I had so many difficulties doing cross-hatching on my 06 GTO because it has so many curves and it was also my first time buffing my car. I actually started doing this technique because I got sick of losing control of the polisher and it worked way better.
That was a great analogy- to essentially mimic the way the designer first manually shaped the car (likely in a clay model.) That makes it very easy to visualize the directional approach of the machine when encountering curves and non-flat surfaces.
Very cool video but i agree that next year it'll be a different pattern. I'm a firm believer that you do what works for you. Years ago(not dating myself) I was always taught to buff/sand/polish using the contours of the body panel. It was a no-no to do a crosshatch pattern unless you were working on a flat panel. I'm just surprised that this method is finally catching on.
The crosshatching and wind direction approach was usually to hide possible fine marks and swirls left behind. With all new materials and very, very fine grit sand papers, polishing pads and stronger/refined compounds, I do believe some techniques will change a lot.....not only today but in the near future as well.
Makes perfect sense, I was an auto body technician for about 15 yrs. and the "new" way of buffing is how I would sand the body filler when straightening a panel that was not flat, I would sand the filler in the direction of the contour. Thanks for the great tip.
Thanks for the video man. It surprises how some people on here get all jumpy about the video saying that it's something everyone should know, and that you are just making a big deal out of nothing. Sorry to say this but this video seems to be aimed more to those who don't know of the method yet, so take a seat.
As someone who has had the paint burned by a so called professional..they need as much help as they can get. BTW, my dad restored bad paint and polish jobs for years that so called pro's butchered , and he never got paid a mint...but he never shorted any customer..Honesty, hard work, and he always kept his word no matter how long it took. Dad You are the best. Thank God for Dads!
Great Video. But any one who has block sanded or even hand sanded a body panel with any kind of edge or contour knows this. It's the norm. it's the same with any machine. But it's great they are teaching this.
I like how people look at OCD as a bad thing. I consider it a gift. imagine what the world would look like if everyone approached life the way these guys do
This and taping off the car were the exact things that I figured I'd have to learn from experience because there's not much info on where to tape and how to properly approach different body panels
Hello Larry, my biggest dream would be you making a video on how to profesionally apply a coating. Like cquarts coatings, opti coat ect. There's many of these coatings out there and they look pretty cool, but theres not a single professional video on youtube that explains properly how to use/apply such a coating.
Kevin's way is the way I was taught back in the 80's and 90's. You go with the lines of the car at an angle. Same with wet sanding. You want to minimize how much you touch the high spots. More chances of taking too much material away if you do the cross hatch.
Wow, this is interesting because I've had no training or anything for doing this, and I've sort of intuitively done it like this from the beginning. But still, I can see some improvements I can make, nice!
I presume this doesn't apply for polishing by hand? (If you're a poor student who cant afford a rotary!) Because you can alter the footprint of your hand to suit the contours/ridges?
so what your suggesting is that larry right up to this point has been doing it wrong inc all the exotic and rare cars ? but has had great results , with modern dual actions this is not a problem i think you reach a limit and begin to split hairs , i understand that particularly with a brand like megaires that have to keep finding new things and Technics or they wouldn't be doing there job .
Huh, I been buffing with rotary that way for over 20 yrs .always looking at contour .The whole BS of only buffing with buffer completely flat on the surface was in my mind the wrong approach .I never went with .I started in detailing on many cars with single stage paint .High-speed rotary buffer with no burn throughs. finished with no swirl marks
Thanks Larry - again, great work. Still, somewhat on topic - does anyone have some "ride along" posts for detailing motorcycles? Larry has given me some great ideas on driving out water from metal creases. But I would like to see how the professional do the whole process.
A Tesla's hood and top of the trunk are flat as a salt field. They were very easy to fix up the traditional way. Although watching this video yesterday would have made my life a lot easier.
WOW this is fantastic because I have been baffled on curved body panels. I have not bought any equipment yet. I am still gathering information. Want to do my own cars. And then maybe just do a car or two and see how things progress. Everything I have seen so far does state "keep the pad flat". How when the surface is smaller than the pad? Thank you.
