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This past weekend was the fourth installment of iNtense eXtreme Training Tech Institute hosted by buffdaddy.com and Kevin Brown here in our Training Room & Garage. Some of the very finest detailers from around the country, plus Canada, Trinidad & Tobago and Australia were in attendance as we shared advanced techniques in both sanding and polishing. Lead instructors were Kevin Brown, Jason Rose (Meguiar's) and myself, but we have to give credit (and thanks!) to our associate instructors Derek Bemiss of Detail Werks, Joe Fernandez of Superior Shine, Greg Nichols of Reflections Detailing and Larry Kosilla of AMMONYC. We also had great presentations from Meguiar's own Darin Pereira (measurement and diagnostic tools for advanced paint correction) and Claude Sevigny, who has been with Meguiar's in Canada for many years and was the originator of the microfiber pad as used in the OEM segment prior to its adaptation and launch for the pro detailer/enthusiast market. Last, but most certainly NOT least, is Jason Killmer of JK Automotive Detailing. Jason has taken wet sanding to a level most of us can only dream of, and along the way has prepped several Ridler Award winners as well as Best in Class and Best in Show winners at Pebble Beach and other high end car events.
Of course, before you can hold three days worth of program you've got to get things set up, and that's a project in itself!
Once everything is set up (we also used a second garage) things looked nice and professional: organized, clean, fully equipped. Let's do this!
Under the tables - plumbing for multiple air lines, electric hook ups and plenty of chemicals to get things done.
More chemicals lined up on the rack and ready to shine some paint!
Classroom instruction time..... you need to understand the concepts before you can put things into practice.
The presentation was loaded with video clips that were discussed prior to the hands on in the garage.
Sanding was done by hand or by either electric or pneumatic DA sander.
Talk about one on one instruction.... nothing gets by the watchful eye of Kevin Brown!
Part of the aftermath of the first sanding session:
This is the package each attendee received from buffdaddy.com as part of their entry fee:
Of course we had to take a lunch break each day.... gotta keep yourself fueled up for all this hard work!
We couldn't get Claude in from Canada for the weekend, but a phone call worked great as he shared stories, answered questions, etc.
Darin talked about gloss meters, infrared detectors, magnifiers and other specialized tools that make it easier to spot defects and/or measure a variety of paint characteristics.
Jason Killmer showed off a variety of sanding techniques and sanding blocks of all sizes, shapes, hardnesses, etc.
This session was, quite simply, mind blowing!
Now it's time for everyone to put these techniques to use... and have a bit of fun in the process!
It's like Manny, Moe and Jack polishing paint together!
How's this for a little non invasive paint correction: this is on a rental BMW with a truly horrid respray on the rear of the vehicle. The paint had an incredible amount of texture and therefore almost zero clarity in the reflections (if you want to call it a reflection!). Two things to observe in the images below: A) the paint thickness readings showing the minimal amount of paint removed, in this case 0.05 mil which is virtually nothing, and B) the clarity of the reflection of the paint thickness gauge in the "after" shot on the right versus the "before" shot on the left. This level of correction was achieved with a 3000 grit finishing disc on a DA followed by M205 on a microfiber cutting pad. Yes, you read that right - M205 on a microfiber cutting pad.
A "before" reflection on the same hood.
An "after" reflection on the same hood, after using the steps described above.
This may not be Facebook, but this is indeed a selfie, shot in the "before" of that horribly resprayed hood. How's that for texture and lack of clarity?
Same hood, same process as above. How crazy is that?
This is a new one on us..... attaching a Rupes penlight to your safety glasses. Hey, if it works, go for it!
How many elite detailers does it take to transform a completely trashed BMW???
Meanwhile, in the other room......
More experimentation was taking place in the parking lot, in direct sunlight no less!
Back in the training room, more knowledge is heaped upon the hungry students.
Speaking of hungry, Sunday was Jason Killmer's birthday and we just had to celebrate!
Saturday night at the hotel patio we recorded a podcast with Larry Kosilla wherein we discussed a lot of what went on during the day, and even brought in several students to share their experiences.
On Sunday afternoon, Barry Meguiar rolled in with his beautifully restored Ford Woody wagon.
Barry talked to the class about the history of Meguiar's, his appreciation for the skill and dedication of everyone in attendance, and how it's the professionals in the industry that are really the core of what we do. Their skills and experiences are what help us to develop products that make their lives easier, and ultimately trickle down into the consumer products that are the high volume of our sales. It all ties together, and it's guys like these, and really the whole community of MOL and enthusiasts like you, the real Car Crazy car guys, that keep it all rolling.
