bfranks

Thanks George and Garnet Canuck.

Placed an order for the Bug Squash and other odds and ends. It will be 3 weeks before I see my car again , but I'll let you know how it works on the clear bra.

leeI35G35

George -

I have a small dilemma. I went to your sight and addition to the Blackfire All Finish paint protection, you have the Midnight Carnuba Wax, Wet Diamond and compound Menzerna. I am confused with the new BF selections. I have not ordered blackfire in a while (maybe a couple years now). I am a longtime BlackFire user and I have stacked up to at least two years of supply, and now I am out.

My polish process used to be BF Gloss enhancing + a zillion coats of BF All finish paint protection. With the new selections you have now, what do recommend works the best to remove swirls? Keep in mind that I love to put a zillion coats on however, I had a crappy detailler wet sand buff my car and my Black G looks like crap. The all finish paint protectant is not working to hide the swirls.

Garnet Canuck

The BF Gloss Enhancing polish that you have been using merely attempts to hide the swirls, but does not remove them. Pick yourself up an orbital polisher like a Portal Cable and an abrassive polish like Menzerna 0106FF (which has been far and away my favorite polish) and you'll be all set. My personal recommendation would be to pick up a package like this and also this polish. Good luck.

leeI35G35

Garnet -

Is it necessary to get the porter cable? Or could I apply the Menzerna polish by hand? I did not notice anywhere on the page that stated the portal Cable was recommended. I am a pretty good self detailer. I am only having this swirl problem because of my accident which my insurance company should have totalled my car. My other cars are usually swirl free or at least to the human eye. The portal Cable would probably only be used by me once.

Garnet Canuck

Yes, a PC is necessary. Menzerna, as well as other polishes, are designed to be applied by machine to properly break them down. Applying the 0106FF by hand wouldn't net you any positive results. If you put any of your other cars under a halogen lamp, I can pretty much guarantee you'll see lots of swirls. A friend of mine dropped over last night with his Black Obsidian G35 Coupe. I detailed his G last summer and asked him if he wanted me to detail it again this spring. He said that it didn't need it because it still didn't have any swirls...........I brought out my halogen lamp and it quickly revealed how bad he had swirl marks again. He's bringing it back to me for another detail this year now.

I honestly can't recommend getting a PC enough. Once you use it once, I can pretty much guarantee that you'll use it more than you think. I would consider it an investment, not a cost.

bfranks

^+1

I debated getting a PC since I'm not that obsessed with detailing my car. But after seeing how much easier it made things, and how much better the results were, I'd also highly recommend it.

Garnet Canuck

Also Lee, just to give you an idea of what a PC can do for you, take a look at the thread below. This was a customer's car that I did last weekend. It had the worst swirl marks you could imagine, but it turned out pretty good in the end thanks to a PC. There is no way polishing by hand could give those results.

http://g35driver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=220443

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iTrader: (2)

Lee,

As others have mentioned, investing in a quality buffer will certainly remove swirls more effectively than if you performed the process by hand. Can you get results by hand? Yes. Will it be as dramatic and will you remove as many imperfections? Definitely not.

Here's the difference between the products:

Blackfire SRC Finishing Polish - This is a fine abrasive polish that will permanently remove fine imperfections by leveling out your clear coat. This is a product that is best applied with a buffer.

Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish - This product is a gloss enhancer that has some fillers in it. This can mask imperfections in your paint, but it won't permanently remove them like the finishing polish or compound would. This is usually a good option for hand applications since you aren't leveling out the clear coat and can still hide the swirls and imperfections.

Blackfire Wet Diamond - This is Blackfire's paint sealant. This will provide you with underlying protection that lasts anywhere from 4 - 6 months pending on weather conditions, miles driven, storage, etc. This is probably similar to the All Finish Paint Protectant.

Blackfire Midnight Sun Carnauba Wax - This is Blackfire's latest carnauba wax. This will add depth and gloss to the paint as well as add protection to the paint.

If you have any other questions on anything, please do not hesitate to ask.

George

leeI35G35

WTF/WOW!!! Simply amazing. I really wish you could have took pics under the halogen lamps. I usually use my CandlePower Flashlight to shine on my car after a good wax job to see if I hid the swirls or scratches.

After seeing what you have do here, I am going to invest in a PC now. Much appreciated.

Garnet Canuck

I wish I could of gotten proper after pics as well. I was about to back it into my garage and get it under the halogen light again but the customer came.

You honestly won't have any regrets buying the PC. You'll wonder how you survived without it in the past.

wrathletik1

iTrader: (2)

I am contemplating whether a PC will be a worthwhile investment. I probably will use it to polish once, but I am interested if it will help all that much with the waxing process. If it can bring a significant advantage in terms of helping me achieve better results in wax applications, I'll buy one.

What are your thoughts on different manufacturers? There's Porter-Cable, obviously, but I think Meguiar's has a product, as well as Griot's.
Thoughts?

Garnet Canuck

You don't buy a PC to aid in the waxing process. A PC is mostly used for the purpose of removing light scratches, swirl marks, spider webbing, etc. If you are looking to purchase a PC for the sole purpose of applying a wax, don't waste your money. Carnuba waxes are best applied by hand and I wouldn't recommend applying them via PC. You can apply sealants via your PC however you'll waste a little more compared by hand. A PC is THE BEST tool in your detailing arsenal if you use it correctly.

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iTrader: (2)

wrathletik1, Shane pretty much hit the nail on the head. You'd want to invest in a quality buffer to aid in removing of imperfections on your paint, which ultimately yields the best possible results with any detail. As mentioned, any paste wax should be hand applied, however you can use the buffer to apply a sealant when using a softer pad. I do find it's easier to spread the product further with a buffer, primarily because of the pad size you're working with is usually 6.5" vs a standard foam applicator that you only are really benefiting from the size of your fingertips.

If you're just looking for a buffer to spread a sealant and / or liquid wax, then you wouldn't want to spend the money on a Porter Cable or any other buffer you mentioned for that matter. After spending hours on a machine properly polishing, you're usually thankful to do the last couple coats by hand!

Let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.

George

]\[ /-\ ]\/[

iTrader: (3)

finally tried out the Blackfire midnight sun wax.....and i love it!!!

more pics here:
https://www.myg37.com/forums/showthr...95#post2355295

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iTrader: (2)

Nam,

Car looks dripping wet, glad to hear you enjoyed the Blackfire line of products. I commented in your full post as well.

Excellent job.

George