Removing swirl marks from a black truck!

merlin · 11-01-2009, 07:43 AM

For me this is a ongoing quest for the perfect finish.

This is what I did so far...

PREPARATION:
You know the drill...

A GOOD wash (two bucket - soap/rinse) method.
Put a sandwich bag on your hand, feel your paint.
If you feel bumps you need to clay bar.
Spray, Clay bar , repeat until there are no bumps.

OK, on to the fun stuff...

Below is the Poor Boy Product, Porter Cable speed and Lake Country pad combo.

PB - SSR 2.5, PC speed 5, LC Orange Pad
Followed by
PB - SSR 1. PC Speed 4, LC white Pad

RESULTS:
This combo worked with very little effort and gave very good results.
The SSR 2.5 takes out the swirls but left the finish slightly dull.
The SSR 1 brightened up the finish after the SSR 2.5 did it's job.

THOUGHTS:
You may wish to try the SSR 2 and SSR 1 combo.
(This is the recommended starting combination.)

CONCLUSION:
This is the first time I have used Poor Boy's products.
This combo got out the swirl marks that other products left behind.
I am very happy with the PB ease of use and finished results.

EPILOGUE:
Swirl marks, fine scratches and in my case even some paint imperfections are gone!
Follow up this PB combo with your favorite polish/sealant/glaze/wax for a shiny swirl free finish.

To really bring out the shine here is a link to the complete detailing process I use.

harleyhank · 11-01-2009, 08:39 AM

This is worthless without pics...............

merlin · 11-01-2009, 11:52 AM

Truck Hood after process...Pic does not do it justice.

Looks like a black mirror.

1niceharley · 11-01-2009, 08:59 PM

DAMN! Very Nice! Want to polish up my truck?

harleyhank · 11-01-2009, 09:27 PM

That is awesome !!!!!

ddmau · 11-02-2009, 09:57 AM

Nice finish! I have a Griot's Garage machine, and like it a lot. About once a year I clay it down, go over it with # 3 machine polish & the Best of Show Wax with the appropriate Griot foam pad. About a week later, I go over it again with Klasse All-in-one sealant with a foam pad to seal everything up, and it stays looking top-notch for about a year, even though it's my daily-driver & tow-queen. She sits outside uncovered all year long in the Florida sun, and I still get compliments all the time about the finish.

Once you get it looking the way you want, the only trick to keeping the finish up is; wash it every week with a proper car washing solution and be sure to get the water spots off so they don't etch the surface, and NEVER run it through a car wash - no matter what they say - any mechanical car wash will ruin your wax job in no-time. Whenever a bird or lizard makes a donation to the surface (far-too common down here), I hit it with Griot's Speed Shine, Meguire's or Mother's instant detailer spray as soon as possible; those little t*rds are murder on a black finish if you don't get them off right away.
I use a microfiber washing mitt and microfiber wand from Griots, a California Water blade & a high-speed bike air dryer to dry it off (from Harley Davidson - it's like a leaf blower on steroids) . It only takes me about a half-hour or so a week to keep it looking good.

merlin · 11-02-2009, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddmau

I use a microfiber washing mitt and microfiber wand from Griots, a California Water blade & a high-speed bike air dryer to dry it off (from Harley Davidson - it's like a leaf blower on steroids) . It only takes me about a half-hour or so a week to keep it looking good.

What is a microfiber wand?

Harley#356 · 11-02-2009, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddmau

I use a microfiber washing mitt and microfiber wand from Griots, a California Water blade & a high-speed bike air dryer to dry it off (from Harley Davidson - it's like a leaf blower on steroids) . It only takes me about a half-hour or so a week to keep it looking good.

microfiber wash mits are hard on the paint. They have a very low napp, so there's not much area for dirt to be sucked away from the paint. Cotton or wool mits with a deep nap are best for washing since there's a large area of the deep fibers for the dirt to get sucked away into rather than wiped across the paint.

