M105/205 process

can you please elaborate on the DN method?

 

On the DA with medium clear I use M105/Orang M205/Black per the KBM. Works really well. But only on medium clears. Even with the GL450 I just posted, I felt it needed the extra clearity of the UF and rotary, so that's what I went with

 

85RD used to be the finishing polish I always used... a lot of time, experimentation and research went in to mastering my techniques and methods on the polish (as do any products I use), making the most of the diminshing abrasives that it uses... Small amounts and working at around 1500rpm with moderate pressure delivered the best results for me, finishing with long burnishing stages until there was basically no residue on the panel, and barely anything left in the pad - fully worked, and for me, right to the very best of its potential... I test on super soft paint to assess finishing polishes (Honda Nighthawk Black), and my techniques are honed on this particular paint

#205 requires a very different application method, and I have found that I am able to exceed my finishes with 85RD, and these are finished I was already very proud of where I felt I was definitely getting the very best out of what 85RD had to offer... to start with, I wasn't refining 205 as well as 85RD, but work and experimentation saw me achieving better results with the 205 than I do with 85RD. Not a one off, but based on a lot of testing both "in-lab" and in practice out in "the field"

Bare in mind of course that many detailers vary techniques and polish performance is generally very sensitive to this factor... but it is my experience, and that of an ever increasing number now once the product is learned, that 205 is the better finishing product of the two - best seen on the softest of paints

 

What are the techniques you are trying for #205? I'm interested to understand the differences here, as I never find #205 needs any following with the techniques I am using - my recent Show & Shine finishes have all been #205 as the finishing polish, and it is likely that my future details will be this too... I was always impressed with 85RD, I still am, and the clarity of finish it delivers is superb. But #205 has matched it on hard paints (not difficult, hard paints are not the place to assess finishing abilities), and exceeded it on soft paints.. The differences are, of course, marginal - the finish of a machine polish comes a lot from the user. But would be very interested to hear what your experiences are in detail, paints and techniques to see where the differences are as we are experiencing very different results it would seem

 

Dave, I hope you did not take anything negative from what I was saying. I was commenting on someone saying that since you got better results with 205 I might not be using it correctly. I just wanted to explain to that user that I have used both alot and I even have a Megs rep coming out so we can both play around with 205 and other finishing polishes. I wish I would have taken a 50/50 shot of the hoods of the Black GT and Red Cobra in my show and shines so I could have tried to poick up the differences to show everyone. I am not downing you or 205, I think you and the polish are great, but like you said different styles and methods are going to produce different results. I even had several different people that do not have a clue about detailing look at the cars after 205 and then ultrafina and also agreed that there was a difference. I didn't even tell them that I di a step after 205. I just asked hours later after just doing the hood after completing the car with 205 if they saw a difference anywhere on the car and all said the hood had a little better gloss. You could easily stop after 205, but UF, 85rd, and S40 have that something extra. When speaking with the Megs rep I even asked if they could put that little extra from the UF into 205 and it would save me the last step.

 

Not at all, I'm just trying to get to the bottom of the reasons you are finding your results less favourable from #205... I have a huge selection of finshing polishes, machine polishing is my "pet" so I spend a lot of time learning and perfecting... and out of 85RD, Ultrafina SE, #205, Gloss-It, New SSR1, #205 is my choice for finishing... If anything, I notice the other way around to you - the #205 gives a little something over the already very good finish of say 85RD or Ultrafina. Very subtle for sure, as the finishes from 85RD are crystal sharp and excellent and only on the softest of paints will you see a difference by naked eye (gloss meter would be interesting ). I imagine our rotary styles are very different, but #205 certainly works optimally for me, and I would also personally say I was was working 85RD to its optimum as well - having compared my results to other highy respected detailers in the UK. Just offering my own experiences into the equation as well, as I am a little confused as to how your are getting not so good results from #205 - hopefully the Megs rep will be productive, as its really only one of these things you can see in person

 

Thanks for understanding to what I was getting at. I wish 205 would give me that extra something and then there would be one last step. I agree also a gloss meter would be very interesting. I am with you on the polishing part, it is like an addiction to perfect that stage to the ultimate gloss, clarity and depth. We will see what the megs rep has to offer and me for him. Just have to wait for him to get done with his traveling.