First time using PC

I

integraoligist

New member
Ok, i'm out "practicing" on a Silver Sable (i know, not the best color to be seeing "results" on)



i've got the Green Sonus DAS Pad with 5" Flex backing plate on... got it rolling on speed 4.



i'm not applying any pressure to the PC, i'm just lifting the rear of it so that it's level on the body panel... and yet it seems to be rotating very very slowly, and most of the time not at all.



1. what am i doing wrong for it not to be rotating?

2. how "fast" do you go across (east to west for example) a panel, say 3ft. in length?

i think i'm going way to slow.

3. any other tips/pointers? i read the article on the PC and am diong exactly everything they said...



thanks all
 
I run mine at 5, apply a good amount of pressure until the pad sort of mushrooms and run it very slow, would not even do a 3ft length, too big an area, maybe 18-24" square and move real slow to let the polish do it's magic. What polish are you using? I used Meg's #83 on my kid's Ford and that works real well. Work the product only when wet, once it dries, put more product on. Apply the polish in a circle around the pad near the edge. Then blot it on the area you want to work on in a few places and start/stop the buffer only while it's on the car and you have pressure on the pad. Also, it's not supposed to rotate, very little at most, it's more of a violent shake back and forth.



Here's a good "how to" from Mike of Meguiars, he just started working on this recently -



http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7034
 
really? i thought the whole purpose was so that it rotated?



and Mike (in the link) says to apply about 15-20 lbs of pressure... in the autopia article, it says 1lb.
 
G-100 is a Meguiar's branded PC 7224, no difference other than they provide a better warranty and include a backing plate and a pad. I think when he says 15lbs, that includes the weight of the buffer, this is more so that you understand that when doing the sides of your car, you'll need to apply more pressure to compensate for not having the buffer's weight. PC's work through mechanical action, the harder you press, the slower you go, the more it will do, this is the opposite of a rotary buffer (which rotates) which works through heat/friction to do it's magic and doesn't require much pressure, a lb. is probably correct and keeping it moving at a good pace to keep ir from not overheating the paint. Keep in mind this is only for polishing. For waxing with the PC, put it on #3 and don't apply much pressure at all, maybe 1 lb.



As for the PC not rotating, it will if there's no pressure but you will damage your pad and backing plate if you do this and may fling the pad. Put it on the car first before turning it on/off.
 
and if you use #83 with 15-20lbs of pressure...

#80 with 10-15lbs of pressure...

Wax with no pressure (just the weight of the PC)



What presure for WG Sealent? No pressure as well, just like the Wax?
 
integraoligist said:
and if you use #83 with 15-20lbs of pressure...

#80 with 10-15lbs of pressure...

Wax with no pressure (just the weight of the PC)



What presure for WG Sealent? No pressure as well, just like the Wax?
Click to expand...



I'm not sure what polish you're actually using to practice with, but you definitely want to use a speed of at least 5 on your PC when you're trying to polish out swirls and other marring. Most folks here will say to use a speed of 6. And let me tell you, there is a world of a difference between 5 and 6 on the PC ... the thing cranks up exponentially!! :woohoo:



Before I started with the PC, I did a lot of searching both for general PC tips as well as for specific tips on applying the product I was going to use (I've appplied #83, SSR 2.5, #80, AIO, VM, RMG, and CMW by PC).



In terms of general PC tips, here's some I picked up (as well as who gave the tip in the first place):



(1) don't use the side handle (Scottwax) ... put one hand on top of the PC to apply some pressure and use your other hand to grip the body of the PC. Accumulator also said he doesn't use the side handle. On my first use of the PC, I went without the side handle, and it worked fine ... no problems.



(2) when POLISHING, apply some pressure on the PC (just enough to bog the motor then let up slightly) and work slowly. If you just use the weight of the machine, low speed and move it real quickly across the surface, you are just wasting your time (Scottwax).



For applying a LSP, you don't want to use any pressure on the PC ... just the weight of the machine itself will be fine.



(3) in general, you want to use more polish, rather than less. This is the opposite of applying a wax or sealant where you want to go as thin as possible. Misting the pad with a QD or water will help prime the pad until it's "seasoned" with your polish. Apply the polish the first time in a cross, X, circle, 4 blobs, etc. If you're doing a circle, X, or cross, apply a line about as thick as what you squeeze out of a tube of toothpaste. When the pad is "seasoned," you can reduce the amount put on the pad by half.



You can also use QD to bring out more of the polish that's in the pad once it's been seasoned (tip from Patrick). This will help you from using a ton of polish on a car (most people here use between 2-4 oz. of polish for a detail).



(4) when the product is on the pad, smear it around on the section you're going to do with the PC off. For polishing (with the pad contacting the surface), do a couple quick passes (4-6" per second) at a speed of 4-5 to spread the polish out, and then do a couple slow passes (1-2" per second) at a speed of 5-6. Overlap each pass by 50%. Don't lift the PC off of the surface until after you've turned it off (unless you want splatter everywhere :)).



How long you work the product really depends on the product itself ... in general, you don't want to work it until it dusts, but you can get more info pretty easily if you do a search on the specific polish you're looking to use (I always do a pretty thorough search first before using a product to get application tips). There's TONS of info here.



Here's a couple good threads with pictures to give you an idea of working the polish and when to remove:



http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49110

http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=47155

http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=47421



When applying your LSP by PC, you want to use a speed of 3-4.



(5) the best tip I saw came from the Megs forum and sort of sums this all up ... when polishing, work a SMALL area (no more than 2' x 2'), keep the PC speed UP, and keep your arm speed SLOW.



By no means will this make you an instant expert. Reading can only do so much, but I hope it helps! The refining and perfecting of your technique can only come from :waxing:
 
SG is just another wax, sort of a topper wax and some people like to layer it, a personal thing. Use the same setting as any wax, #3 with a finishing pad and almost no pressure and work quickly, all you are doing is using the PC to lay a consistant thin layer, massaging it in doesn't do any good. After you put wax on, you can get an mf bonnet and use that to remove wax, personally by that time I'm so tired of holding on that thing I just do it by hand. If you do that, put it on #4, use a stiffer pad that's clean (otherwise it will make a mess) and you'll have to apply some pressure to remove the wax, just enough top get it off, some products like SG require more effort than others.





As for the video, what I would do different is put the product as close to the edge as possible in a circle and none in the middle as the PC draws product towards the center leaving the edges dry. Also, #83 is a diminishing abbrasive meaning that it breaks down as you use it. To keep it from breaking down in one small area you want to spread it out first by dabbing it on different parts of that fender and then working a small area at a time. I know this is contrary to what other products recomend but other products don't have diminishing abbrasives like some of my rotary polishes which I spread while the buffer is running.
 
thanks Buellwinkle, i was doing the X pattern on the pad but like you said, the outter edges wer'nt getting any product....





Shiny Lil Detlr said:
Again I'll link you to my video; this is a Meg's G-100 (PC 7336SP) with a 6.5" Meg's W-8006 polishing pad and #83 DACP. I'm working it at speed 6. Ignore the middle where I hold it in one spot to prove the point that it can't burn paint lol



http://hahn-on-the.net/TBECentral/pcdemo.wmv (8.91 MB)
Click to expand...

at about the 1:38 min. mark... is that how quick you should be going with the Wax/Sealent?
 
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