A cali water blade works great, but can quickly damage the paint with a single grain of dirt that may blow on the truck. There's zero place for any dirt to go except across the paint. I use a cali water blade on my beater and absolutely love it, by far the quickest way to dry it, but for the trucks, I don't take the risk, and use a waffle weave microfiber for drying.

merlin · 12-16-2009, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harley#356

Microfiber wash mits are hard on the paint.
A cali water blade works great, but can quickly damage the paint with a single grain of dirt that may blow on the truck.
I don't take the risk, and use a waffle weave microfiber for drying.

Thanks for the heads up.

merlin · 12-16-2009, 02:34 PM

Since my post I have compiled and modified changes to a few items.
I have found by trying new things this process becomes a living document.
I will try to edit this post as products, processes and procedures change.
I am NOT a detailer, just a weekend enthusiast that likes shiny things.
Any thoughts, modifications or feedback is appreciated.

Exterior Products and Procedures

Tools and Acronyms:
PC = Porter Cable 7424xp DA buffer
LC = Lake Country Pads
PB = PoorBoy's World

I personally have found the Poorboys's/Natty's to be one of the best values for shine versus cost.

Do each process below in order.

1)
Wash:
Wash by hand with Dawn (regular) dishwashing liquid
This will strip off the previously applied old wax.
The two bucket method.
One bucket for soapy water & one bucket for rinse.

2)
Clay Bar:
Meguiars Blue Clay bar
or
Clay Magic Fine Grade Clay Bar
or
Clear Kote Clay Bar

Keep it wet!
Meguiars Quick Detailer NOT Ultimate Quick Detailer
or
a squirt bottle with water/dawn dishwashing liquid solution

3)
Polishing:
Orange LC Light Cutting Pad on the PC at speed 5/5.5
and PB SSR 2.5 (Med abrasive) $12
or
PB SSR 2 (lighter abrasive) $16
Then
White LC Polishing Pad on the PC at speed 4.5/5
and PB SSR 1 (fine abrasive) $16

Do an Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) spray (50/50 water) & wipe
down to check for swirls & clean before proceeding to step 4

If you still have scratches & swirls repeat step 3 until gone.

4)
Glaze:
Black LC Final Finishing Pad on the PC at speed 4
ClearKote Vanilla Moose (contains wax) $18
Vanilla Moose is a little easier to use than Red Moose.
CK VM does a bit better job than Red Moose of hiding
the swirls or marring that couldn’t be polished out.
or
Red Moose Machine Glaze (contains no wax) $18
Red Machine Glaze has a deeper look than Vanilla Moose
Pink Moose Combo (a bottle of Red and Vanilla) $25
or
For dark colors only
Poorboy's Black Hole $16
Helps hide light scratches and swirl marks missed in step 3

Glaze is an additional step that produces a big WOW factor!

5)
Sealant:
Blue LC Polishing Pad on the PC at speed 4
Zaino Z2 $15 (can also be applied by hand)
or
PB World EX-P $17
or
PB EX Sealant with Carnauba $17
or
For dark colors
Zaino Z5 $17 (can also be applied by hand)

For dark colors I like applying Z-2 on top of Z-5
Wait 12 hours between each Zaino application
unless you are using the ZFX accelerator
or
If using PB Sealant wait 12 hours before applying wax

6)
Wax:
By Hand
For Dark Colors/Black
PB Natty’s Blue Paste Wax $20
Light colors only
Pinnacle Paste Glaz $35
Both
ClearKote Carnauba Moose Wax
or
Collinite Marque D' Elegance #915 $30
or
Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax #845 $14
or
PB Natty's Red Paste Wax $20

I like applying Collinite 845 on top of 915

7)
To maintain that shine:

Zaino Z-7 Show Car Wash $9
Zaino Z-6 spray detailer $10
ClearKote Quik Shine
PB's Spray & Gloss
PB's QW+ quick detailer w/carnauba wax.
Meguiars Ultimate Quick Detailer

