It Came Today

Z

ZaneO

New member
Well my Hitachi rotary and flexible backing plate came in today! :D



My car wasn't clean, but I quickly QD'd a couple of areas so I could practice. Considering I've never used a rotary before, I think my first outing was a success. I used a finishing pad and PO106FF starting at ~800 rpm and then at ~1200 rpm. The finish was smooth, clear, and free of holograms.



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Overall, the rotary was easy to use, but it seemed to "tug" a little when moving the same direction it spins. How can I minimize this?
 
I think an orange pad would be killer on a rotary-due to the fact that it tends to soak up product. The hardest thing is to reduce or eliminate splatter. Too much product and it just slings. The slight concave nature of the Edge cutting pads work great to reduce splatter IMO.
 
I applied a thin line of product across the pad and spread it over the panel with the machine turned off. I had zero splatter.
 
Zane: Stunning shot!





Keep the pad dead flat with zero pressure. Flat buffing pads work much better.





Once your pad is primed, you will buff much easier. If you want a smooth (est) buffing experience, put some Optimum Polish on there :).





106FF likes to be run at 1200 or 1500. Run Optimum at 1200.
 
I washed the car this morning and got some more practice in with the rotary.



The process was pretty similar - PO106FF with finishing pad at 1200 rpm.



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I'm starting get a much better feel for the machine and how to "move" it.
 
Cracking pics there mate! :2thumbs:



When I first got my rotary, I experimented around with doing things deliberately wrongly so I could see how the machine responded in these situations to gauge what the machine responses were telling me... I found that if I tried to fight the rotary and steer it with my hand on the head of the tool, it would tug and pull at me. If however, I simply used my hand on the head as a pressure weight, and steered with my back hand and went with the flow of the tool it was nice and easy to use.



Also, far too much product or not enough produce caused the machine to hop up and down - buffer hop, which also contributed to a tugging effect.
 
ZanoO- Glad you like the rotary, bet you wonder how you got by without it. Those are great results and just go to show what a rotary-newbie *with the right mindset* can accomplish :xyxthumbs
 
ZaneO, Cant wait too see some of your future click and brags using the Hitachi! Congrats on the new tool, looks like your getting use too it fast!
 
Zane,



Nice work. I love using a rotory vs a pc. It's just more comfortable to me.



Is that the factory paint on your Z?
 
Very cool Zane. I have been throwing around the idea of getting a Hitachi but I just don't polish my GTO enough to need it.



Keep us posted on how you feel about the rotary. Did you just jump right in and use your gut instincts or had you seen one used before?
 
Thanks for the feedback, guys!



Way2SSlow - unfortunately, I had most of the car repainted 6 years ago due to a hail storm.



Tyler - I've done lots of reading about proper rotary usage, but other than that, I've never used one. I decided that a finishing pad and slow speed would be safe to "jump in" on my car.



I'll have a practice hood by this weekend, so I can start working on major correction with the rotary. It will also make a good canvas for product testing.



:waxing:
 
ZaneO said:
Tyler - I've done lots of reading about proper rotary usage, but other than that, I've never used one. I decided that a finishing pad and slow speed would be safe to "jump in" on my car.



I'll have a practice hood by this weekend, so I can start working on major correction with the rotary. It will also make a good canvas for product testing.



:waxing:
Click to expand...



That's really cool... I think you'll definitely be able to take your details to the next level, especially considering the number of Corvettes and other newer GM's you do. Should save you a LOT of time, too. I'm anxious to see some details! :2thumbs:
 
Stop the teasing !!! I got my PC two weeks ago, now I want a rotary ! ( Must resist )

A full shot would be nice to see
 
Rafa said:
Stop the teasing !!! I got my PC two weeks ago, now I want a rotary ! ( Must resist )

A full shot would be nice to see
Click to expand...



Didn't take a full car shot today, but here's one from a couple of weeks ago:



OCWSOUVERANAW023small.jpg
 
Good Lord every time I see that picture I think to myself I am looking at a brand new car, not one that's 13 years old. I think the tint really helps add a dramatic contrast. Awesome. How's the OP close up after the repaint? Sure looks good from here.
 
BlackSunshine said:
Good Lord every time I see that picture I think to myself I am looking at a brand new car, not one that's 13 years old. I think the tint really helps add a dramatic contrast. Awesome. How's the OP close up after the repaint? Sure looks good from here.
Click to expand...



Thank you very much :hifive:



It's definitely not perfect, but you can't see that stuff in pictures. The OP is less than factory, but I think the prep work might have been better (smoother base) on the repainted areas.
 
So, is Scottwax next?



Big bauls to try it on your own ride!



Practice, practice! Drivers call it 'seat time'.



Good Luck!



Jim
 
Thanks, Jim. :) I figured my approach on my car was about as mild as I could go. I plan on lots of practice before going full tilt on a customer's vehicle.
 
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