After a fun Q&A period in the training room, Barry invited everyone up to his office to share some of his memorabilia and more stories.
Everything wound down with the handing out of certificates, exchanging of phone numbers, email addresses, and more shared discussions. Three grueling days that you didn't even realize were so grueling, until you sat down at your desk Monday morning and realized you'd hardly slept for three days and, well, you were REALLY tired. But still energized from it all. What a weekend!!
As a final comment, I have to thank Joe Fernandez for supplying the vast majority of these images (he supplied me with 645 shots of the event!!!!!). Joe, you rock my friend!!!!
Of course, before you can hold three days worth of program you've got to get things set up, and that's a project in itself!
Once everything is set up (we also used a second garage) things looked nice and professional: organized, clean, fully equipped. Let's do this!
Under the tables - plumbing for multiple air lines, electric hook ups and plenty of chemicals to get things done.
More chemicals lined up on the rack and ready to shine some paint!
Classroom instruction time..... you need to understand the concepts before you can put things into practice.
The presentation was loaded with video clips that were discussed prior to the hands on in the garage.
Sanding was done by hand or by either electric or pneumatic DA sander.
Talk about one on one instruction.... nothing gets by the watchful eye of Kevin Brown!
Part of the aftermath of the first sanding session:
This is the package each attendee received from buffdaddy.com as part of their entry fee:
Of course we had to take a lunch break each day.... gotta keep yourself fueled up for all this hard work!
We couldn't get Claude in from Canada for the weekend, but a phone call worked great as he shared stories, answered questions, etc.
Darin talked about gloss meters, infrared detectors, magnifiers and other specialized tools that make it easier to spot defects and/or measure a variety of paint characteristics.
Jason Killmer showed off a variety of sanding techniques and sanding blocks of all sizes, shapes, hardnesses, etc.
This session was, quite simply, mind blowing!
Now it's time for everyone to put these techniques to use... and have a bit of fun in the process!
It's like Manny, Moe and Jack polishing paint together!
How's this for a little non invasive paint correction: this is on a rental BMW with a truly horrid respray on the rear of the vehicle. The paint had an incredible amount of texture and therefore almost zero clarity in the reflections (if you want to call it a reflection!). Two things to observe in the images below: A) the paint thickness readings showing the minimal amount of paint removed, in this case 0.05 mil which is virtually nothing, and B) the clarity of the reflection of the paint thickness gauge in the "after" shot on the right versus the "before" shot on the left. This level of correction was achieved with a 3000 grit finishing disc on a DA followed by M205 on a microfiber cutting pad. Yes, you read that right - M205 on a microfiber cutting pad.
A "before" reflection on the same hood.
An "after" reflection on the same hood, after using the steps described above.
This may not be Facebook, but this is indeed a selfie, shot in the "before" of that horribly resprayed hood. How's that for texture and lack of clarity?
Same hood, same process as above. How crazy is that?
This is a new one on us..... attaching a Rupes penlight to your safety glasses. Hey, if it works, go for it!
How many elite detailers does it take to transform a completely trashed BMW???
Meanwhile, in the other room......
More experimentation was taking place in the parking lot, in direct sunlight no less!
Back in the training room, more knowledge is heaped upon the hungry students.
Speaking of hungry, Sunday was Jason Killmer's birthday and we just had to celebrate!
Saturday night at the hotel patio we recorded a podcast with Larry Kosilla wherein we discussed a lot of what went on during the day, and even brought in several students to share their experiences.
On Sunday afternoon, Barry Meguiar rolled in with his beautifully restored Ford Woody wagon.
Barry talked to the class about the history of Meguiar's, his appreciation for the skill and dedication of everyone in attendance, and how it's the professionals in the industry that are really the core of what we do. Their skills and experiences are what help us to develop products that make their lives easier, and ultimately trickle down into the consumer products that are the high volume of our sales. It all ties together, and it's guys like these, and really the whole community of MOL and enthusiasts like you, the real Car Crazy car guys, that keep it all rolling.
After a fun Q&A period in the training room, Barry invited everyone up to his office to share some of his memorabilia and more stories.
Everything wound down with the handing out of certificates, exchanging of phone numbers, email addresses, and more shared discussions. Three grueling days that you didn't even realize were so grueling, until you sat down at your desk Monday morning and realized you'd hardly slept for three days and, well, you were REALLY tired. But still energized from it all. What a weekend!!
As a final comment, I have to thank Joe Fernandez for supplying the vast majority of these images (he supplied me with 645 shots of the event!!!!!). Joe, you rock my friend!!!!
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