For that "Special" event
Zaino Z-8 Grand Finale Spray Seal $20

8)
Wheel Cleaner:
Eagle One Chrome & Wire Wheel Cleaner $6 (works 4 me)
PB's Spray & Rinse Wheel Cleaner
Griots Garage Wheel Cleaner
P21S wheel cleaner gel $17 (this size incl. sprayer)

9)
Wheel Sealant:
Helps make cleaning off dirt and brake dust easier.
(Chrome / Aluminum)
PB's World Wheel Sealant
Zaino Z-CS Clear Seal
(Painted)
DP Wheel Glaze

10)
Tires:
Meguiars Nxt Generation Insane Shine Tire Spray $9

11)
Plastic, Rubber, Vinyl trim etc.:
Lexol Vinylex $10
I DO NOT use Armor All

I have tried to include average prices for some of the products.
For more information here is a link to multiple Car Wax Reviews
I tried to keep it to mostly inexpensive products that work well.
This eliminates the high end stuff like

Zymol Royal Glaze

shovelheadrob · 12-16-2009, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by merlin

7)
To maintain that shine:
Zaino Z-6 spray detailer
ClearKote Quik Shine
PB's Spray & Gloss
PB's QW+ quick detailer w/carnauba wax.
Meguiars Quick Detailer NOT Ultimate Quick Detailer

You say not to use Ultimate Quick Detailer, is there any particular reason for this? I have been using it with impressive results

merlin · 12-16-2009, 04:30 PM

Good catch...my bad.

Should have been under clay bar.
Revised above post.

I have used a squirt bottle with water/dawn solution to clay bar also.
If you just did a clay bar the water/dawn works fine and it's cheaper.
Keep it Wet!

Harley#356 · 12-16-2009, 04:43 PM

yep don't need to waste the money on quick detailer for clay bars. a soap and water mix will also keep the paint more lubricated than a quick detailer will, and you'll be more likely to use it more liberally than you will an expensive bottle of QD.

merlin · 12-17-2009, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harley#356

yep don't need to waste the money on quick detailer for clay bars.

Thanks, I'm still just learning...
Please post any suggestions on different processes or products that you have tried.

merlin · 12-29-2009, 03:01 PM

See next post for flow chart.

11-01-2009, 07:43 AM	#1 (permalink)
merlin Worlds Shiniest HD F-150! Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Boynton Beach, Fl Posts: 1,405 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	Removing swirl marks from a black truck! For me this is a ongoing quest for the perfect finish. This is what I did so far... PREPARATION: You know the drill... A GOOD wash (two bucket - soap/rinse) method. Put a sandwich bag on your hand, feel your paint. If you feel bumps you need to clay bar. Spray, Clay bar , repeat until there are no bumps. OK, on to the fun stuff... Below is the Poor Boy Product, Porter Cable speed and Lake Country pad combo. PB - SSR 2.5, PC speed 5, LC Orange Pad Followed by PB - SSR 1. PC Speed 4, LC white Pad RESULTS: This combo worked with very little effort and gave very good results. The SSR 2.5 takes out the swirls but left the finish slightly dull. The SSR 1 brightened up the finish after the SSR 2.5 did it's job. THOUGHTS: You may wish to try the SSR 2 and SSR 1 combo. (This is the recommended starting combination.) CONCLUSION: This is the first time I have used Poor Boy's products. This combo got out the swirl marks that other products left behind. I am very happy with the PB ease of use and finished results. EPILOGUE: Swirl marks, fine scratches and in my case even some paint imperfections are gone! Follow up this PB combo with your favorite polish/sealant/glaze/wax for a shiny swirl free finish. To really bring out the shine here is a link to the complete detailing process I use. __________________ .................................................................. L&S oil seperator, 6lb lower, NGKTR6, Diablo, JL Audio, OCDetailed and a long list Last edited by merlin; 12-28-2009 at 10:26 AM..

