We've been working slowly but surely with the PC. Lotsa time taping, prepping, removing grill badges, and just generally stalling at getting started.

The roof and the bonnet are now done, with the rest planned for tomorrow. Lotsa little mistakes, but what I fear may have been a big one happened late in the process.

I Swirl'd the entire roof in two steps (one side, then the other). After buffing it off, I then changed pads, and Amigo'd one side of the roof. I needed more product to do the other side, and I picked up a bottle and carefully SWIRL'd the pad I'd been using for Amigo!

Now what do I do? I've stopped for the night anyway, but I want to use the White pad for more Amigo. How do I make the pad once again ready for Amigo? The Black is not an optional replacement, since it is Zaino'd.

Is there someone sufficiently OC with the PC to know how to remedy this on the QT?

 

I would not be concerned. You can either add your Amigo on to the pad and keep going or wash the pad before doing the Amigo. It doesn't really matter. Swirl and Amigo wash out of pads very easily by hand. If you choose to wash the pad then just blot it dry with a towel to get the water out.
Now the Zaino pad needs to be washed, well and soon. Do not let the Z-2 dry in the pad or you can toss it.

 

yah, just wash it out under warm water and soap. no biggie.

 

Swirl washed out extremely well. and the orange pad is now orange again. The white pad is pretty much gray, but as long as it works, I don't care what color it is.

Did I get the black pad clean? Well, its still black. How do I know if I got the Z2 out or not?

And, generally speaking, how should I care for these pads? Wash after every use? Never wash unless fixing a mistake like this, or what? What gets Z2 out of a pad, anyway?

 

I always wash mine every time because I worry about product hardening and scratching the next time I use them. Wax is particularly important to remove as it can cure right in the pad even in a zipped baggie - use hot water and soap and elbow grease until everything comes out, then dry the pad on a clean rag or towel.

 

i wash mine out after every use too. if it's a water based polish i sometimes
dunk it in water and wash the next day if im too tired/lazy (more lazy) to
wash it that day.

 

Any special tips for removing Z2?

 

Other than Z2 remover?

 

Is there such a thing, or is the emoticon a subtle clue?

 

For synthetic waxes like Z-2 or Epic, I use alcohol spritzed on the pad and then worked in. You could also use vinegar (but it stinks). I'll let the alcohol soak for a bit then use warm water and Dawn to finish. With Z-2 (as with Epic) you can tell the pad is clean when it stops oozing out white gooey product when squeezed.
I also wash all the pads after each use as ImagoX does.

BTW Matt - I like you're new signature. I guess that now you have both a classic and the Nano, the sig had to change.

 

Hmm, I may wind up buying another pad, as I am in no position to do that out here at the cabin.

 

I'll comment by topic...

Re: Swirl accidentally on white pad intended for Amigo
In similar cases when you accidentally "mix" true abrasives (Cut, Swirl, Finish, and most other true abrasives as long as they're all in the same product line family), you can usually easily just move on by scraping off what you can and go with it.

However, Amigo is its own beast- hence many of its unique characteristics. So, I would not advise that you mix Amigo and any of the abrasives like Swirl.
Is it the end of the world if you do? No. It's one of those times when you look at your situation, timeframe, and so forth and decide from there. If you didn't apply much Swirl and were able to scrape much of it off, and you really don't have the time wash/dry pads or have other pads to use, then you could wing it and just continue with Amigo as best as you can, knowing that it may or may not have an adverse effect. At worst, it won't hurt anything- it just may limit your results (similar to the Amigo-Z2 situation... it doesn't hurt your paint or anything- it just wastes product and time).

That said, my advice in this situation is that you stop and wash out the pad. As you found, Swirl washes out very easily. The problem is that pads take time to dry, even when you speed it up by drying them as best as you can with a towel. The pad should not be wet when you use it again.