Funny i use to tilt like that and I got ripped into by another detailer, Now I can show this video, thanks for this Larry, oh i sent an email thanking you but got no reply I still have my stickers, I have put them away for the futhre
As someone who has had the paint burned by a so called professional..they need as much help as they can get. BTW, my dad restored bad paint and polish jobs for years that so called pro's butcheted, and he never got paid a mint...but he never shorted any customer..Honesty, hard work, always kept his word bo matter how long it took. Dad You are the best. Thank God for Dads
Doing diagonal passes is an obvious given in my opinion. Plus, is it me or does it seem that this guy just loves to interrupt his guests? Never lets them finish their statements and always has to have the last word. People like that perturb me, regardless of who they are. If you're reading this Larry, it's not meant to be hating, as I do enjoy your channel, but just a little objective constructive criticism on your hosting etiquette. Peace. :
Thanks for watching! I suppose that it could come across that Larry is interrupting, but in fact, he is continually helping me through instances where I'm stalling (due to a lapse in my thought process, or while I'm looking for the best terminology, etc.) I am VERY new to being on camera; Larry's been reminded (by me!) that I will undoubtedly struggle at times. He's got the ability to keep the video moving at a rapid clip, with a minimal amount of "takes".
Larry, thanks for making us better. i thought the idea of the Rupes ( all DA's ) eliminated danger of burn, in that machine will slow or stop rotation at sharp edges.
+tutchngoes If you watch again, you'll see Kevin is not worried about burn. He's worried about getting a better finish without scouring or digging into the paint on the edges. Plus he is showing what to do for those of us who don't have a full range of machine sizes to fit all the contours of panels. Hope this helped. Thanks for watching!
Hello, on the bentley and also on the black panel, how would you work on the edges`? leave em alone so you dont burn em or ? :) keep up the very nice work.
I knew this lady that went to a Wilderness reserve twice; about 15 year apart. First time they told her when approached by a bear, run... And fifteen years later they said slowing walk away... She ask why she got two different answers... They said, " To many people were getting hurt or injured." Lol... Regardless, thank you Larry.
Hey Larry, off topic but I have to ask; how do I remove dried wax or sealant on plastic molding that I didint notice right away? Now it's been there for a little while and I can't get it off with anything I try. Please help!
Why not just use a 3 inch machine on the awkward parts. Most detailers surely have an arsenal of tools in the Uk 1 & 2 inch pads are used also. Before the negatives i love both detailers and even did the kevin brown mod on the rupes.
I always heard cross hatch, but when it came time to actually put pad to paint, it just didn't make sense. I always have gone with the flow of the vehicle's lines and never directly perpendicular to ridges.
Hey Larry, could this technique then be leveraged when working on an area that one may not have a small enough pad for? For example, working on a narrow A pillar with a 3" pad?
+Balo657 I have microfiber towels available on my website. www.ammonyc.com/shop-ammo/ These are the towels I use. They work great for interior and exterior work!
So. In other words, working with the curves of the car instead of against it. Coming in and out of polishing like a dance and not a mechanical robotic thing.
well put. Working with the curves instead of attacking the curves. The instinct will tell you and if he failed for so many years it means that its not as good as someone might think.
I've been doing this for years!, but then again I use a flex 301!...and again this is just another reason forced rotation is best becouse the rupes will either slow down or completely stop rotation using this style!...I just don't get the hype that rupes has created!
Larry: I wash aircraft on the side for my friends but there is one big problem. My shoes and feet get soaked. By the end of the day my feet are extremely sore. Do you have any advice?
actually I think the reason this works is there is simply more variation in the polishing. the angle of polishing he demonstrated is necessary regardless of sweep direction.
It's about pressure distribution on the pat (so you dont work through the paint on the highest point of the section) whether the pat is just rotating or oscilating doesn't make a difference.
true (I actually meant DA which of course is oscilation plus rotation, so my terminology was a bit off there, sorry) , but when it comes to the "curvature continuous" pattern opposed to the "old" n/s-e/w method it's simply about preventing accidentally damaging the paint and applying pressure as evenly as possible. The modus operandi of your chosen tool doesn't have much to do with that. Of course using the right tools and products and in the right combination is essential regardless. So basicly I was just disagreeing with the statement that this method, or rather it's advantages, would only apply to rotaries. But I guess as long as you stay focussed despite the monotony of the task you're fine either way.
