CUTTING
- Machine
- Rupes BigFoot LHR21 — Dual Action
- Pad
- Microfiber
- Compound
- Gyeon Compound+
BUILD/ 001
PAINT · AUTOMOTIVE
BMW X1
TWO-STAGE PAINT CORRECTION
A dealer vehicle. Good overall paint condition, but with visible scratches, scuffs and dull areas requiring correction.
01/ STARTING POINT
GOOD PAINT.
NOT PERFECT PAINT
The paint was in generally good condition, but numerous scratches and scuffs were visible across the vehicle. The bumpers also showed dull areas.
The objective wasn't to manufacture a dramatic before-and-after. It was to improve the actual surface in front of me.
02/ SETUP
TWO MACHINES.
TWO DIFFERENT JOBS
POLISHING
- Machine
- Flex XFE 2
- Pad
- CarPro soft white foam pad
- Finishing product
- Gyeon Q²M Primer
03/ PROCESS
THE WORK,
IN SEQUENCE
Rubbers and plastics protected.
Paint degreased before correction.
First correction stage with the Rupes DA, microfiber pad and Compound+.
Second stage with Flex XFE 2, soft foam and Gyeon Q²M Primer.
Residue removed from gaps and edges.
Final wipe-down with quick detailer.
04/ TIME
4H 30M
08:00START
Masking · degreasing · cutting · polishing · cleanup · final wipe
12:30KEYS RETURNED
The complete two-stage exterior correction was completed independently.
05/ THE DIFFICULT PART
THE ROOF
Machine control on the roof is still one of the things I'm working on.
With a dual-action machine, maintaining a confident grip becomes more difficult when body position, reach and machine angle change.
I can complete the work. But completion isn't the same thing as mastery.
06/ OBSERVATION
WHAT I WAS WATCHING
GRIP↓PRESSURE↓FRICTION↓PAD CONDITION↓PRODUCT BEHAVIOUR↓RESULT
Once I understood the basic movement of the machine, my attention shifted to what was happening between the machine, pad, product and paint.
Every pass became an observation.
07/ LEARNING
EVERY PASS
IS DATA
I'm still refining my grip, pressure and machine control.
I'm learning how the product works through its cycle, how contamination changes the pad and how small adjustments affect the result.
The objective isn't simply to repeat a movement. It's to understand why that movement produces a particular result.
08/ CONTEXT
TWO WEEKS
WITH THE MACHINES
My first contact with polishing machines was only two weeks before this job.
I'm learning independently — through theory, practice, observation and repetition.
Somewhere along the way I also discovered that polishing is remarkably good at keeping my ADHD brain engaged.
09/ RESULT
BUILD / 001 — COMPLETED
ONE CAR.
A LOT MORE TO LEARN
The car left at 12:30.
The observations stayed with me.
VIDEO / 01
Final walkaround · 00:15 · original sound
10/ NEXT
NEXT / 002
25 YEARS.
ANOTHER LIFE
A documented leather restoration: surface, colour, process and learning.
Open BUILD / 002 →BUILT BY S
WORK · LEARNING · PROGRESS
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