# Daft Question time



## Roy47 (Apr 14, 2008)

I am not exactly new to detailing I have always kept my cars clean and polished or so I thought for the last 40+ years :detailer: 

Polished by hand years ago but in the last 10 years moved on to machine polishing etc 

I have watched loads of videos on the tube about machine polishing 
and am not too bad at it  

Many say to put 4/5 pea size blobs of compound etc onto a pad and do a panel on speed whatever 

I am ok with that But when you move on to the next panel and then the next etc what do you do ?? 

Add more compound ? 
Change to new pad every panel ?
Clean / wash pad and carry on ?

At the moment I add a small amount of compound for each panel I do 
and add a quick spray of water or detailing spray every now and then when I see the pad drying out 
Probably not the best method I know 

Any advise greatly appreciated 

Sorry if it sounds like a daft question


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## RandomlySet (Jul 10, 2007)

Add more compound.

Sometimes, the first panel, people may add more product to "load" the pad (I mainly see this in American videos), or you can spritz the pad with a bit of water if it seems to dry... But once you get going, just keep adding a few blobs, and clean the pad now and again by spinning it against a stiff brush


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## Roy47 (Apr 14, 2008)

Thanks for the reply 
Seems like I'm almost doing it correctly :buffer:


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## cossiecol (Jun 29, 2014)

Not a daft question. 

Keep in mind that when you clean (or blow the pad out) you will then have to prime the pad and essentially start from scratch.

Take a look at the Kevin Brown method for priming pads, personally I like this method.


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## chongo (Jun 7, 2014)

your doing it correctly because it works for you:thumb:

After you have corrected a section clean your pad to ensure that any polish residue is removed either by a stiff brush or if you have a compressed air tool to blow off the polish residue, then reapply your polish :thumb: but there is no need to prime the pad again as it's already been done:thumb:

Ensure you have enough pads to complete the job and to work as clean as possible :thumb:


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## ENEP (Mar 20, 2017)

chongo said:


> but there is no need to prime the pad again as it's already been done:thumb:


I find this quite interesting. I believe in the same method, prime each pad only once even if they are blown out with compressed air.
However i've sometimes noted that the pad after being blown out seems very dry, almost as a clean pad, which makes me think maybe we should prime again after blowing out a pad. I've then just added a blob or two extra for next pass to not risk over saturating the pad.

Have you ever experienced the same? Please share your thoughts.


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## AndyN01 (Feb 16, 2016)

Great comments and valuable info based on knowledge and experience.

There's no such thing as a daft question.

For my twopenneth - how about thinking about what's going on then and then go back to basics?

"........_I am ok with that But when you move on to the next panel and then the next etc what do you do ??

Add more compound ?
Change to new pad every panel ?
Clean / wash pad and carry on ?_........"

A few questions for you to think about:

After you've done one panel what's on your pad? Some unused compound and probably some "debris" from the panel such as clear coat etc.?

Is the pad still giving you the results you're looking for?

Is it clogged up?

Does it need more effort/time/work to get the results?

What does adding a bit of extra compound/spritz of water allow it to do?

Does a new or cleaned and primed pad do a "better" or "easier" job?

IMHO so much of what we do is about feel and experience that there isn't a "paint by numbers" one method/instruction fits all type of scenario. There are way too many variables for that.

It sounds like you've got a really good idea about what you're doing and are getting results that you're reasonably happy with.

How about experimenting a bit and see how this changes the results you're getting and/or the way you're getting them?

Sorry if this doesn't give you a - do this - do that - answer but in the longer term your knowledge based on your experiences will be far, far more useful.

Enjoy.

Andy.


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## chongo (Jun 7, 2014)

ENEP said:


> I find this quite interesting. I believe in the same method, prime each pad only once even if they are blown out with compressed air.
> However i've sometimes noted that the pad after being blown out seems very dry, almost as a clean pad, which makes me think maybe we should prime again after blowing out a pad. I've then just added a blob or two extra for next pass to not risk over saturating the pad.
> 
> Have you ever experienced the same? Please share your thoughts.


Interesting point :thumb: but there is no need too add a extra blob or two after blowing it out, because it's already got polish on the surface. But as long it's not to saturated then if it works for you then carry on using your own technique :thumb:

There are no set rules when it comes to correcting paint just guidelines to get you started :thumb:

I find that every car I come to correct, there's always different approach, so all I do is adjust my technique to adapt to what's in front of me, and if that means using less polish or more then that's what I do :thumb:

Detailing is like going to school, You learn something new everyday


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## Roy47 (Apr 14, 2008)

Thank you all for the replies 

seems like I am doing something correct :thumb: 

I do tend to machine 3 panels then wash or rise out the pad with plain water and start all over again 

I just wondered how to do it correctly as I said all the tube videos I watched only show 1 panel being done at a time 
Thanks again


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