What's In DFB's Cabinet?

[skinnyb]

Over the last few days, I've been attempting to revive a selection of towels that had become increasingly hydrophobic. I started by soaking overnight in hot water with Rags to Riches, then cycled through the washing machine with an extra rinse and spin, followed by drying on low heat. For now, I've done this to the following towels -

4x TRC Gauntlet 24x60 (Drying)
10x TRC Gauntlet 12x12 (Wheels)
4x Microfiber Madness Chipmunk Jr. 16x16 (Drying)
12x TRC Dry Me A River 16x4 (Glass)
2x TRC Dry Me A River 20x40 (Door Jambs)
9x TRC FTW 16x16 (Glass, Drying)

There is nothing worse than a hydrophobic towel, it just pushes liquid around and around, increasing the working time and contacting the paint more than you should need. In my case, there are two causes for this -

- Using SiO2 drying aids and glass cleaners
- A change in laundry detergent.

The obvious action here would be to stop using drying aids, at least ones with SiO2 or wax. However, the drying aid process is one of the tasks I truly enjoy, so I do my best to manage the situation.

In the past, I've noted that as long as you prevent the towels from drying out and get them into the wash ASAP, you'll reduce the likelihood of them become hydrophobic. And I still stand by that advice, leaving towels in an open pile for days or weeks is a one-way ticket to Hydrophobic City. But it's clear that the laundry detergent plays a role too. Moving onto a cheaper detergent didn't really save me any money. In the end, its actually been a waste of time and money.

Thankfully, it would appear I've managed to revive them. The drying towels are back to nearly new, easily soaking up water and spreading the drying aid. The glass towels are much better too, again absorbing moisture rather than moving it around.

So, I got lucky on this one. The retail cost of that collection of towels above comes in at about $715 AUD. Buying the cheaper detergent to save $50 risked a $700+ collection of towels.

I will also say this, sometimes the apparent "hype" is justified, as in Rags to Riches is THE BEST microfiber detergent on the market.

Glad you were able to revive those towels. I really like R2R, it just works. I keep a bucket with water and R2R available now when I am working to drop stuff in as I go. When I was doing that S650 last week, I had a FULL bucket of polish towels, drying towels, pads, etc. Of course the actual coating towels went in the trash (bin)

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[Gen 6 Mach1]

Hi All , some months back I asked DFB if he could recommend a non Silicone based leather care product for the interior of the Mach , he was kind enough to suggest, I believe 2 products, one is Nourish ( they were out of stock of the Nourish product he suggested), so I purchased the Leather Quick Detailer . I have to be in the mood (age related these days) so today was the day . First I did a wipe down of the rear window with Isopropyl and White vinager 50/50 mix . I then used a clean damp microfiber towel to the seats and rest of interior .
I did this 9 weeks ago before driving to Las Vegas for the 61st Mustang/ Shelby yearly 4 day bash . But I wanted to start clean before I applied the Nourish . Now after completing the job , there is no visual difference, but I'm sure the leather is thanking me .
Thank you DFB for the recommendation,

 

[DFB5.0]

Hi All , some months back I asked DFB if he could recommend a non Silicone based leather care product for the interior of the Mach , he was kind enough to suggest, I believe 2 products, one is Nourish ( they were out of stock of the Nourish product he suggested), so I purchased the Leather Quick Detailer . I have to be in the mood (age related these days) so today was the day . First I did a wipe down of the rear window with Isopropyl and White vinager 50/50 mix . I then used a clean damp microfiber towel to the seats and rest of interior .
I did this 9 weeks ago before driving to Las Vegas for the 61st Mustang/ Shelby yearly 4 day bash . But I wanted to start clean before I applied the Nourish . Now after completing the job , there is no visual difference, but I'm sure the leather is thanking me .
Thank you DFB for the recommendation,

That's the thing with Nourish, you don't get the massive before and after look that many might be accustomed to. That's especially so if you are coming from an old-fashioned leather balm or creme from the usual auto-store suspects.

Clean leather should have a very slight sheen, but certainly not glossy or greasy looking and feeling. Shiney leather is in fact a sign of dirty leather, caused by a variety of contaminants including skin oils, hand moisturizer, make up, clothing dyes, dirt, and dust.

 

[DFB5.0]

This is one of those things I didn't know how to search for because I didn't know its name. When I finally landed on it through a vague chain of Google searches, I discovered others didn't know the name either. The product in question is called a Bettix 'Bettamix' — a twin-chambered chemical bottle that makes dosing quick and accurate by eliminating the need for a measuring cup.

I've used these for years, mostly in horticulture, where they're common for dosing insecticides and herbicides. They're also handy for mixing 2-stroke oil — not having to carry a separate measuring container eliminates the mess (and the hassle of finding a way to clean it out) on the job.

