M105 on da Drying up 1st time use?

[dedonderosa]

i used m105 for the first time with my g110v2 with a new SOFT BUFF 2.0 polishing pad, and it seemed like it got really dry real quick? am i doing something wrong? anyone else get this, its like after 2 passes it just seems it was drying real fast. let me know what you guys think thanks

[Michael Stoops]

Re: M105 on da Drying up 1st time use?

How old is the car you're working on and what condition is the paint in?

Something that is often forgotten when using M105 on a D/A is that it was originally designed for use on fresh paint with a rotary buffer. Fresh paint still has a lot of solvent in it and is therefore a lot "wetter" than older paint is. If the paint you're working on is very dried out it will literally draw the moisture out of M105 and cause M105 to gum up on the surface.

Yes, we did alter the formulation of M105 to make it a bit more user friendly on a D/A but we couldn't go so far with that alteration that it caused the initial design parameters to suffer - ie, we had to have the product still function as desired on a rotary buffer with a wool pad.

Even so, it can be used to great effect on a D/A but there are a couple of techniques that you need to adapt to. First and foremost is to use the product sparingly. People have a natural tendency to over use product, and that can get you into trouble with M105. Once the pad is primed (ie, the face of the pad is fully covered with a very thin layer of product) you really don't need to add more than 4 or 5 pea sized drops of product for each section.

There are times when the condition of the paint is such that M105 is just not a good product choice at all. If all you're trying to get rid of are swirls, etchings and other typical defects that accumulate over time, especially on an older vehicle, then Ultimate Compound is likely a better choice - it is derived from M105 but is much more user friendly on a D/A.

But before you put the M105 aside, try using much less product as noted above, and even give the surface you're working on a light spritz of water to help keep the product wet. Don't overdo that though!

[dedonderosa]

Re: M105 on da Drying up 1st time use?

what about doing a light spritz of water or quick detailer on the actuall pad is that ok ? and your saying the ultimate compoud is more da friendly and will not dry up correct?

[Joe in PA]

Re: M105 on da Drying up 1st time use?

For use with a DA and anything but fairly new paint, the ultimate compound is much more user friendly. Forget trying all the tips folks will offer to make the M105 work better, just go with UC and don't look back.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: M105 on da Drying up 1st time use?

what about doing a light spritz of water or quick detailer on the actuall pad is that ok ? and your saying the ultimate compoud is more da friendly and will not dry up correct?

Don't think of this as priming a pad with a spritz of something like you do with a rotary before putting pad to paint for the first time - this is just a little trick to help keep M105 wet if it's drying out on you really badly. Because of that, you want a light mist shot onto the paint, then just a couple drops of M105 on a primed pad, and go at it.

But UC won't exhibit anywhere near the amount of dust that M105 sometimes can, and it won't dry up (or worse, gum up) like M105 can in more extreme cases.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: M105 on da Drying up 1st time use?

How large of an area are you working on?

[photoadjuster]

Re: M105 on da Drying up 1st time use?

I really like the cut & finish produced by the M105, but the drying is a real problem. It is taking 4 times as long to remove it as I am used to with the 3M stuff I have used for years,

I am using the Flex 3401 with an orange CCS.

I mixed up a little M105 and some Optimum spray compound. The mix seems to finish down well and really extends the work time. I have a stock of the Optimum and don't have much use for it as far as cutting goes, but it does finish nicely.

Please advise me of any problems with this approach. I have shot myself in the foot so many times, there is no room for another hole.

Regards,
Mike Stephenson

[Michael Stoops]

Re: M105 on da Drying up 1st time use?

I mixed up a little M105 and some Optimum spray compound. The mix seems to finish down well and really extends the work time. I have a stock of the Optimum and don't have much use for it as far as cutting goes, but it does finish nicely.

Please advise me of any problems with this approach. I have shot myself in the foot so many times, there is no room for another hole.

You know, if that works for you, Mike, then so be it. There's no real "problem" here, other than maybe the expection of the performance from M105. Remember that our "cut scale" on the Mirror Glaze pro line used to go to "10", and that was reserved for M85, with M84 close behind. Nobody was using those products on a D/A for swirl removal. Along comes M105 and, not to out do Spinal Tap or anything, we bumped the scale up to "12"! But because it can finish out remarkably well for such a strong compound, lots of folks started using it on a D/A for even routine correction. We have no idea how these people ever got anything accomplished before M105 became their default correction liquid, yet somehow they managed. Of course, in our Saturday Classes we used to get 'er done with M80 and M83 on a D/A, and they only register "4" and "6", respectively.

Even so, we are very proud of the fact that so many people choose M105 for serious correction, and that it does finish out as beautifully as it can (depending on a whole host of variables, of course). As stated previously, we were only willing to tweak the formula so much to increase it's user friendliness on the D/A for fear of compromising it's rotary capabilities. So nobody should be too terribly shocked when M105 encounters a situation (ie, a paint system) it doesn't play well with on a D/A. But more often than not, things work out pretty dang well!

So, if you find that adding a little something in certain situations helps you out with M105, and you're happy with the performance, we really can't stop you, and we really can't say you're doing it wrong. If it works, it works. After all, the whole KBM thing came into being because of one man's experimentation. Granted, he's an experimenting maniac and a bit of detailing egghead (and no, that is NOT a reference to his hairline!!).

[Shawn T.]

Re: M105 on da Drying up 1st time use?

If my memory on the pictures from older Saturday classes, you guys got'er done with M80 and 6.5" polishing pads on a much less powerful machine.

I think Ultimate Compound is really the ultimate D/A and hand compound on the market, period. It is so user frirendly and has incredible working time with a D/A. When I was working on my dad's Pilot this summer, I worked a quarter of the hood in direct 90 degree sun and still accomplished 4 section passes without UC drying on the surface. I chase that with either M205 or Swirlx and the finish is gorgeous.

I've been toying with using other companies polishes and compounds but results speak for themselves and I think Ultimate Compound is truly remarkable.

Anyway, the point of this post ("When will he stop talking............") is to say that Ultimate Compound is so much more user friendly than M105 on a D/A.

[Jeff U]

Re: M105 on da Drying up 1st time use?

i used m105 for the first time with my g110v2 with a new SOFT BUFF 2.0 polishing pad, and it seemed like it got really dry real quick? am i doing something wrong? anyone else get this, its like after 2 passes it just seems it was drying real fast. let me know what you guys think thanks

I really like the cut & finish produced by the M105, but the drying is a real problem. It is taking 4 times as long to remove it as I am used to with the 3M stuff I have used for years,...

My experience with M105, ignore the "drying out/flashing" stage.

Simply keep polishing.

M105 acts very differently from M205. M205 stays lubricated and does not dust. M105 appears to dry quickly and dusts quite a bit.

The M105 will look like it is gumming up but then it will begin to dust and almost appear to break down like a diminishing polish. But if you keep going there will be very little visible M105 left on the paint and wipe off is very easy.

[SATracker]

Re: M105 on da Drying up 1st time use?

I just used 105 on a 10 year old GMC truck and drying out was not an issue; I'm writing about this on the AutoGeek forum. The weather in San Antonio is in the 60's, the surface was the truck was on the colder side of cool and 105 did not dry out. In fact, I was making multiple passes; it was almost "gummy" in nature. In the summer heat drying was an issue, not now.