Q: I just signed up to post this question, and I know it's in the wrong forum ( ), but...
What's the current consensus on detailing Starshield? I promised some friends (Devin & Charisse, with the burgundy FEARLIZ Elise) that I would detail their car a few months back. I'm just getting around to it (after they returned from Pahrump last weekend - doh!) and have told them I'll be working on it tomorrow.
But I need to know what I can and can't do with the Starshield. I'll be using my Porter Cable (I've got literally 4 or 5 years' experience with this thing), a brand new set of CMA 7.5" Variable Contact pads, and my plan is to start with a nice Griot's clay (my weapon of choice), move on to at least Meguiar's DACP if not 3M Medium Cut Rubbing Compound, then polish and end with Klasse AIO and SG.
Which of those can or can't I use on the Starshield? Is it safe to polish the SS with the Klasse AIO? Should I then use Klasse SG on it?
Thanks guys...
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Ouch, you guys are quick...There goes my ploy to get more attention. If anyone can throw in what they may know before tomorrow morning that would be much appreciated.
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Directly from a Starshield employee - you can wax the Starshield, but don't use clay. Always rub from the middle of the panel to the edge, never the other direction - so hand waxing is recommended. (Don't get any rotational buffer close to the edge.)
FWIW, people on the board have clayed the panels - but that's not recommended.
Nice 'blad, BTW.
ed
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People have clayed the Starshield, but I'm guessing over time it might dull it, depending on the grade you use. Then it will require polishing, which is something 3M doesn't like either. I think infrequent polishing is okay, as the film has a finite lifespan anyway. If you want to give it a chemical cleaner by hand, that is okay. I know plenty of people that have polished swirls out of the film. Not sure on its clearcoat thickness.
You may become frustrated with 7.5" pads due to the tight spaces and curvy panels on the Elise. Expect to be using the edges of the pad quite a bit or doing some areas by hand.
Some people report to Elise paint being a bit soft, so hopefully DACP finishes finely enough.
- J
A:
Directly from a Starshield employee - you can wax the Starshield, but don't use clay. Always rub from the middle of the panel to the edge, never the other direction - so hand waxing is recommended. (Don't get any rotational buffer close to the edge.)
FWIW, people on the board have clayed the panels - but that's not recommended.
Nice 'blad, BTW.
ed
Thanks, that's good to know...
BTW, it's actually a Contax 645...never did like the Hassy system. C645 with a Phase One P25 strapped to the back.
A:
People have clayed the Starshield, but I'm guessing over time it might dull it, depending on the grade you use. Then it will require polishing, which is something 3M doesn't like either. I think infrequent polishing is okay, as the film has a finite lifespan anyway. If you want to give it a chemical cleaner by hand, that is okay. I know plenty of people that have polished swirls out of the film. Not sure on its clearcoat thickness.
You may become frustrated with 7.5" pads due to the tight spaces and curvy panels on the Elise. Expect to be using the edges of the pad quite a bit or doing some areas by hand.
Some people report to Elise paint being a bit soft, so hopefully DACP finishes finely enough.
- J
Awesome, that's what I wanted to hear. I'll probably stick to Klasse AIO with a green (non agressive) pad for the Starshield, if I try it with the PC. Otherwise it'll just be by hand.
I still have my 6" standard CMA pads, so it'll be good to have both. The M Coupe has a lot of easy curves so I ordered the 7.5" VC pads with that in mind, but hadn't thought about what you mentioned with the Elise's curves.
If DACP doesn't do the trick, the Klasse AIO does have a fine polish to it. Not much, but it does take very minor swirls out. If not, I can always get out the 3M Imperial Hand Glaze and give it a good once over with that, but then because of the oils the IHG leaves I'd have to wash again before applying the Klasse AIO (which I always do just before applying Klasse SG).
I'm sure I have something that'll take care of it...I have at least a hundred different chemicals, as I used to do detailing on neighbors' high-end cars while in High School (that's La Jolla for you).
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Thanks, that's good to know...
BTW, it's actually a Contax 645...never did like the Hassy system. C645 with a Phase One P25 strapped to the back.
My mistake - looked like a Hasselblad H2D from that angle.
How you like the Phase One back?
ed
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If not, I can always get out the 3M Imperial Hand Glaze and give it a good once over with that, but then because of the oils the IHG leaves I'd have to wash again before applying the Klasse AIO (which I always do just before applying Klasse SG).
AIO has enough chemical cleaner in it, that it will most likely remove IHG (which is mostly fillers), so an extra wash would be redundant. Not sure if that is your experience with the product.
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How you like the Phase One back?
ed
It's O.K.
It has it's issues. CaptureOne is a great program and though I'm looking forward to demo-ing Aperture, I'm fully satisfied with what CaptureOne can do.
That said, the camera itself leaves one main thing to be desired...namely, it has huge Moire problems for part of what we do (20% of our business is fashion shooting). It was bad enough that we decided that instead of spending time fixing the moire postproduction it would just be easier to go out and buy a Canon 1DSMkII. So, that's what we did...with lenses it came out to about a $25k solution.
Sad that we had to do that for a $32,995 digital back, but that's life.
Besides that, the thing is nothing short of incredible. The Zeiss glass our Contax has is just breathtaking; I can't get over how sharp it is. Not one single lens from the Canon L line that I've used on our 1DSMkII can hold a candle to any one of our Zeiss lenses (including Canon's best prime vs. the Contax/Zeiss 45-90 zoom!).
For most of what we do (architectural shooting) the P25/Contax combo is a gorgeous piece of work. For the rest of what we do, the Canon 1DSMkII fits the bill.
I'm looking into wireless options these days so we can stop tethering our 12" Powerbook...would be nice to not have to have a 12' Firewire cable running between the two whenever we shoot.
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AIO has enough chemical cleaner in it, that it will most likely remove IHG (which is mostly fillers), so an extra wash would be redundant. Not sure if that is your experience with the product.
Mentioned what you said to Neil (Lil Bastard) when I had lunch with him on Tuesday; He said you really know your stuff. Good to meet another detail fanatic.
I've experienced the same thing chemically with AIO/IHG, but I've noticed that AIO has trouble applying because of the oils IHG leaves. It's usually easier to just do a good diluted Dawn wash between AIO and IHG, in my opinion.
Their Elise should have at least a few coats of SG on it by the time I'm done...
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Thanks Ben; I've always wondered how much better the "big iron" is compared to the Canon dSLR stuff.
ed
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Still haven't had a chance to get down and dirty with my buddies' Elise. I'm going to spend two good days on it over the Christmas holiday. I'm still not looking forward to all the tar removal that car needs...