11-01-2009, 11:52 AM	#3 (permalink)
merlin Worlds Shiniest HD F-150! Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Boynton Beach, Fl Posts: 1,405 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	Truck Hood after process...Pic does not do it justice. Looks like a black mirror. __________________ .................................................................. L&S oil seperator, 6lb lower, NGKTR6, Diablo, JL Audio, OCDetailed and a long list

11-02-2009, 09:57 AM	#6 (permalink)
ddmau Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Orlando Florida Posts: 69 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	Nice finish! I have a Griot's Garage machine, and like it a lot. About once a year I clay it down, go over it with # 3 machine polish & the Best of Show Wax with the appropriate Griot foam pad. About a week later, I go over it again with Klasse All-in-one sealant with a foam pad to seal everything up, and it stays looking top-notch for about a year, even though it's my daily-driver & tow-queen. She sits outside uncovered all year long in the Florida sun, and I still get compliments all the time about the finish. Once you get it looking the way you want, the only trick to keeping the finish up is; wash it every week with a proper car washing solution and be sure to get the water spots off so they don't etch the surface, and NEVER run it through a car wash - no matter what they say - any mechanical car wash will ruin your wax job in no-time. Whenever a bird or lizard makes a donation to the surface (far-too common down here), I hit it with Griot's Speed Shine, Meguire's or Mother's instant detailer spray as soon as possible; those little trds are murder on a black finish if you don't get them off right away. I use a microfiber washing mitt and microfiber wand from Griots, a California Water blade & a high-speed bike air dryer to dry it off (from Harley Davidson - it's like a leaf blower on steroids) . It only takes me about a half-hour or so a week to keep it looking good. __________________ Homepage: http://home.roadrunner.com/~rbihari/ "Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks" ~ Robert A. Heinlein* Last edited by ddmau; 11-02-2009 at 10:07 AM..

12-16-2009, 02:34 PM	#10 (permalink)
merlin Worlds Shiniest HD F-150! Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Boynton Beach, Fl Posts: 1,405 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	Since my post I have compiled and modified changes to a few items. I have found by trying new things this process becomes a living document. I will try to edit this post as products, processes and procedures change. I am NOT a detailer, just a weekend enthusiast that likes shiny things. Any thoughts, modifications or feedback is appreciated. Exterior Products and Procedures Tools and Acronyms: PC = Porter Cable 7424xp DA buffer LC = Lake Country Pads PB = PoorBoy's World I personally have found the Poorboys's/Natty's to be one of the best values for shine versus cost. Do each process below in order. 1) Wash: Wash by hand with Dawn (regular) dishwashing liquid This will strip off the previously applied old wax. The two bucket method. One bucket for soapy water & one bucket for rinse. 2) Clay Bar: Meguiars Blue Clay bar or Clay Magic Fine Grade Clay Bar or Clear Kote Clay Bar Keep it wet! Meguiars Quick Detailer NOT Ultimate Quick Detailer or a squirt bottle with water/dawn dishwashing liquid solution 3) Polishing: Orange LC Light Cutting Pad on the PC at speed 5/5.5 and PB SSR 2.5 (Med abrasive) $12 or PB SSR 2 (lighter abrasive) $16 Then White LC Polishing Pad on the PC at speed 4.5/5 and PB SSR 1 (fine abrasive) $16 Do an Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) spray (50/50 water) & wipe down to check for swirls & clean before proceeding to step 4 If you still have scratches & swirls repeat step 3 until gone. 4) Glaze: Black LC Final Finishing Pad on the PC at speed 4 ClearKote Vanilla Moose (contains wax) $18 Vanilla Moose is a little easier to use than Red Moose. CK VM does a bit better job than Red Moose of hiding the swirls or marring that couldn’t be polished out. or Red Moose Machine Glaze (contains no wax) $18 Red Machine Glaze has a deeper look than Vanilla Moose Pink Moose Combo (a bottle of Red and Vanilla) $25 or For dark colors only Poorboy's Black Hole $16 Helps hide light scratches and swirl marks missed in step 3 Glaze is an additional step that produces a big WOW factor! 5) Sealant: Blue LC Polishing Pad on the PC at speed 4 Zaino Z2 $15 (can also be applied by hand) or PB World EX-P $17 or PB EX Sealant with Carnauba $17 or For dark colors Zaino Z5 $17 (can also be applied by hand) For dark colors I like applying Z-2 on top of Z-5 Wait 12 hours between each Zaino application unless you are using the ZFX accelerator or If using PB Sealant wait 12 hours before applying wax 6) Wax: By Hand For Dark Colors/Black PB Natty’s Blue Paste Wax $20 Light colors only Pinnacle Paste Glaz $35 Both ClearKote Carnauba Moose Wax or Collinite Marque D' Elegance #915 $30 or Collinite Liquid Insulator Wax #845 $14 or PB Natty's Red Paste Wax $20 I like applying Collinite 845 on top of 915 7) To maintain that shine: Zaino Z-7 Show Car Wash $9 Zaino Z-6 spray detailer $10 ClearKote Quik Shine PB's Spray & Gloss PB's QW+ quick detailer w/carnauba wax. Meguiars Ultimate Quick Detailer For that "Special" event Zaino Z-8 Grand Finale Spray Seal $20 8) Wheel Cleaner: Eagle One Chrome & Wire Wheel Cleaner $6 (works 4 me) PB's Spray & Rinse Wheel Cleaner Griots Garage Wheel Cleaner P21S wheel cleaner gel $17 (this size incl. sprayer) 9) Wheel Sealant: Helps make cleaning off dirt and brake dust easier. (Chrome / Aluminum) PB's World Wheel Sealant Zaino Z-CS Clear Seal (Painted) DP Wheel Glaze 10) Tires: Meguiars Nxt Generation Insane Shine Tire Spray $9 11) Plastic, Rubber, Vinyl trim etc.: Lexol Vinylex $10 I DO NOT use Armor All I have tried to include average prices for some of the products. For more information here is a link to multiple Car Wax Reviews I tried to keep it to mostly inexpensive products that work well. This eliminates the high end stuff like Zymol Royal Glaze __________________ .................................................................. L&S oil seperator, 6lb lower, NGKTR6, Diablo, JL Audio, OCDetailed and a long list Last edited by merlin; 01-14-2010 at 10:10 AM.. Reason: Updated and revised...

