Polishing under the sun ... can it be done?

Guys,

I live in a townhouse community that has strict laws regarding canopies. I was wondering what do you guys do if you don't have a garage and you need to polish a vehicle. Can it be done? I'm not planing on polishing outside during the summer, but what about this fall weather (nice 50's)?

Any suggestions,
Gianni

 

any trees next to your driveway?
do you have a garage?

 

You, my friend, should try Optimum compound and their polish. Optimum states you can use them in the sun.

 

It can be done, and it's not really that big of a deal. However, you will need polishes that will work with it, I know Menzerna can act up in the cold, I'm not sure how cold it has to be though.

I would send Scottwax on Autopia a PM about what polishes work outside under what conditions, he only polishes in the sun.

 

No driveway and no trees ... just an assigned parking spot.

 

ooof. i think it can be done. just work in 2x2 sections. wipe down after each section is done. it may take a bit longer, but you have to work with what you have.

 

Poorboy's World supposedly works in the sun too.

 

Roger ... why do you say it's going to take me longer? is it because of the small sections? I was under the impression that 2x2 polishing sections are the norm.

 

I tried, but he doesn't accept PM's at all. I start a thread there too and hopefully he answers.

 

I usually work in slightly bigger sections than that myself. thats why. not sure how you work or your speed. I didnt intend to offend you or your methods.

 

LOL ... I don't have any methods. I just got my rotary last Sunday. You didn't offend me at all. I rather take my time to do it right ... that's why I'm dying to get pointers from all the people at the DB meet this weekend.

BTW, do you think polishing in the sun might be an issue if the paint is too hot? Or do you think it might reduce the polishing time because the heat is breaking down the polish a little bit faster (thinking outside the box here)?

 

yeah, you dont want to polish if the paint is too hot. the rotary generates a certain amount of heat on its own. you could do a mist and wipe on each panel before polishing using chilled distilled water and a good MF towel.

Also too much heat can cause the pad to gum up faster and the polish too flash too quickly.

 

Unless the panel in question is extremely hot to the touch, I've never had any trouble polishing in direct sun. By working in the normal 2x2 or so area, the polishes I use (primarily Menzerna) seem to behave just fine.

Humidity is a different matter altogether.

 

Yea, just to be clear, "burning" paint doesn't come from an excessive amount of heat, it comes from removing too much clear coat. Polishes break down from friction, not heat. However, hotter paint will be slightly softer, and colder paint will be harder, so keep that in mind.

Basically, what I'm saying is don't really worry about the heat too much on a panel, but more so how it affects your polish. Like it's been said before by Roger, smaller sections in heat will be better, the reason being that if you work too large of a section, the polish is gonna start drying out and it won't finish down nearly as well, by keeping a smaller section, you keep the lubricants constantly moving and from drying out if that makes sense.

I worried about heat when I first started, but I'm not too sure anymore since Scottwax polishes in 110 degree direct sun on all kinds of cars and doesn't have any problems that I know of.

 

Use some mineral spirits in the sun. It will help keep the polish from drying out and will give abit longer working time. I used it when I was forced into the sun (customer thought his truck would fit in his garage... he was wrong)

 

Mineral spirits, or mineral oil?

 

Oil. LOL. I'm stupid today.

Spirits are not what you'd want to use.

I had read of someone else using mineral oil on here and I gave it a try. Worked pretty well.

 

I think it was Aesop who used mineral oil, mostly for the jweling process I believe.

 

I've polished in the sun up to about 70F with no issues using Menz.

 

Thanks for all the responses guys ...:mounty: