Practice makes perfect.

[paul.segovich]

This is possibly one of the most true statements any one of us have ever heard. Here in lies the problem. Practice. Obviously no one wants to take their car out and 'practice, experiment, etc' on their nice flawless paint finish. So are there any tips for this said 'practice'?
And for a newbie like myself, what part of the 5 car wash procedure is the most tedious or difficult to pick up on?

I know a few people who don't care too much about the finish of their cars. I was going to ask them if i could practice with their vehicles.
But if i can't do that, is there anything i can do?

I'm going to make a general assumption that otherwise I'm just going to have to work on my car until i get it right.

[tcope1]

Re: Practice makes perfect.

Pick up a body panel from a junk yard for practice.

[TH0001]

Re: Practice makes perfect.

"Perfect, Obsessive Practice + Passion and Hunger= Closer to Perfect,"
Todd Helme
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 @ 9:28 AM, Eastern Time
Orlando, Fl, on a cool 70 degree fall morning with a touch of moisture in the air and a lone bird chirping in the distance.

In all seriousness, you are 100% correct. You can read on the Internet and play countless scenarios in your head, but you have to physically practice and gain experience in order to gain working knowledge.

Grabbing a body panel from a junk yard is a GREAT idea, or even going to body shop and asking for a scrap.

Some techniques (like proper washing, applying dressings, cleaning rubber) are pretty non-invasive so you can practice those while making your car look better!

But polishing paint, sanding, refinishing glass, etc have a much higher risk. A couple of body panels will let you not only practice what to do, but let you experiment with what not to do, in order to learn the practical limits of your process and yourself.

[paul.segovich]

Re: Practice makes perfect.

The body panel idea is brilliant actually. And i'm just a bit embarrassed that it hadn't occured prior to this.
Really there's not a better idea than that. I can more or less do what i want to it
Thank you very much for the help!

"Reading, reading + some nice videos = in my mind perfection"
Paul Segovich
Tuesday, Octorber 20, 2009 @ 10.34PM, Kuwait time,
Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, on a cool 85 degree fall night, with a touch of dirt in the air, and a bunch of generators powering lights, everywhere.
D:

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Practice makes perfect.

Great advice, Todd! This part is so often overlooked when practicing or learning how to sand and rotary buff.....

A couple of body panels will let you not only practice what to do, but let you experiment with what not to do, in order to learn the practical limits of your process and yourself.

..... a junkyard body panel is the time to push yourself to the limit and intentionally try to damage things, get a feel for what it takes to damage things, and basically damage things for free. Play around, burn an edge or three, feel how the machine wants to move as you change pressure, pad angle, etc.

[paul.segovich]

Re: Practice makes perfect.

Great advice, Todd! This part is so often overlooked when practicing or learning how to sand and rotary buff.....

..... a junkyard body panel is the time to push yourself to the limit and intentionally try to damage things, get a feel for what it takes to damage things, and basically damage things for free. Play around, burn an edge or three, feel how the machine wants to move as you change pressure, pad angle, etc.

I'm pretty excited to get home and try this!
These months are going to crawl by with this anticipation.

I think i've found a new hobby.
And i've never even come close to detailing before.


I thought the swirl marks, the small scratches, the dull paint, were there forever.

I can't wait to restore that car's finish.
I'll be sure to post before and afters of that one.

Especially if i can get it looking decent with no prior experience. It will really attest and account for the help these forums and videos provide!

I feel fairly confident right now, that i could do a not so shabby job! haha!

[Murr1525]

Re: Practice makes perfect.

Keeping this related to your other threads, you will be working by hand at first.... Unless you trip and fall head first into the door and dent it.... you really cant do too much wrong.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Practice makes perfect.

When I first got into heavy paint correction I tried to find "the miracle combo" that someone else used on "the same car" every time. I eventually realized it was almost a complete waste of time. The best thing to do is treat every car as a unique case (most care in some way), and make use of TEST SPOTS and using the least aggressive method to safely get the job done.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Practice makes perfect.

The practice panel sure works. I have one to practice buffing on. It sure came in handy when I started.

[paul.segovich]

Re: Practice makes perfect.

Keeping this related to your other threads, you will be working by hand at first.... Unless you trip and fall head first into the door and dent it.... you really cant do too much wrong.

It's pretty unfortunate that what you just described could be a problem haha.

When I first got into heavy paint correction I tried to find "the miracle combo" that someone else used on "the same car" every time. I eventually realized it was almost a complete waste of time. The best thing to do is treat every car as a unique case (most care in some way), and make use of TEST SPOTS and using the least aggressive method to safely get the job done.

To be completely honest up until last night (for me) In my mind i wasn't 100% on what all the products did or claim to do, or the proper application.
Then just by reading around i found this link in some forum

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37320&highlight=step+car+care+system

And that link, right there, cleared almost any question, (non-specific) up for me.