Detailing Bloo.

[Revmau5]

So i figured i'd start a detailing blog. I think a lot of people are nervous about this sort of thing, and a lot of people are comfortable at different levels of it.

I've not trained in this, just read advice, practiced...and learned by mistakes. If you're not sure, ask me and i'll help if i can but the rest is just a lot of logical thinking and common sense!

[Be patient, i'm still writing this!]

 

[Revmau5]

Washing
Yeah alright....washing is washing. We probably all do it, or some of us get other people to do it. I wash by hand in the below method. Personally i don't see the point of not getting into a wash routine if you're going to detail a car. Bad techniques put back things like swirl marks and scratches which we're trying to get rid of.

Step 1: Pressure Wash.
Hook up a pressure washer, this is the one i use. Use this to literally blast the car. Pay attenion to areas where dirt would build up, such as wheel arches, roof channels, window rubbers, behind the mirrors...etc.

Step 2: Snow Foam
Snow foam is produced by hooking up a snow foam lance attachment to your existing pressure washer. This is what one looks like. There are 3 variables with this so a bit of experimenting is necessary. The knob shown in the first picture is (...my pal Ross and he's adjusting...) the amount of air added to the foam, the end can adjust the pattern, and when mixing you can adjust the snow foam : water mix. Basically i prefer it if it's sticking to the car as long as possible so it can lift the soiling from the paint.

The reason behind snow foam is it removes a lot of dirt from the car without contact, which would ultimately lead to swirl marks or tiny scratches. When i first began this i was dubious that 40 hard earned coins would be justified by the difference it made with the car. You'll think this too but my when we're done this blog i'd like to be able to show you that when your car is detailed well, a run with snow foam is all you need to clean it. To give yourself a little spirit boost i like to admire the nice JDM white look it creates, or better still....find a mate like Ross and use his lance.

When fully foamed i use a paint brush around needy areas or crevices, avoiding the painted areas as much as possible.

Once you're done with the JDM look, Pressure Wash all of it off thoroughly.

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Step 3: Hand Wash
Prepare 2 buckets and a grit guard by power washing them and tipping upside down quickly to clean. In the rinse bucket place the grit guard and fill with water, in the soap bucket place the soap and fill with water from the pressure washer to make it nice and fluffy and airy. The bubbles believe it or not trap particles of dirt, off the paint. This means they can be washed away, or trapped in the lambswool mitt. Please note, no sponges used. Everyone has a bucket lying in their garage with a sponge in it. Below there's the one i found...look at the grit particles!!!

I simply use the lambswool mitt on the flat bodywork areas here. After each panel, hand and mitt into the rinse bucket to drag along the guard. The grit your're removing falls down under the guard and the angled fins stop the water stirring to move the grit around again. Do this a couple of times, then into the wash bucket for more soap. Avoid rotary circles as you wash. These can create swirl marks and linear scratches are easier to work with if you ever do make any. Rinse thoroughly once complete.

END!

That's literally it for washing alone. At this stage my car isn't clean enough for post wash detailing but next i'll probable cover clay bar-ing and iron cleansing the car, which i'll upload before the weekend's up. These would be the next two logical steps, before finer things like scratch removal and repair. The reason this is here first i guess is because if you're not going to wash correctly then you might as well stop now, as there's a high possibility you'll reverse the later processes by bad washing techniques. I'll return soon, promise!

 

[Jordan27]

Good work Revmau5! Very nice