That was quite funny, especially since I'm one of the probably very few in this comment section with a degree in mechanical engineering^^. But since english is not my native languge there's of course the possibility that my choice of words was simply bad. In case of my first post it obviously was. But Please tell me, when did I say anything about not moving the tool? Or where in my second comment I layed the foundation for an esotheric debate about what kind of movement buffers need in order to work. I repeat. Again. I merely disagreed with Cyrus about the technique shown in this video only being relevant if you're using a rotary tool. In my opinion it's the better technique regardless of whether you're using a rotary, a DA or a sanding block. I used this technique when I had to wet sand my 3series coupe a couple years ago. I used a DA and 3M products and it went pretty smoothly. (...my significant other thought it efficient to remove the bugs with a kitchen sponge ... the abrasive kind. Or maybe she just wanted to give me a heart attack for the insurance money, who knows) I hope this finally makes my point clear. But you don't need to bother answering either way, cause I know I won't. Have a nice day gentlemen.
I take this comment to suggest that it doesn't matter if the DA is rotating or oscillating, you get the same effects. "It's about pressure distribution on the pat whether the pat is just rotating or oscilating doesn't make a difference."
I had so many difficulties doing cross-hatching on my 06 GTO because it has so many curves and it was also my first time buffing my car. I actually started doing this technique because I got sick of losing control of the polisher and it worked way better.
It's nice to see someone humble enough to question his own practice and being eager to learn new things from other people. Cheers.
That was a great analogy- to essentially mimic the way the designer first manually shaped the car (likely in a clay model.) That makes it very easy to visualize the directional approach of the machine when encountering curves and non-flat surfaces.
Very cool video but i agree that next year it'll be a different pattern. I'm a firm believer that you do what works for you. Years ago(not dating myself) I was always taught to buff/sand/polish using the contours of the body panel. It was a no-no to do a crosshatch pattern unless you were working on a flat panel. I'm just surprised that this method is finally catching on.
The crosshatching and wind direction approach was usually to hide possible fine marks and swirls left behind. With all new materials and very, very fine grit sand papers, polishing pads and stronger/refined compounds, I do believe some techniques will change a lot.....not only today but in the near future as well.
Makes perfect sense, I was an auto body technician for about 15 yrs. and the "new" way of buffing is how I would sand the body filler when straightening a panel that was not flat, I would sand the filler in the direction of the contour. Thanks for the great tip.
Thanks for the video man. It surprises how some people on here get all jumpy about the video saying that it's something everyone should know, and that you are just making a big deal out of nothing. Sorry to say this but this video seems to be aimed more to those who don't know of the method yet, so take a seat.
I've had no formal training and I polish and buff paint but not on cars. I love these videos and have taken a lot of inspiration from this series.
I've anyways detailed as a hobby and have never had training, these videos are always are great help. Thanks Larry
Even to this day
8:35 most informative part in this video!
Agree!
As someone who has had the paint burned by a so called professional..they need as much help as they can get. BTW, my dad restored bad paint and polish jobs for years that so called pro's butchered , and he never got paid a mint...but he never shorted any customer..Honesty, hard work, and he always kept his word no matter how long it took. Dad You are the best. Thank God for Dads!
Great Video. But any one who has block sanded or even hand sanded a body panel with any kind of edge or contour knows this. It's the norm. it's the same with any machine. But it's great they are teaching this.
I remember this from the old wool pads. If you went over a curve with those it would create a bald spot. Great info Larry.
I like how people look at OCD as a bad thing. I consider it a gift. imagine what the world would look like if everyone approached life the way these guys do
This and taping off the car were the exact things that I figured I'd have to learn from experience because there's not much info on where to tape and how to properly approach different body panels
Finally a video showing how to do the hard panels!
Thanks again Larry and Kevin!
Hello Larry, my biggest dream would be you making a video on how to profesionally apply a coating. Like cquarts coatings, opti coat ect. There's many of these coatings out there and they look pretty cool, but theres not a single professional video on youtube that explains properly how to use/apply such a coating.
