Cyclo users

[detailedcars]

Just curious on how much polish you put on both pads before polishing, I thought I used very little, but I always have polish to spare when Im finished with a panel.

 

[Bill D]

A tiny amount. If I had to equate it to something, I'd say maybe the size of a pea or so.

 

[EBPcivicsi]

A tiny amount. If I had to equate it to something, I'd say maybe the size of a pea or so.

Agreed, especially with polishes. I try to use as little as possible, almost like a self-challenge while detailing.

 

[imported_Sullybob]

]Originally posted by Bill D

A tiny amount. If I had to equate it to something, I'd say maybe the size of a pea or so.

Agreed, especially with polishes. I try to use as little as possible, almost like a self-challenge while detailing.

I have been thinking about posting this very same question in the Machine Polishing section.

Man, I must be doing something wrong with the polishes that I have been using.

When you put a Pea sized amount of polish on each Cyclo pad, how much area are you polishing? 1x1? Or larger?

I have used the 3M PI line of polishes and did not have the results with them that I had hoped for. They would gum up and roll into little balls. When I used less it seemed like they hazed/flashed before they did any work.

I switched over to the PB SSR line. I really like SSR1 for light work. I use much more polish then either of you. I will put a thin circle of polish around the outside edge of the pad and then touch the pads gently to the (with the Cyclo off) paint in a 2x2 area, to help distribute the polish evenly . Then I turn on the Cyclo and start polishing. Some times I will put a thin X of polish on the pads and start polishing.

If I had to guess I would say that I am using :nixweiss 5 times as much polish as you guys or maybe even more.

I have slightly less then half my bottle of SSR1 left I think its 16 ounces it isn't marked and I have polished 4 vechiles with it. Does this seem like to much polish?

What is your light, medium and heavy polish of choice with the Cyclo?

And how big are the Peas where you live?

 

[Bill D]

I'm not sure what the pea size per pad would look like if applied to the pad as a circle instead :nixweiss. I smear the polish on the finish with the pads, then turn the Cyclo and begin polishing. Rarely, if I get a little gumming from 3m or Menzerna, that tells me I haven't been working it in sufficiently. No worry, I just polish, sometimes with a little added presure, some more. I don't always expect there to be absolutely no polish left on the paint whenI'm done. I wipe away the excess and admire the results.

 

[imported_Sullybob]

Thanks Bill.

I also expect to have to wipe some polish off of the paint. I just think that I am using WAY more polish then you.

The 3m would roll up into oblong balls and fly all over the place. It was really pretty funny, in hindsight of course.

How large of an area are you polishing at one time? I usually try for a 2 foot by 2 foot area.

 

[EBPcivicsi]

Thanks Bill.

I also expect to have to wipe some polish off of the paint. I just think that I am using WAY more polish then you.

The 3m would roll up into oblong balls and fly all over the place. It was really pretty funny, in hindsight of course.

How large of an area are you polishing at one time? I usually try for a 2 foot by 2 foot area.

Yeah with the 3M if you are getting the "balls" you are speaking of, then IMO you are using too much.



Another thing to consider is that I, like BIllD smear the product around the pad. ALso when I start out I do smaller areas becasue the pad is not primed. After I have done a few sections and the pad is properly primed, then less polish is needed. In other words, once the pad is primed properly I polish 2ft X 2ft sections with the pea sized drop.



With the SSR1, my bottle is about 3/4 of the way full and I have done several cars(Ihave had it over a year now). In fact I use it quite a bit on my own car as well as others. I find that of all the polishes I have, I use the least amount per detail with SSr1.



Hope this helps.

 

[Bill D]

same here about 2X2.

 

[Accumulator]

I'm always amazed at how I really don't have an answer to "how do you use the Cyclo" even though I've been using one for about 20 years! Sheesh, how can I not know?



I always think "I use as much polish as I need to and I work it as long as I should" which is so zen/Yoda that I'm embarassed to post it!



Basically I'd say I do the same as Bill D and ebpcivicsi. I try to distribute the small amount of polish as evenly as I can on the pads. I work an area in the 2'x2' range, maybe less. I let the behavior of the polish determine the area I work. I kinda like working smaller areas as I feel I have a better handle on what's going on and that I'm more likely to inspect a smaller area more thoroughly. I almost always wipe off polish residue as opposed to working it until it's gone or even completely dry.



Note that with some polishes it's best to use more than you would with others. I don't think it's a cut-and-dried thing that applies across the board.



Heh heh, I sure don't get "oblong balls [that] fly all over the place" Don't mean to :nono but that sounds pretty extreme to me... you don't want globs of it going everywhere so I agree with using as little as you can without having problems.



As long as *you* like the results with whatever product *you* like using, all is well in my book! While I do most of my Cyclo work with PI-III RC/MG and 1Z polishes, IMO you should use whatever works best for you. If it's PB's stuff, cool.

 

[imported_Sullybob]

Heh heh, I sure don't get "oblong balls [that] fly all over the place" Don't mean to :nono but that sounds pretty extreme to me... you don't want globs of it going everywhere so I agree with using as little as you can without having problems.

Its sounds more then it really was. The problem that I was having with the 3M was that it was hazing/flashing very quickly for me. I then used more, and then a little bit more. The little bit more was the straw that broke the camels back The oblong balls were about the size and shape of small water melon seeds. The 3M kind of gummed up also. I have not had it happen to me with the PB stuff. I am still working on figuring out how much polish is enough and how much is too much. It also seems to vary between cars. I did my Mother in law's Avalon and I doubt that I used more then 2 ounces to do the car. When I did my Sister in laws PT Cruiser I am sure that I used double that amount to get the same resutls. In retrospect I should have used a more aggresive product on the PT Cruiser, but its black and it was my first time polishing out a black car and I was trying to be super carefull. So I really do understand the Zen/Yoda thing.

 

[Anthony O.]

I apply about a nickel size squirt to each pad on the outset of polishing.



I will then taper that back some as I have been polishing for a bit of time. You always want to keep a "buffer" of product between the pad and the paint, especially when working with a rotary, so when you feel that this "buffer" has broken down and is beginning to dry up then stop and remove.



Anthony