surprised you get bored, from my working out which could be wrong, to polish a two foot square at the recommended one inch per second takes approx five minutes to do the recommended across then up, I believe a two foot square done like that counts as one pass.
> 
> So to do six passes of a two foot square is approx a half hour job even if only doing a single step correction.
> For me to do the roof of my SUV is a daunting task with a DA with the inevitable stalling, so I bought a forced rotation Makita polisher which is both a free spinning DA and a fixed rotation polisher.
> ...


GO for a rotary mate. Develop a sound technique and it'll be hunky dory. You won't need to use the high speed settings. Max speed I use is around the 900rpm.obviously the less speed equals less heat. Keep the rotary moving also. Otherwise you'll be swearing lol. 
A rotary will be quicker once you're used to it. 
Last weekend I did a test spot with a forced rotation machine on a mates metallic black amg clk55. I did a good number of passes with a MF pad and Koch Chemie h8. Did next to nothing. Got the rotary out with a blue rupes pad and the same compound. Took quite a few passes but that's what I'll be using to correct it in a few weeks. The only thing I'd advise is to buy what you can afford. Try to get one with low speeds eg 500-1700 rpm or so. HTH Dave.


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## Bikeracer (Jan 16, 2015)

I bought an SPTA rotary, to all intents and purposes its spec seems identical to the Shinemate EP801. 700 rpm bottom speed.
Tried it on a scrap panel for the first time today and using the orange and yellow pads that came with it and Scholl S20 I seemed to get 1200 wet sanding marks out relatively easy on speed one.
Only problem I had really was that I used the 5" pads and they were bigger in places than the part of the panel I was practicing on and I had beginners machine walking every so often.
I've got some assorted 1",2" and 3" foam and wool pads for the next attempt.

Just wish I'd gone straight into using a rotary but all the scare stories about using one worked and I bought into a Rupes Duetto which has ended up having little use. The Makita forced rotation PO6000 was bought because of the DA stalling problems.

I intend to do a side by side test using the same pads just to see what or any difference I get.

Allan


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## big dave 666 (Aug 2, 2014)

Keep practicing mate. That's all you can do. You may find that with the wool and mf pads it walks some more to start with. 1,2 and 3 inch spot pads, especially with extension bars make a rotary a very versatile tool


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## rojer386 (Mar 15, 2008)

I did a full wash/decon/DA some scratches from my dads run around car over the weekend. Headphones on and before I knew it 6 hours had passed. I love nothing more than being out there looking after a car with music playing to me!


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## GP Punto (May 29, 2007)

Polish the car along with a friend, whilst you are supplied with tea and coffee, time will fly by.


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## DimitriUK (Jan 18, 2017)

I am loving polishing/detailing as I do office job I want to do something that does not take brain power for relaxation and is not a waste of my time


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

This is not a topic which is discussed very often. Mike Philips has said polishing one panel to a high standard is a different game to polishing every panel to the same high standard.

Some time ago I wrote about some experiments in washing and drying each panel before moving onto the next panel. The aim was to show it is a quicker way of washing but of greater relevance was the greater engagement in just focusing on one panel at a time rather than working across the entire car.

One additional benefit for some people who do not own a lot of pads, if just doing one panel the pads and therefore the paint does not start to overheat due to polish/paint saturation. 

The higher level of engagement stops the brain from becoming bored as the panel is subject to multiple tasks.

As others have mentioned, the car does not care how many panels are polished in one session. As long as the panels are cleaned before starting work then there will not be any problems.


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