Hey Larry what's the best way to clean and polish my cat?
Yes Cat , not car.
+JDMR34 powerwasher?
+JDMR34
Don't get a cat.
+JDMR34 Brazilian wax has always worked best on my "cats".
+JDMR34 Throw it in the river, they'll magically reappear at home all clean and sparkly.
Kevin's way is the way I was taught back in the 80's and 90's. You go with the lines of the car at an angle. Same with wet sanding. You want to minimize how much you touch the high spots. More chances of taking too much material away if you do the cross hatch.
Oh that R-Type is just the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
Wow, this is interesting because I've had no training or anything for doing this, and I've sort of intuitively done it like this from the beginning. But still, I can see some improvements I can make, nice!
This makes sense. This is actually exactly how you would block a panel when doing body work.
I presume this doesn't apply for polishing by hand? (If you're a poor student who cant afford a rotary!) Because you can alter the footprint of your hand to suit the contours/ridges?
Kevin Brown is awesome! Thanks for another super helpful video Larry.
You learn something new every day will help me in my job so much,thank you
so what your suggesting is that larry right up to this point has been doing it wrong inc all the exotic and rare cars ? but has had great results , with modern dual actions this is not a problem i think you reach a limit and begin to split hairs , i understand that particularly with a brand like megaires that have to keep finding new things and Technics or they wouldn't be doing there job .
Huh, I been buffing with rotary that way for over 20 yrs .always looking at contour .The whole BS of only buffing with buffer completely flat on the surface was in my mind the wrong approach .I never went with .I started in detailing on many cars with single stage paint .High-speed rotary buffer with no burn throughs. finished with no swirl marks
Love the bloopers snaps me back after being so focused on the video.
Thanks Larry - again, great work.
Still, somewhat on topic - does anyone have some "ride along" posts for detailing motorcycles? Larry has given me some great ideas on driving out water from metal creases. But I would like to see how the professional do the whole process.
Excellent video and technique Larry and Kevin, thanks a lot for sharing it
A Tesla's hood and top of the trunk are flat as a salt field. They were very easy to fix up the traditional way. Although watching this video yesterday would have made my life a lot easier.
never thought about it that way but it makes sense, altough I expect a lot of product splatterd all over the car this way
I'm amazed!! 10 years ago I learned sand and polish with the wind. I would so detail!!!! but only paint 3 year old coke yikes
WOW this is fantastic because I have been baffled on curved body panels. I have not bought any equipment yet. I am still gathering information. Want to do my own cars. And then maybe just do a car or two and see how things progress.
Everything I have seen so far does state "keep the pad flat". How when the surface is smaller than the pad?
Thank you.
Wow thats a game changer, thank you very much for sharing
Same reason you drive over speed humps on an angle if your car is lowered. It makes the angle of the rise less abrupt so front doesn't dig in.
Next year it will be in another angle...
But it hasn’t
Kevin Brown is a prodigy
Funny i use to tilt like that and I got ripped into by another detailer, Now I can show this video, thanks for this Larry, oh i sent an email thanking you but got no reply I still have my stickers, I have put them away for the futhre
Larry! Can you do a comparison test of a clay bar and clay block/sponge and other derivatives. THANKS
As someone who has had the paint burned by a so called professional..they need as much help as they can get. BTW, my dad restored bad paint and polish jobs for years that so called pro's butcheted, and he never got paid a mint...but he never shorted any customer..Honesty, hard work, always kept his word bo matter how long it took. Dad You are the best. Thank God for Dads
Great Lesson! Really happy you're exploring the physics! Keep it up!
Larry. Another Great intuitive video!
Doing diagonal passes is an obvious given in my opinion. Plus, is it me or does it seem that this guy just loves to interrupt his guests? Never lets them finish their statements and always has to have the last word. People like that perturb me, regardless of who they are. If you're reading this Larry, it's not meant to be hating, as I do enjoy your channel, but just a little objective constructive criticism on your hosting etiquette. Peace. :
Thanks for watching! I suppose that it could come across that Larry is interrupting, but in fact, he is continually helping me through instances where I'm stalling (due to a lapse in my thought process, or while I'm looking for the best terminology, etc.)
