Porter Cable - Does it generate enough Heat.....

JeffBruce

JeffBruce

New member
I have been told different things by professionals and alike
Some products need heat to break them down to work on Oxidation and swirls. Some have said the Porter cable does NOT
generate enough heat. That to get rid of Oxidation and swirls you need a rotary. And PC should be used just for polishing and waxing, Some say the Porter cable works and thats that.
I have had mix'd results.....Have you had mixed results??
jeff
 
The PC is too gentle. I usually work it on 5 and yet it's gentle. Even with the rotary, if speeds are kept around 1000-1500RPM the surface barely gets warm.

When swirls and scratches need removal I go directly with the rotary and cutting pad, and then the PC w/ cutting pad to remove buffer marks and polish pad to complete the work.
 
A rotary works much better and faster, but if you use the right combination of pad and compound, you can remove light swirlmarks and oxidation with the PC.
 
Yes, Jeff, I believe you are right. It seems that, depending on the severity of the paint anomalies, the PC can only do so much.

In fact, just as a "for instance"... the other day I used Hi-Temps Light Cut compound with the PC and afterwards there were still a couple deeper scratches that didn't come out. For the heck of it, I tried using the light cut by HAND, and they came out, because of the heat I was able to generate in a small section. Of course, I sure as hell wouldn't wanna do a whole car like that! :)
 
I pretty much agree with what has been said. No doubt about it, a rotary will remove tougher scratches and swirls, and will remove light scratches and swirls faster than an orbital. On the other hand, an orbital will do a fine job on light scratches and swirls, when used with the correct product, and will do it safely.

As for generating heat to make the product work.......... much of that depends on the product, and it's more trial and error with an orbital buffer. There are so many products out there, with so many different "forumlas" that it's tough to say that a product will work with an orbital, or even with a rotary with the wrong pad, or used improperly.
 
I think product selection with the PC is important. I don't know much about the Light Cut compound but maybe it is designed to work with the high heat of a rotary meaning you won't break it down with a PC. For me DACP and SFP breakdown with the PC and do a good job.
 
Well, that's just my point, Thomas... I just forgot to mention it. The Light Cut states it may be applied by rotary, DA orbital, or by hand. The fact that I was able to eliminate the scratches by hand and not by the PC proved to me that the heat generated by hand was enough to adequately remove them. I'm not saying the PC is inadequate by any means - I love it for a variety of things. It's just limited in what it can and cannot "correct". And, I feel that if I have to go over an area more than twice with the same polish to get the result I am looking for, it's a waste of my time. Obviously, if you have a lot of paint correction to do (i.e. - medium to deeper scratches, blemishes), the rotary is the wise choice....unless you have more time than you know what to do with... :D

:cool:

Brian
 
I agree that a rotary is needed for neglected vehicles. For slightly neglected vehicles the PC is awesome, doing the same job as by hand but without all the work. I never think of the instructions of a product as perfect. I am thinking that choice of products for the PC is important. When I use products like DACP, Medallion Cleaner, or Swirl Free Polish I do not get better results by hand than I do with the PC, I actually believe my results are slightly better and saves alot of time. Yes it is true some cars take a few passes to get it right. Pad selection is key. If I had a rotary I would rarely use it, but then again I mostly work on newer luxury cars with slight scratches and oxidation. Maybe that has something to do with it also.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top