How many passes with Menzerna SIP?

Hey guys,

I usually polish a 18"x18" (2'x2') by going left/right followed by up/down and repeat and maybe even go further..

but with menzerna SIP and 106, Im finding that the product dries (or breaks down too early for me to barely complete the pattern one time.

Are you finding this to be typical? Also, when I get dusting, does that mean the product is broken down?

Thanks!

 

what is the weather or climate like where you are located?

Menzerna SIP & 106 are very oily products so with respects to that you should have a very long work time.

Dusting is either from over working the product or from dried product caking up on your pad.

Weather/Humidity will play a big roll with how the product works as well as machine, pad and technique.

Hope that helps you out.

 

Weather may be a factor. Also, what speeds are you buffing at? High heat from the speed may cake, and dry the polishes.

 

Thanks guys.. Im in california near Los Angeles.. I have been working around 9-11am which is currently around 63-68 F..

I actually dont mind it breaking down a little faster.. less work! (as long as its effective!) from my research, menzerna is suppose to be OEM Mercedes dealership grade stuff so they dont want as much working time.. does that sound right?

 

Diminishing Abrasives Technology

A non-linear abrasive that require friction - while the majority of polishes on the market use a form of diminishing (non- linear) abrasive, which you polish until it turns translucent; when a polish "flashes" from a liquid paste to a light semi-dry haze, much like a coating of Vaseline® the diminishing polish has then broken down and is ready for removal. Diminishing abrasives, as the name suggests; t he abrasives become smaller with friction, and therefore go from removing paint defects to polishing the paint, which produces the shine. If you don't break them down sufficiently, you are just grinding those abrasive particles into your paint, without polishing it, which can leave behind marring and other paint surface imperfections.

It is important to know when a polish has broken down because if you take it too far you will re-introduce surface marring. During the polishing process, trace amounts of paint and / or oxidation is removed; this can cause the debris and the polish to “clump” together. This can cause a haze to the paint surface, a wipe-down or a paint cleaning product will eliminate this.

 

The working temp is fine. What speed are you polishing at and what pads are you using? I do't want to make this confusing, but the pad choice on certain cars will affect working time as well. I don't use SIP as it dusts too much for my liking. 106 is quite oily as mentioned and should a good working time when used in conjunction with a grey/black finishing pad. I used 106 yesterday with a black pad in around 65C temps and could work it for at least 2 minutes. Polishing speed was 1100-1300 on my Flex and speed 5 on my Porter Cable. How much polish are you using? I used 2 pea sized drops on a 5.5" pad. Maybe get some Gloss it Pad Prime to help with the play time as well.

 

Do you use PF in it's place, Ken? I tried PF on a Uber green pad via PC last week, and did not have good luck with it. spread at 3-4, then cranked her up to 6. It just got thicker on me. And would not break down. But temp was also in the low to mid 50's. SIP didn't have the problem at those temps, although I completely agree that it dusts more.

 

Great question ... I have also experienced this issue with power finish.

I tried to follow the Zenith technique, but I couldn't get more that 12 passes before it was drying on me. Is it ok to spray some qd to extend the polish time like with 105?

 

I haven't had PF get thicker on me before. I keep my shop at 60 which means my working area is probably 55-58 somewhere. How much polish are you using? Sounds like the pad is becoming saturated. I just did a test on a car in my shop. I'll post it later. Basically two drops of PF on a Green Uber/PC and run at 4 for 2 minutes and 5 for two minutes then for an extra 30 seconds I really leaned on it. Still couldn't get it to dry out. My shop is under 60C this morning.

 

60 celcius? I'm at 50-53 fahrenheit. Maybe I just cranked it up to 6 too quickly or something. I prefer using the makita whenever I can, so my PC skills are lacking.

When I stated that the polish got thicker, maybe I misspoke. But it was a BEAR to remove from the paint. I put a line of 85rd on the pad, and repolished the area, just to make the residue easier to remove. When I have some free time, I will experiment with it some more. I gotta polish my car soon anyways.

 

SIP dusts up a snow storm. When I get dusting with either product, to me it means that the polish is almost broken down.

Spray the pad with a QD and then apply a few beads of polish and start working. If you feel it drying out, re-spray the pad with a QD and that will extend the working time a bit.

106FA breaks down real fast no matter what, so you won't get a lot of cut out of this polish unless you are using a rotary or the Flex DA or some other powerful machine. Porter Cable, for example, is generally too weak to get any real results without two or three passes on the same area.

 

My bad. It was early. I meant 60F. LOL That'd be a wee bit warm at 60C, and expensive!