How do they do it?

Energy One

Devone

Member
Hey Kapt, I've been wondering the same thing " HOW DO THEY DO IT " thanks for your informative and helpful posts on this subject. After all the long winded, smart azz, non answers from Orange I'm glad he had better things to do than help out some of us that don't have all the years expirence and knowledge of others. Thanks again.:up:
 

Roaddawg

Well-Known Member
Just recently began using BugSlide and after two or three coats it does seem to work well as a waterless cleaner and leave a nice smooth gloss. What I like with BugSlide is that if you run your fingers across your paint, it doesn't streak or leave smudges.
 

Pops

Active Member
Just recently began using BugSlide and after two or three coats it does seem to work well as a waterless cleaner and leave a nice smooth gloss. What I like with BugSlide is that if you run your fingers across your paint, it doesn't streak or leave smudges.

GREAT STUFF IMHO :2thumbs:
 

K9Anniv

Well-Known Member
For touch-ups after a ride, I agree Bugslide IS awesome...been using it awhile now. But for the heavy duty stuff, I clay-bar the paint, then use 3M Swirl Remover for dark colors, then 3M polishing glaze...and that's about as good as it gets doing it by hand. I know an experienced, professional detailer using a power buffer could take it to an even higher level, but I'm happy with my results doing it my way.

Guys, there's as many opinions on "how to" as there are products to do it with. You just have to find the product, process or whatever you call it that works best for you and makes you happy...and stick with it.

Now...get out there and enjoy life with the wind in your face on your Big Dog!!!:whoop::cheers::2thumbs:
 
You can do that too if you have the money and time. Ed is a wicked ass painter and once you have your paint that smooth it is a hell of alot easier to keep it that way. Unless you ride daily and put alot of wear and tear on your paint then, at some point, your going to need a little more information than just which wax, sealer e.t.c to use.
K9Aniv's method is perfectly fine. 3m makes great products. I have been seriously considering switching to their swirl remover lately but just haven't made the decision yet.
Devone, roaddawg, pops, K9Aniv thank you this is what I am talking about. Sharing information. The "Bugslide" has been pointed out to me before and I am waiting for mine to arrive. "Its simple "Zymol". Zymol is not going to prepare your paint if your paint is not up to show quality already. Skulz is a douchebag anyway you can tell from his uninformative asinine answers.
"Junior" go F yourself skulz thats all you really seem to be good at anyway. Nobody gives a shit about the physics of minute scratches and light reflection you idiot. They just want to know how the Show people get their rides to look like they do. And I guarantee you there isn't one show guy who just smears Zymol on his vehicle and claims that it is all he did to get is his "Show Quality" finish. Hey if you want to use Zymol use it I don't care. Once again, as I have already said, I simply provided a solution to the forum users question. A very iniformative answer, unlike Skulz, that will allow him, since he clearly does not seem to be in possession of a solution for himself yet, to get a "Show Quality" shine. Just as K9Aniv has decided on. 3M is a great product and does just as good a job as scratch out in regaining the lustrous paint we look for. My answer is not all about Liquid Glass it only includes it because I believe, just as many others and don't take my word for it see for yourself:
Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Liquid Glass LG100 Ultimate Auto Polish/Finish - 16 oz.
that it leaves you with a slighlty superior finish to anything else.
Of course I am sure that none of these people could even begin to imagine how many rides Mr. Skulz has cleaned and polished so they must be in the same stupid, douchebag, don't know a thing category as me.
Oh and while your at it look up "Zymol" too, yeah it has five stars because only two people responded. Don't get me wrong Zymol does leave a slick sheen both the "Liquid" and to a greater degree the "Paste", as do alot of the products, and feel free to use it instead of Liquid Glass but you will be doing it again in short order just like every other wax based solution. You put Liquid Glass on your ride, correctly, and you won't have to worry about it again for a good six months depending on how harsh you treat your vehicle. I ride daily so I go over my ride once a month with Liquid Glass. Takes all of 10 minutes maybe.
I use a sealer on my aluminum after I polish it because it keeps my hard work going for a good 4 to 6 months before i have to do it again but I have been told time and again how stupid it is and that it doesn't really work. I don't care. I know it does.
I include Liquid Glass because I believe it leaves you with a slightly superior finish than anything else but that doesn't matter. What really matters is all the other information I provided to help an individual who doesn't know. So I am done with the "Debate", hardly, with Skulz. At least I provided a comprehensive answer and not some douchebag comments.
DONE
Love Ya Skulz
Oh one last thing, the only reason I have continued to respond was because I thought Skulz would actually step up and give an answer that would actually provide ME with a better system that provided better results but I now ask myself "When am I going to learn that douchebags like Skulz never have an answer just more stupid comments that, if I listen to them, will just end up costing me more money and not give me the results I am looking for".
KA OUTTT
And I am in total agreement with you K9Aniv "Practice the Golden Rule...and Enjoy Life"
 