Re: White pad is gray after using Amigo (& when is a pad clean?)
This is ok. Amigo's gray color can lightly stain pads. I usually use the feel of the pads more than visual cues to determine if I've completed washed out a pad. In other words, you'll notice in the beginning of your pad washing that the pad feels gunky and sometimes what I would call slimy. After washing for a bit, you'll notice that the gunky and slimy feel starts to disappear and the pad just feels like foam again. That's when you're done washing. The color stain that remains is just that- stain. It's not the rest of the chemical so you're fine there.

Re: Cleaning Zaino Z2 out of your pad
As already mentioned, it is imperative that you wash out your pad ASAP whenever you use any of the premium durable synthetic waxes, including both Z2 and Prima Epic. These waxes do such a good job holding up on paint, that they'll do the same in the pad if you let them sit for too long.
As a rule of thumb, never allow a synthetic wax to dry in the pad!

For Z2 specifically, we've found that you need to work rubbing alcohol into the pad then wash it, even when it's fresh. Otherwise, it doesn't wash out completely.

*If it does dry in the pad, we've found that citrus-based cleaners (like P21S Total Auto Wash-TAW, or similar products) work the best. Very recently we advised rubbing alcohol, which does work quite well, but we're now finding better results with the TAW on both dried Epic and dried Zaino.

How do you tell if your pad is clean of the synthetic wax?
If there's still wax in there, it usually feels greasy and sometimes sort of crusty.
*Again, a clean pad should feel like basic foam- similar to how it felt when it was new.


Re: Basic polishing pad cleaning/maintenance
Pads are reusable and usually last quite a long time when properly cared for.

For best results, all pads used with any product need to be washed out by hand and left to air-dry (which sometimes can take 24-48 hours).

When using water-based polishes, you can be lazy and take your time on washing them out. Even a week after you use them, they'll still wash out very easily. Prima's abrasives (Cut, Swirl, Finish) are all water-based polishes.
Use soap (dish soap, like Dawn) and warm water: Work the soap into a dampened pad then rinse well (sometimes rinse and rinse and rinse, like with the white pad, which seems to LOVE holding on to soap!).

When using oil-based polishes, you should wash your pads sooner than later to make them a little easier to wash out. Whether right away or later, oil-based polishes can be a little more difficult to wash out. Although not an oil-based polish, Amigo also falls into this category of being a little more difficult than water-based polishes to wash out. As with the water-based polishes though, use use soap (dish soap, like Dawn) and warm water (as described above). If a chemical is stubborn, work in a little rubbing alcohol, or vinegar, or a citrus-based cleaner, then wash with soap and rinse.

When using durable synthetic waxes, you must wash your pads ASAP and at the least, before the dry into the pad. Most wash out quite easily with soap and warm water as long as you wash right away. We've found that Z2 needs to have rubbing alcohol worked into it first, then washed with soap and water in order to completely clean it out of your pad. Epic is easily washed out with soap and water.
If any durable synthetic is left to dry, see above topic on how to clean out (Cleaning Z2 out of your pad).


Last, I often see people putting pads into zip-lock bags. Please do not do this unless the pad is completely dry! Otherwise, it is bound to get moldy. Some think that zip-locking a pad means you can just keep re-using it without washing. Typically this just doesn't work because of product buildup. It's really best to wash your pads every time you use them.
(an exception to not zip-locking is if you need to buy yourself a little bit more time before you wash out a pad with Epic or Zaino in it... but just don't leave it in there for long! Wash it!)

-Heather

 

And again, Heather jumps in with a great, thought out, genius response! Its great to have her and Richard on these boards helping out us layfolk!

 

Doesn't Dawn have lanolin in it? Aren't you then leaving a grease or oily substance in the pad if you use that to clean it?

Enquiring minds need to know!

 

No, the standard blue Dawn does not contain lanolin or any hand-conditioning or other similar additives. It's a good question though... as usual around here, we use a single-word term to describe something and assume everyone knows exactly what we're talking about!

In the world of detailing, when the word "Dawn" is used it almost always refers to the plain standard blue style of Dawn... classic Dawn, if you will.

From what I understand, other Dawn styles (and other dish soaps) sometimes do contain lanolin or other conditioning ingredients. These should be avoided in our world.

-Heather

-Heather