12-16-2009, 04:30 PM	#12 (permalink)
merlin Worlds Shiniest HD F-150! Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Boynton Beach, Fl Posts: 1,405 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	Good catch...my bad. Should have been under clay bar. Revised above post. I have used a squirt bottle with water/dawn solution to clay bar also. If you just did a clay bar the water/dawn works fine and it's cheaper. Keep it Wet! Last edited by merlin; 12-16-2009 at 04:34 PM..



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11-01-2009, 08:39 AM	#2 (permalink)
harleyhank Registered User Paid Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Benton Ar. Posts: 1,132 NHTOC member #: 592 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	This is worthless without pics...............

11-01-2009, 08:59 PM	#4 (permalink)
1niceharley "Fuzion" 1986-2007 R.I.P. Paid Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Haslet, Texas Posts: 3,812 NHTOC member #: 430 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	DAMN! Very Nice! Want to polish up my truck?

11-01-2009, 09:27 PM	#5 (permalink)
harleyhank Registered User Paid Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Benton Ar. Posts: 1,132 NHTOC member #: 592 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	That is awesome !!!!!

12-16-2009, 04:43 PM	#13 (permalink)
Harley#356 Worlds Fastest HD F150!!! Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Week-Philly; Weekend-Souf Jerz Posts: 31,622 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	yep don't need to waste the money on quick detailer for clay bars. a soap and water mix will also keep the paint more lubricated than a quick detailer will, and you'll be more likely to use it more liberally than you will an expensive bottle of QD.

12-29-2009, 03:01 PM	#15 (permalink)
merlin Worlds Shiniest HD F-150! Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Boynton Beach, Fl Posts: 1,405 View this user's gallery iTrader: 0 / 0%	See next post for flow chart. Last edited by merlin; 01-04-2010 at 04:42 PM..

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