The process
We’ve now got everything we need to start the process.
1. Clean the dust cover
Before we start our work, it’s a good idea to clean the dust cover inside and out by hosing it down with water. Use a wet and non-abrasive cloth to remove any remaining stubborn dirt.
2. Preparing for sanding
Put your dust cover down on a solid base, and prepare your sanding block with a grit of your choice. We decided to start at grit 800, because the dust cover had mainly surface scratches and no deep scratches. We DO think that not having sanded enough is better than having sanded too much. You can always sand more if needed. Use your own judgment.
3. Sanding
Wet the surface of the dust cover with the garden hose or spray bottle and start sanding in up and down motions (don’t make circular motions or something), covering the entire surface. Don’t apply too much pressure, let the sanding paper do its work. Make sure to keep the surface properly wet while sanding. You will know when its done and when it’s time to step up the grit. The cover should be equally dull, and no scratches should remain (if they do, you might need to go with a lower grit).
When you’re done with the specific grit, properly hose down the dust cover again, and also the sanding block, you don’t want any remnants from your previous grit ruining the next one.
Switch grits and start over again. We went up to grit 2000, because it’s all we had at the time, but we feel like we could’ve gone a bit higher in grit to get a better result.
When you’re done sanding, hose down the cover again and let it dry.
4. Polishing
Generously apply the #2 Novus polish to the surface and work it in with one of the supplied polishing cloths (a generic polishing cloth will work too), making circular motions. Make sure you get all the corners. Do the entire surface at once, and make sure you do it equally, or you will get spots that are more shiny than others.
When the surface seems to be getting dry, buff the surface with a clean cloth. Repeat this step 4 until satisfied.
5. Cleaning and waxing
You can finally clean the entire surface using Novus #1 and a non-abrasive cloth.
Apply your wax to the cover with the applicator, how the wax should be applied depends on the wax you’re using.
For the One Grand Blitz wax that we use, very-very little goes a long way. Even if you think “This is not enough”, then it usually already is too much. You only need a film.
The wax needs to dry, and if you apply too much, this will take a long time. You can check if the wax has dried by wiping your finger across it. If it leaves a smear, it hasn’t properly dried. If it wipes away clean, you can buff it.
