First time with rotary: Mixed results, have some Q's

[**Frank**]

Background



My lovely wife bought me a Mikita 9227 CX3 (with compounding and polishing wool pads) rotary for Christmas . I have a PC and have used it on several of our vehicles with great success.



The victim is a 2000 Ford Ranger that's been neglected pretty much all it's life. The clear coat is damaged from a bad hail storm that hit us years ago, it pretty much needs to be repainted. This is the vehicle we take to the movies, dinner etc places where you rack up door dings etc. Perfect platform to experiment with the new rotary.



Hardware



Makita 9227

Porter Cable 9424



Process



PB SSS with Grout sponge

PB SSS for clay lube w/ Zaino Z18 Clay Bar



Makita Compounding Wool Pad w/ PB SSR 2.5

Makita Polishing Wool Pad w/ PB SSR 1



LC FLat Orange w/ PB SSR 2 (new formula)

LC Flat White w/ PB SSR 1

LC CCS Blue w/ PB EX-P



Wheels and Tires



PB APC 1:2

PB Wheel Cleaner

PB BNB dressing



As I pulled it in from the outside, was snowing

The easy part, wheels and tires

Close up of test panel

After wash and claybar

1st Round at compounding, 1500 RPM

you can clearly see the damage from the hail

Polishing, started at 1500 with not good results. Lowered to 600 rpm, slightly better. 600rpm section at center of door

At this point I was starting to get frustrated. The polishing wool pad wasn't polishing, you could still clearly see swirl marks left behind. So as sanity check I decided to break out the PC. I started with orange pad and SSR 2.5. The results are what I expected, so the sanity check worked. I also tried a new orange pad with the new formulation of SSR 2 and it almost seemed like the white pad wasn't even needed because the finish was so good.

Followed up with white and SSR 1, again results I expected.

Final product with EX-P applied with LC blue CCS pad with PC at lowest setting

bead check

Observations/Notes



After a bit of a rough start I got a handle of the rotary. I didn't apply more pressure than necessary. I wasn't using nearly as much pressure as compared to the PC. I let the rotary do the work.



I have never used a wool pad before. They sure do shed A LOT. Is this normal? From some of the vids posted here, and on Youtube it doesn't seem to be. Do the wool pads need to be broken in?



Not sure what I was doing wrong with the rotary. Could the pads be the culprit? Technique? RPM?



A local NAPA sells 3M rotary pads, I'm tempted to go pick up a few to give those a whirl.



Any input is greatly appreciated!



Thanks for looking



heh, maybe I should look at the stickys



http://www.autopia.org/forum/machine-polishing/12377-rotary-usage.html

 

[Joshs2013MSAltimaSL]

I'm also kind of new to the rotary, so maybe I can give you a few pointers that have helped me. The first thing is that a new wool pad, IME, will shed a little bit so I wouldn't worry about that. Second, I wouldn't use any kind of wool pad for anything other than compounding. There may be something I'm missing, but I will use a polishing foam pad for polishing. My general process is M105/wool, M205/white CCS, and then 3M Ultrafine/blue CCS. The amount of marring that you got looks like you didn't have enough polish between the pad and paint. Your RPMs are fine at 1500. Also, the next time you practice, try doing it on a flat surface instead of a vertical surface. Let me know how it goes!

 

[Flashtime]

Wool pads generally do shed a lot when new. Best to spur tool first.



And despite what many say (and do), you can get very good results with low rpms.

I do all my compounding at around 1000rpm; more controlled pressure, less

splatter, less wool pad marring and safer. And, ultimately, faster by cutting cleaner

which makes the following steps easier. And after you're satisfied with this step,

use a good middle polish like M205 with a white LC pad. Check work; if good, then

move on to your final polish with a finish foam pad.

 

[alloutdetailing]

I'm somewhat on my venture of learning the rotory as well. I was using low rpms assuming that it would be better but I have found like it being faster works better for me. Also finding the right finishing pad helps a whole lot.



I start off with the wool pad and some Ardex 1000 then finish with a white Ardex foam pad and some glaze from a local detailing supply company of I use Ardex Highline glaze. I am far from being a good buffer but since the few weeks I have been on this board I have seem much better results going faster rpms then slower. goodluck!

 

[Flashtime]

If you're new to a rotary, it's best to start low and 900 - 1500rpm can be fine.

There is no absolute speed or combo. Lower is safer but not necessarily slower.



A rotary is efficient and not as dangerous as many make it out to be.

 

[Cleaning Fool]

Upgrade to some better wool