I am VERY new to being on camera; Larry's been reminded (by me!) that I will undoubtedly struggle at times. He's got the ability to keep the video moving at a rapid clip, with a minimal amount of "takes".
Thanks for the video, very informative, keep em coming!
Mr. Stoops is a riot
Larry, thanks for making us better. i thought the idea of the Rupes ( all DA's ) eliminated danger of burn, in that machine will slow or stop rotation at sharp edges.
+tutchngoes If you watch again, you'll see Kevin is not worried about burn. He's worried about getting a better finish without scouring or digging into the paint on the edges. Plus he is showing what to do for those of us who don't have a full range of machine sizes to fit all the contours of panels. Hope this helped. Thanks for watching!
Jason Rose blowing the place up! haha. That guy is great.
Hello, on the bentley and also on the black panel, how would you work on the edges`? leave em alone so you dont burn em or ? :) keep up the very nice work.
Great technique, thanks for sharing. Kevin sure is a knowledgeable guy.
Great video as always. I'll have a go at the first technique you mentioned, its possibly a more natural movement too?
I am not a big fan of tilting my DA polishers because I feel like tilting it creates more stress on your buffer
Tilting is neccesary for the da that like to stall in body curves and stuff.. Rupes is famous for that
Diggin this video! Great techniques.
Hey larry Which way does your toilet flush ?
Very very informative video. Thaks for your professional guidance.
who is this guy with orange shirt
God of detailing
Enzo A His name is Kevin Brown from Buff Daddy
Great video man! I'm a big fan of yours
I knew this lady that went to a Wilderness reserve twice; about 15 year apart. First time they told her when approached by a bear, run... And fifteen years later they said slowing walk away... She ask why she got two different answers... They said, " To many people were getting hurt or injured." Lol...
Regardless, thank you Larry.
Is it like using a grinder on metal to derust? or brush your teeth with automatic toothbrush
Super informative, Larry. And oh my there are some beautiful cars there.
so it kinda like bodywork (sanding) i'm guessing? i may be wrong, but that was just what i was thinking while watching it.
Lue Her correct
Hey Larry, off topic but I have to ask; how do I remove dried wax or sealant on plastic molding that I didint notice right away? Now it's been there for a little while and I can't get it off with anything I try. Please help!
+Dodobyer Hey check out this video: ruclips.net/video/hikW5GwRGW8/видео.html I had a similar issue on that car. Good luck and thanks for watching!
Love your youtube channel!!!!
another great video
oh ok I get it, u explained it well! thanks
Nice very good information. Thank you very much.
pfuuu.. i was polishing in fact the correct way without even knowing :). Nice to know that
so now you know how to polish cars correctly, does this mean you have been doing it incorrectly and hence damaging, the paint work?
you say not to do circular motion on the first wax
and on the second wax you use cercular motion? 0.o
Why not just get a smaller head polisher for the narrow parts of the fenders etc?
Are you going to upload any more videos of the sema show 2015?
Why not just use a 3 inch machine on the awkward parts. Most detailers surely have an arsenal of tools in the Uk 1 & 2 inch pads are used also.
Before the negatives i love both detailers and even did the kevin brown mod on the rupes.
Great job mate!
what video did you get the ticket in? ( saw it in the intro)
Sorry, but this just seems like common sense to me.
I always heard cross hatch, but when it came time to actually put pad to paint, it just didn't make sense. I always have gone with the flow of the vehicle's lines and never directly perpendicular to ridges.
I would love to have seen how you'd have done the concave curve of the Bentley's bonnet/hood.
So from this i can conclude that all these years that I've been "doing it wrong" I actually was doing it correctly.
How would you approach the valley?
Were can we sign up for the classes??
Hey Larry, could this technique then be leveraged when working on an area that one may not have a small enough pad for? For example, working on a narrow A pillar with a 3" pad?
this was a great tip i can carry on when detailing in the future :)
Which car is that tan-white ish one on the right at 0:13?
Hey Larry, where do you usually buy your microfiber towels?
