Flex Technique
- Thread starter Cactus1
- Start date
Bunky
Detailing Gnosis
You use it like a PC.
Accumulator
Well-known member
Heh heh, a whole lotta people here have a *LOT* more experience with the Flex than I do 
But anyhow..
"Let the product do the work" is one of those dictums that sounds great, and I tell people that too. But IME it isn't always practical in actual application. I usually apply pressure, sometimes quite a bit.
But I don't get really extreme about it. And, perhaps most importantly, I try to only apply pressure when the pad is flat, rather than when it's at an angle to the surface being worked (to avoid flexing the backing plate at an angle which would be more likely to press it against the felt ring).
IMO you don't ever want to apply so much pressure that you cause interference between the backing plate and the felt ring (much less the machine's metal housing). I've always suspected that some (many? most?) of the Flex durability issues are related to operators applying excessive pressure, especially with the pad/plate at an angle.
While KMBing generally *does* involve a good bit of applied pressure, and yeah, that method works great with the Flex 3401, you don't want to overdo it lest you get backing plate failures and/or premature/excessive wear on the machine's ring gear.
When people talk about cooking the felt ring, or grinding up the back of the backing plate, or seeing smoke....eh, I figure they're a short ways away from a major Flex failure. I don't mind using my equipment hard, but blatant abuse usually comes back to bite you.
But anyhow.."Let the product do the work" is one of those dictums that sounds great, and I tell people that too. But IME it isn't always practical in actual application. I usually apply pressure, sometimes quite a bit.
But I don't get really extreme about it. And, perhaps most importantly, I try to only apply pressure when the pad is flat, rather than when it's at an angle to the surface being worked (to avoid flexing the backing plate at an angle which would be more likely to press it against the felt ring).
IMO you don't ever want to apply so much pressure that you cause interference between the backing plate and the felt ring (much less the machine's metal housing). I've always suspected that some (many? most?) of the Flex durability issues are related to operators applying excessive pressure, especially with the pad/plate at an angle.
While KMBing generally *does* involve a good bit of applied pressure, and yeah, that method works great with the Flex 3401, you don't want to overdo it lest you get backing plate failures and/or premature/excessive wear on the machine's ring gear.
When people talk about cooking the felt ring, or grinding up the back of the backing plate, or seeing smoke....eh, I figure they're a short ways away from a major Flex failure. I don't mind using my equipment hard, but blatant abuse usually comes back to bite you.
superchargedg
Twin Turbos
Since i have had my flex when they first came out ....i have had no problems when using just a little pressure.I let the polish and pad combo do the work and at odd angles i dont use much pressure at all.
BostonDuce
New member
Make sure the felt ring is oiled if you intend on using any type of downwards pressure.
Hard to explain, but I watch the compression of the foam pad as I polish. I try to keep about a 3/8" to 1/2" overall height to the pad which when unloaded, is about an inch. I don't use wool pads with the Flex, only foam.
On my final pass with a glaze or final polish, I support the Flex so the pad barely maintains flat contact with the paint (pad height is just about full size). I particularly like the way you can push the Flex around the polishing area while keeping the pad flat, no matter what pressure you apply to it.
I'm basically on speed 6 unless I'm applying a LSP then it's a 3. I've used the flex for everything including applying paste wax.
I find the flex gets the job done much faster than my PC, and it has fully replaced my rotary (even using UF and the blue pad) for everything but basket cases.
BD
Hard to explain, but I watch the compression of the foam pad as I polish. I try to keep about a 3/8" to 1/2" overall height to the pad which when unloaded, is about an inch. I don't use wool pads with the Flex, only foam.
On my final pass with a glaze or final polish, I support the Flex so the pad barely maintains flat contact with the paint (pad height is just about full size). I particularly like the way you can push the Flex around the polishing area while keeping the pad flat, no matter what pressure you apply to it.
I'm basically on speed 6 unless I'm applying a LSP then it's a 3. I've used the flex for everything including applying paste wax.
I find the flex gets the job done much faster than my PC, and it has fully replaced my rotary (even using UF and the blue pad) for everything but basket cases.
BD
BostonDuce
New member
jose206 said:
Everything from daily driver commercial vehicles to 5 year old super-car museum queens with 1500 miles on them.
You just need to match up the job to the polish and pad.
BD
Atlantic Euro
New member
For me, the Flex is pretty effective without any significant pressure. Occasionally I lean on it a little, but I'd be careful, especially if you're in the more aggressive spectrum of polish/pad.
Accumulator
Well-known member
Even though I haven't used my rotaries since getting the Flex, I wouldn't *sell* a rotary (or a PC, or anything else) just because I bought a Flex. Both have their place, and IMO it'd be like selling a set of open-end wrenches because you bought a socket set.
rwisejr
New member
Accumulator said:
I agree !! You must have the proper tools for the task at hand !!