JR07

Active Member
Calendar Participant
Thanks Kapt. I just had my front fender repainted by Ed and when I put it back on the bike the front fender looked so much better then the tank and rear fender. After reading what you had posted I ran out and picked up everything a wow it really works. Bike looks like new again thanks.
 

OrangeSkullz

Active Member
I love you too Capt.............

funny how I got in trouble a while back for calling someone a Brain Surgeon...yet douchebag is OK.

is FAG out of the question?
 

K9Anniv

Well-Known Member
..I use a sealer on my aluminum after I polish it because it keeps my hard work going for a good 4 to 6 months before i have to do it again but I have been told time and again how stupid it is and that it doesn't really work. I don't care. I know it does.
Kaptin, which aluminum polish & sealer have you found to be the best? Chrome is another thing...my philosophy is to touch it as little as possible, and then just with a spray-on like Bugslide or Meguiar's Quick Detailer. Your thoughts? I just want my bike to look the best it possibly can without spending all my money and riding time to do so. Thanks for your input. :cheers:
 
I love you too Capt.............

funny how I got in trouble a while back for calling someone a Brain Surgeon...yet douchebag is OK.

is FAG out of the question?
Hey all I meant was someone in a bag thats been dunked in the water, no seriously.
Hey whats wrong with callin someone a cigarette?

Seriously Orange, to each his own, I just tend to get a little pissy when someone jumps in a thread and douches someone else, you could of just said I have 26 years experience cleanin and detailin vehicles and all I trust is Zymol, no hard feelings huh.
 
Kaptin, which aluminum polish & sealer have you found to be the best? Chrome is another thing...my philosophy is to touch it as little as possible, and then just with a spray-on like Bugslide or Meguiar's Quick Detailer. Your thoughts? I just want my bike to look the best it possibly can without spending all my money and riding time to do so. Thanks for your input. :cheers:
You know K9Aniv I feel the same way about Chrome. If your Chrome was done right and not done cheaply its a beautiful thing, until a darn rock hops up and knicks it but then thats another issue. If I get something nasty on it I will use Mothers Chrome Cleaner first but generally I just use my waterless cleaner. And I agree with you "Touch it as little as possible" because despite how durable and tough it is it will start to show scratches over time.
I have ordered some BugSlide. Just how well does this stuff really work. For example if I have some bug crap on my paint and I spray BugSlide on it and let it sit for a minute will it just wipe right up or am I still going to have to rub a little? I ask because I use micro fibers with my waterless cleaner, just for this reason because I have to rub too hard with a diaper to get it to come off and we all know what excess pressure leads to when trying to polish something no matter what wiping medium your using, which I hate doing buttt.
As far as aluminum goes I have spent a GD fortune on aluminum polishes, mostly because I made the mistake of listening to every Snake Oil salesman I came across at these darn rallies, and I have yet to find anything that Finishes the aluminum off like Mother's Billet. And again I am like you, although it is not wizards, I use Bomb's Away for fast cutting if I screwed around to long and let something get to far gone.
Recently though I bought a bench grinder, polisher and discovered the sticks that professional polishers use on aluminum and I got to say that the sticks do a much better job of getting you close to that mirror shine faster than anything else. I think mostly because you can use the sticks with buffing wheels so the shine comes up way faster. Have you ever tried using the liquid and paste polishes with buffing equipment. What a mess it gets everywhere. But I am sold on Mother's and 100% cotton diapers for finishing the aluminum. Of course just like the paint business its all in how much pressure you use. Too hard and your right back to scratches.
As for sealing the aluminum I have been using a product from Master Formula called Sealer Gloss. I saw it at a ralliy once and have been using it ever since. The only thing I don't like about it is it does dull the mirror shine ever so slightly but the shine holds for four to six months, they claim a year but I have yet to see it do that on my rides, which I have not been able to find with anything else. Now they say you can use it on your paint e.t.c but I tried it on my paint and did not like it and of course we already know about the chrome.
You can find it here:
http://www.master-formula.com/english.htm

My bottle is a good five years old, yes 5 it only takes a little bit to seal the metal, so they may have made some improvements to the formula since.