+Balo657 I have microfiber towels available on my website. www.ammonyc.com/shop-ammo/ These are the towels I use. They work great for interior and exterior work!
are you serious or do you live in a cave
I buff in a triangular motion using elbows pads and Jack bean
So. In other words, working with the curves of the car instead of against it. Coming in and out of polishing like a dance and not a mechanical robotic thing.
Christine Wills guess I was ahead of my time that’s how I have always done it.
Tammy Forbes maybe. Some people are born to correct paint. Others not so much... lol
well put. Working with the curves instead of attacking the curves. The instinct will tell you and if he failed for so many years it means that its not as good as someone might think.
mind blowing video Larry!
I've been doing this for years!, but then again I use a flex 301!...and again this is just another reason forced rotation is best becouse the rupes will either slow down or completely stop rotation using this style!...I just don't get the hype that rupes has created!
Larry: I wash aircraft on the side for my friends but there is one big problem. My shoes and feet get soaked. By the end of the day my feet are extremely sore. Do you have any advice?
+Michael Montefusco Gumboots and water proof pants ....... 0_0
I need that ammo decal
+G EAZY check out the website. Decals are all there and available for purchase. Thanks for watching! www.ammonyc.com/shop-ammo/
Alright thanks. Love your vids
Black and white Masonic flooring?
i love the bloopers... #lol :D
actually I think the reason this works is there is simply more variation in the polishing. the angle of polishing he demonstrated is necessary regardless of sweep direction.
8C SPYDER..... FORD GT..... sorry Larry cant pay attention
+justaRandomhero with only something like 500 made and only 35 in the US, yes.
+justaRandomhero You're just crazy.
+justaRandomhero Better than a Geo Metro
***** Supercharged 5.4L V8 by Ford SVT? 550HP 510lb-ft torque? worst engine ever?
Willie Finucane I was mesmerized by the Dodge Journey in the background.
so do u still cross hatch but on an angle or is that not needed any more?
Lmao
it is just me or does Larry look a bit like a slightly more mature version of Linus from Linustechtips?
so, this about using a rotary buffer, not a dual action right angle machine ~
Thanks for the tip!
I guess the cars they do have no clearcoat cuz he said doing it wrong might thin the paint.
His techniques are more important if you are using a rotary, not a DA.
It's about pressure distribution on the pat (so you dont work through the paint on the highest point of the section) whether the pat is just rotating or oscilating doesn't make a difference.
true (I actually meant DA which of course is oscilation plus rotation, so my terminology was a bit off there, sorry)
, but when it comes to the "curvature continuous" pattern opposed to the "old" n/s-e/w method it's simply about preventing accidentally damaging the paint and applying pressure as evenly as possible. The modus operandi of your chosen tool doesn't have much to do with that.
Of course using the right tools and products and in the right combination is essential regardless.
So basicly I was just disagreeing with the statement that this method, or rather it's advantages, would only apply to rotaries.
But I guess as long as you stay focussed despite the monotony of the task you're fine either way.
BS, without movement pressure is irrelevant. Evidently you don't do much paint correction.
That was quite funny, especially since I'm one of the probably very few in this comment section with a degree in mechanical engineering^^.
But since english is not my native languge there's of course the possibility that my choice of words was simply bad. In case of my first post it obviously was.
But Please tell me, when did I say anything about not moving the tool?
Or where in my second comment I layed the foundation for an esotheric debate about what kind of movement buffers need in order to work.
I repeat. Again. I merely disagreed with Cyrus about the technique shown in this video only being relevant if you're using a rotary tool. In my opinion it's the better technique regardless of whether you're using a rotary, a DA or a sanding block.
I used this technique when I had to wet sand my 3series coupe a couple years ago. I used a DA and 3M products and it went pretty smoothly. (...my significant other thought it efficient to remove the bugs with a kitchen sponge ... the abrasive kind. Or maybe she just wanted to give me a heart attack for the insurance money, who knows)
I hope this finally makes my point clear.
But you don't need to bother answering either way, cause I know I won't.
Have a nice day gentlemen.
I take this comment to suggest that it doesn't matter if the DA is rotating or oscillating, you get the same effects.
"It's about pressure distribution on the pat whether the pat is just rotating or oscilating doesn't make a difference."
great video, thanks!