A Look Into Pad Priming

So does the pad always need primed like this, or just with a non-diminishing product.



I would imagine that a diminishing product would need to be primed since the polish is getting broken down compared to these products where they are always working correct?



This is so confusing!
 
Perferd said:
Pardon my beginnerness but what is meant by "over priming my pad"?



Also after the pad is completely primed do you then add more to the pad like normal or to the vehicle and start working?
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If the pad is overprimed, then the pores are completely filled with product. This means that there is too much product on the surface of the pad.



I usually add two or three small dots of product and start working the area. I like to work small areas, so I can slowly polish out every last defect. Some people may prefer to work larger sections in which more product is needed.







HLxDrummer said:
So does the pad always need primed like this, or just with a non-diminishing product.



I would imagine that a diminishing product would need to be primed since the polish is getting broken down compared to these products where they are always working correct?
Click to expand...



No, you do not need to prime the pad when using a diminishing abrasive product. Diminishing abrasives break down randomly. If you are nearly finished with a work area, the last thing you want is an abrasive that has not broken down coming in contact with the paint. This will lead to swirling. Non-diminishing abrasives are all evenly sized, so you do not have to worry about the various sizes of abrasives during polishing.
 
PorscheGuy997 said:
If the pad is overprimed, then the pores are completely filled with product. This means that there is too much product on the surface of the pad.



I usually add two or three small dots of product and start working the area. I like to work small areas, so I can slowly polish out every last defect. Some people may prefer to work larger sections in which more product is needed.











No, you do not need to prime the pad when using a diminishing abrasive product. Diminishing abrasives break down randomly. If you are nearly finished with a work area, the last thing you want is an abrasive that has not broken down coming in contact with the paint. This will lead to swirling. Non-diminishing abrasives are all evenly sized, so you do not have to worry about the various sizes of abrasives during polishing.
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Ohh! I got it now. Thanks for the clarification :)
 
Thanks for the help....I guess I must be really slow but I still dont understand once the pad is primed do I still add more product to the car or the pad? In the pic I see the properly primed pad so do I then use it to work the fender hood doors without adding anymore product? Am I to use the pad on one area then just prime another pad...Sorry I am just not a smart enough guy I guess LOL
 
Perferd said:
Do I still add more product to the car or the pad? In the pic I see the properly primed pad so do I then use it to work the fender hood doors without adding anymore product? Am I to use the pad on one area then just prime another pad?
Click to expand...



I do apologize for not catching this earlier...



After the pad has been primed, I usually add two or three dots of product to the pad. That should be enough to work a small area.



Once you have used the pad for a while (after doing two or three sections), it is a good idea to clean the pad using a microfiber towel (no cotton terry).



The rate at which you swap pads is up to you. I may use five or more for a single step on a vehicle. The cleaner and fresher the pad, the more consistent the polishing will be. It the pad becomes saturated, you will start losing the cut.
 
PorscheGuy997 said:
..Once you have used the pad for a while (after doing two or three sections), it is a good idea to clean the pad using a microfiber towel (no cotton terry)..
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What don't you like about cotton for this application? I find myself going back to cotton for this (when using M105) as opposed to MF. The absorbtion of the cotton seems to do better for me than the adsorbtion of MF, at least after I've spritzed the to-be-cleaned pad with water or #34.



Not an :argue by any means, I'm just curious...



Note that I'm not using as many pads as you are, so perhaps I'm cleaning them more aggressively. Guess there are always a lot of variables...
 
The idea is to eliminate as many variables as possible.



When cleaning the pad on the fly, there will be some fibers stuck into the pad. Those fibers could potentially cause swirling.



If you can, compressed air is best. There is no chance of a fiber being trapped in the pad.
 
PorscheGuy997 said:
The idea is to eliminate as many variables as possible...[cotton] fibers could potentially cause swirling.



If you can, compressed air is best..
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OK, that makes sense. I'm usually only doing this during the compounding stage, where it's not an issue for me. I usually just get out new pads during more gentle polishing (also during the compounding on softer paints).



And yeah, I probably oughta use the compressor for this more than I do.
 
I just use cotton. I have a few that have been washed to death. They give up no more fibers. On the DA I just give it a brush with a fingernail brush ( with the machine off) and then a wipe with the terry cloth towel ( also with the machine off). So far so good! I tried using a MF but it just wasn't as absorbent as cotton for me.



I understand the idea behind not using a cotton towel. I just have not observed the downside yet firsthand I guess?
 
sulla said:
Does pad priming mean you should prime the pad again after you finish a section and clean it ?
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Priming of the pad is only done at the initial step when using a fresh pad. After properly primed, add 3-4 small drops of product around edges of the pad and start polishing your section. After each section(pass) clean/spur/brusn/blow out your pad (removing dead paint and dried polish residue) and apply 3-4 more drops to the same pad. Once it's primed, you don't need tore-prime, just add small amounts of product.







PorscheGuy997 said:
The rate at which you swap pads is up to you. I may use five or more for a single step on a vehicle. The cleaner and fresher the pad, the more consistent the polishing will be. It the pad becomes saturated, you will start losing the cut.
Click to expand...



Excellent suggestion Chris! A dirty pad also causes marring. :)
 
Once it's primed, you don't need tore-prime, just add small amounts of product.
Click to expand...



Thank you David!



jono20 said:
I still dont entirely understand if I should be priming the pad on my PC with QD while polishing with M105
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If you read the first page of this thread you should only prime the pad with the polishing agent and the polishing agent only...



Where did you get the QD idea from ?
 
I just saw some videos on youtube by junkman2000 and he was showing how to prime the pad with QD spray and to do it often. So if I'm using 105/205, I should avoid the QD spray and just use the polish? What about pad conditioning solution?
 
sulla said:
Thank you David!







If you read the first page of this thread you should only prime the pad with the polishing agent and the polishing agent only...



Where did you get the QD idea from ?
Click to expand...





I think in just about every Megs or other instructional video I've ever watched I've seen them prime with QD or Final Inspection before use and anytime things get a little 'dry'
 
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