One note, I have recently discovered a new Aluminum sealer that was created in 2004, somewhere right around there, that supposedly does not yellow, crack, or fade. It was created for tractor trailers and liquid carriers and while the sealer is mainly sold in large containers because of the volume to coat a tractor trailer rig they do sell it in spray cans for touch up. I have been looking at the Zupes but it just seems like a hell of alot of work. So I am going to buy one can and test it on a couple of parts on the ride to see how well it works. If I get good results I will do a write up on it and give you guys the source. Hell maybe we can even put together a Group Buy if it works out.
 
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BDWB

Active Member
So Kaptin - a summary of your approach to cleaning/shining is as follows?

Use 100% cotton diapers for all cleaning

Paint – clean first with Bugslide, use Kit Scratch to remove hairline scratches, final step apply liquid glass (multiple coats as necessary)

Billet – mothers billet polish (this was from a different thread but seems to be the popular choice

Any experience with Flitz for billet? I bought the sales pitch a year back at a show and bought some. Not sure I am happy with the results but I have only used it once.

Do you use a powerball for the wheels?

Thanks!
 

Dozer1

Active Member
Real cotten diapers...Humpf! Never thought about that. Gonna go get some tomorrow and try!
 

K9Anniv

Well-Known Member
..Any experience with Flitz for billet? I bought the sales pitch a year back at a show and bought some. Not sure I am happy with the results but I have only used it once..
I agree with everything the Kaptin has laid out, except I only use Bugslide, 3M & Meguiar's products on my bike now. However, I would suggest caution using Flitz (more gritty than others) and Liquid Glass on your show chrome. My experience with these two products left a LOT of hairline scratches on the chrome of a Harley I had a few years back. :eek::bang::rant:
 
So Kaptin - a summary of your approach to cleaning/shining is as follows?

Use 100% cotton diapers for all cleaning
Yes except "Currently" I am using micro fiber with a waterless for daily quick clean up, I explained why above. I am waiting for my BugSlide and am hoping that it works better than my current cleaner to enable me to use the diapers for daily cleaning

Paint – clean first with Bugslide, use Kit Scratch to remove hairline scratches, final step apply liquid glass (multiple coats as necessary)
Clean renew first with "Scratch Out", apply Liquid Glass to 8 coats first time through with 4 hours in sun between coats then a quick Bi-monthly 1 coat renewal, buff with scratch out then apply 1 coat Liquid Glass with 4 hours in the sun. Use the BugSlide daily or as needed to keep fresh

Billet – mothers billet polish (this was from a different thread but seems to be the popular choice
Yes

Any experience with Flitz for billet? I bought the sales pitch a year back at a show and bought some. Not sure I am happy with the results but I have only used it once.
Flitz would fall in the "Quick Cut" category to me. Leaves to many fine scratches for final polishing

Do you use a powerball for the wheels?
Tried it but with the Aluminum sealer I use all the powerball really did was take me backwards and require more final polishing. The sealer, if I don't wait more than 4 months between polishing, keeps it so that all I really have to do is go over the wheel again with Mother's and a diaper and then apply the sealer again

Thanks!
See italics above for answers to your question
 
I agree with everything the Kaptin has laid out, except I only use Bugslide, 3M & Meguiar's products on my bike now. However, I would suggest caution using Flitz (more gritty than others) and Liquid Glass on your show chrome. My experience with these two products left a LOT of hairline scratches on the chrome of a Harley I had a few years back. :eek::bang::rant:
I'm with K9Aniv on the Chrome
"Minimal touching and only use the softest liquids and wrags for cleaning"
 

OrangeSkullz

Active Member
Hey all I meant was someone in a bag thats been dunked in the water, no seriously.
Hey whats wrong with callin someone a cigarette?

Seriously Orange, to each his own, I just tend to get a little pissy when someone jumps in a thread and douches someone else, you could of just said I have 26 years experience cleanin and detailin vehicles and all I trust is Zymol, no hard feelings huh.
All's GOOD :cheers:
 

K9Anniv

Well-Known Member
All's GOOD :cheers:
Skullz, now that the air's been cleared :), I gotta say that paint job & seat on your AIH TX Chopper is KILLER...one of a kind, for sure!:2thumbs:
I always liked the wild AIH paint schemes...but preferred how the Big Dogs feel when riding.
Anyway, as you said...it's ALL good!
ENJOY THE RIDE!!! :cheers:
 
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