This style of bottle is sold under a variety of different brand names, along with a range of designs and capacities. I prefer this particular 1-litre version, mainly for the metric measurements — it makes mixing fuel to a 50:1 ratio easy, at 100ml to 5 litres of fuel. Surprisingly, it's Australian-made, too.

10 X 1L Plastic Twin Chamber Bottle & Tamper Evident Cap Chemical Bottle Food | eBay Australia

Over time, the squeeze and release of the bottle causes them to crack, so I buy these in bulk and replace them as needed for herbicide, mixing oil, and detailing supplies. I then buy the chemical itself in larger bulk quantities and refill the smaller 1-litre bottle as it's used.

This may or may not be news to you, but if you've ever wondered, now you know what a Bettix Bottle is.

 

[GT 550]

You bloody beauty. I hadn't even thought to look and see if you could buy these empty. Nice work

 

[GT 550]

Bonus points if you can tell the difference between Mk1 and Mk2

https://www.bettix.co.uk/products/bettamix-single-neck-dispensers-crc/

Edit: Found it

 

[DFB5.0]

You bloody beauty. I hadn't even thought to look and see if you could buy these empty. Nice work

Typically, you'd start with buying the smaller sized Bettix bottle, then refill from a gallon. However, over time the smaller bottle will degrade, so you'd be back to square one. So, you either buy the empty version like I've done, or end up having to get another small bottle of product and loose the bulk pricing.

 

[skinnyb]

This is one of those things I didn't know how to search for because I didn't know its name. When I finally landed on it through a vague chain of Google searches, I discovered others didn't know the name either. The product in question is called a Bettix 'Bettamix' — a twin-chambered chemical bottle that makes dosing quick and accurate by eliminating the need for a measuring cup.

I've used these for years, mostly in horticulture, where they're common for dosing insecticides and herbicides. They're also handy for mixing 2-stroke oil — not having to carry a separate measuring container eliminates the mess (and the hassle of finding a way to clean it out) on the job.

This style of bottle is sold under a variety of different brand names, along with a range of designs and capacities. I prefer this particular 1-litre version, mainly for the metric measurements — it makes mixing fuel to a 50:1 ratio easy, at 100ml to 5 litres of fuel. Surprisingly, it's Australian-made, too.

10 X 1L Plastic Twin Chamber Bottle & Tamper Evident Cap Chemical Bottle Food | eBay Australia

Over time, the squeeze and release of the bottle causes them to crack, so I buy these in bulk and replace them as needed for herbicide, mixing oil, and detailing supplies. I then buy the chemical itself in larger bulk quantities and refill the smaller 1-litre bottle as it's used.

This may or may not be news to you, but if you've ever wondered, now you know what a Bettix Bottle is.

I get them from Amazon all the time. They are labeled as "shot measuring devices". They are amazing for rinseless wash measuring.

 

[skinnyb]

Well FINALLY after FedEx lost the shipment for 2 weeks my "jug" arrived. 5 gallons of brake buster. So cool. I go thru it like water.

 

[DFB5.0]

It lives!

Sunny winter days are perfect for driving, and today I got both V8s out — the Mustang and XR8, back-to-back. Despite sharing engine architecture, they're completely different animals. The Mustang loves to rev, spinning happily to 7500 rpm with a hard-edged induction note. The supercharged XR8 is all about effortless torque — at any speed, in any gear, it wafts on a wave of torque, backed by equal parts induction, exhaust, and supercharger wail. So much fun. The XR8 is the reason I've never bothered looking into superchargers for either of my Mustangs — I already have a supercharged Coyote.

 

[larr12]

Whats going on guys? Just received more ADS stuff and working on that Integra.

 

[GT 550]

Whats going on guys? Just received more ADS stuff and working on that Integra.

Hey Alberto how long does it take to put up that shelter?

What are you doing for the Integra?

 

[larr12]

@GT 550 it is a Coleman 13x13. first time took me like 15-20. Now it takes like 5min.

I am doing a quick 1-step and using ADS Phobic. The car belongs to a friend. The rear left panel was hit by a teenager looking at her phone. He was able to find an OEM quarter panel and another friend did the replacement/paint job. Since it is a project car, he just did a quick repaint of the whole car. Close enough you can see some imperfections on the paint but my friend doesnt care.

 

[skinnyb]

Whats going on guys? Just received more ADS stuff and working on that Integra.

Looks great I have the same 10x10 (13x13 with overhang) shelter. It is fantastic, fairy easy to put up and take down, even with one person..

 

[skinnyb]

Well my second application of ADS Pro coating is in the books. It is regularly around 90 degrees here in East TN every day this time of year so it was a bit of a challenge, even in my garage. I started super early every day both days (Saturday and Sunday), got this beautiful Grabber Blue Metallic S650 decon washed, wheels off, pro coating on paint, wheel coating, and glass coating on the windshield. It was pretty difficult to apply the coating in this heat, but I was able to figure it out fairly quick, and having help to remove it as I applied was an immense help. I had my "boys" on hand so it went pretty quickly..

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