Hey,

So I am taking Ken's advice and I am going to polish my MINI by hand. I am fully prepared to not be able to feel my arms afterwards and that is all right, 2 years of swimming constantly has gotten me used to that.

That said I have never done this before so I am not really sure what I need to do a proper job of this. I obviously need a polish of some sort and some way to apply it/work it. This is the part where I could use a bit of help, I have heard that Prima swirl isnt all that friendly when it comes to being worked by hand, and that is what I was planning on using. Either way I plan on using Amigo afterwards to hopefully get anything that isnt taken off.

Maybe my question is this. If I am using Prima swirl as my polish what is the recommended way to apply it. Would a couple cheap foam pad and some elbow grease suffice?


EDIT:
NO, I will not buy a PC.

 

i would get the recommended lake county pad from DP and
get the 6" pad holders from Griot's.

or just get Polish3 from Griot's and use their orange pads
and holders. i can't find their holders for the 6" pads for
some reason... it's a velcro backed strap you
put your hand through to hold the pad...

 

found it. PN: 11204 adjustable pad holder

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ht=hand+polish

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...hand+polishing

these threads should help you

 

Much appreciated Ken. You have been a great help so far.

Edit: Slightly off topic, but how is Griot's clay? I have heard horror stories about how some clays quickly break down once you start to use them, and I figure if I am ordering from them I may as well pick ups some clay (DP doesnt have it right now).

 

Although there are some slight variations in clay (mostly sticky vs. not-as-sticky and stiff vs. soft), the degree to which clay breaks down typically depends more on your lubricant spray than the clay itself.
(note that sometimes the stiffer clays can break down a bit if they are not warmed and massaged a bit in your hand before you get started; otherwise they shouldn't!)

If you use a dedicated lubricant spray (read: designed specifically for use with clay), you reduce your chance of premature clay disintegration. A quick detail spray is typically at around the same level as a lube spray. Although certainly very economical, using soapy water (adding a few drops of car wash soap to a sprayer full of water) tends to break down clay much more quickly that the lube sprays or quick detailers.

That said, if you have a big clay job in front of you and you anticipate going through a section of clay for the job anyway, then it doesn't matter if it breaks down quickly because you'll throw it out when you're done anyway! So, there is still a place and time when using soapy water is a good idea (or simply when you've run out of lube spray and have no other choice!).


I haven't used the Griot's clay myself but it should be just fine. I apologize that we're still waiting on our big clay replenishment! We should get it within the next few weeks.
(note to Denver area locals... we do have a small stash of clay for sale in the retail store for you folks until the big order arrives)

-Heather

 

np. the Griot's clay is super soft. i call it Griot's Mud.

here's what i did... made 2 batches from the one HUGE clump of clay.
in my original container i just left the soft stuff.

then made another container where i left the lid open for about a day
in a cool dry area with no wind. this took a lot of the moisture out of it
and made it firmer.

so for spot waxing/carbon deposit kinda cleaning on the rear bumper, etc
i use the soft goooey mud.

for the harder contaminants like dried tar, bugs, etc. i use the drier
clay. the consistency is still softer vs other clays ive tried, but it is
much firmer than the mud.

works great for me.

im also a fan of Prima Clay.

 

Yeah, I have used Prima clay before and thought it was pretty good. It's just that if i end up going with the Prima stuff I will have to end up ordering from 3 places, which I want to avoid.

 

As much as I like the Prima stuff, I use Meg's clay. I had no problem with the commercial white available at the auto store and now am using the pro blue (from octane guy) that is simmilar but takes a little less effort (slightly more aggressive).

I started out hand polishing and waxing, but after one time I bought a PC but then again I'm a wimp.

 

Some Guy,

I don't really have anything to compare with as a reference point since I'm just getting into this whole OCD Mini detailing stuff myself. But, I just put in an order with DP a couple weeks ago and due to the clay shortage, got my clay from Griot's. Did my Mini last weekend (first time), including the clay, and had no problems with it falling apart.

Good luck!!!

 

OctaneGuy's DVD also has a section on hand polishing... and it's worth watching...

 

That's good. I think between this and what Kenchan suggested I will give the Griots a try. It will be nice having a bit more to work with. Despite breaking the bar into thirds I still managed to dirty up all the thirds pretty bad. I am order from Griots anyway so I might as well.

 

If I am hand polishing do I need both the orange and the white pad or just the orange pad (or white)?

 

I really like the zainobros.com clay much better than Griot's. I do like the Griot's speed shine as a lubricant. In general I feel the Zaino products work very well without a machine. I like DPs products best with a machine.

 

If hand polishing you will need a foam pad like you get with over the counter products. The pads for the PC would be very difficult to work with by hand.

 

I will defer to Ken on this.

Edit: This is all mind numbing. What do you guys have to say about Griot's hand polish?

 

i used Griot's Polish#3 with the Griot's orange pad and holder did one of my
cars by hand. it wasn't too bad. it was a lot of work but well worth it.

if you have deeper swirls try Polish#2 which is a little more abrasive,
followed by Polish#3.

as far as the LC pads, DP has a pdf listing of which pads to use.

 

What kind of swirling would you call this?




(more concerned with the scratches here)

 

^^ i would say moderate. if you're going to try Griot's, i'd try polish#3 two
apps in a 12x12 area and if you still see those swirls try polish#2.

i usually apply with moderate force in a circular motion, work it in until
the product is dry. then take some SpeedShine/SprayOn wax and
remove the residue.

once i find the right polish, i do a 15x15" area at at time by hand,
overlapping about 2". 18x18 with my RO, overlapping 2".

 

Alright, broke down and picked up an air polisher, may as well put my big 'ol compressor to some use.

Is there any reason for me to buy more than one Griots polishing pad? At ten bucks a pop if I can get away with one I would prefer it.

Basically my Griots order is as follows:
-Adjustable pad holder (for 7 bucks and all the drama I have made over hand polishing I may as well)
-Clay (no brainer)
-Machine polish 3 (I figure that is I cant get it with polish 3 the first time around I can just hit a second time)
-Orange foam polishing pad (I cant think of a good reason to get more than one, so I am just getting one)
-Bundle of 3 MF polish removal towels, what I have now isnt enough.

I am hoping this will have me covered.

 

you want to use a pad for each level of polish... meaning one orange pad
for polish3, another orange pad for polish2 and so on.

otherwise i think you're fine. you might want to get more than 3 MF
towels though. also, im not sure if Griot's stopped putting their tags on
their MF towels... if not, make sure you remove that tab before use.
it swirls the paint when it comes in contact. (Prima Platinum MF towels
are the best for qd, polish removal, wax removal imho ).

 

I have 4 Prima dual Piles and one monster fluffy. I plan on doing the whole car in one day so I figure I need at least 1.5/2 towels per step.

2 for polish
2 for amigo
1.5 per coat of wax (I like to do two coats so make that 3)