Judge my polishing technique!

J

joyriiide1113

New member
I've been using a rotory for a little over 2 years almost 3. My technique has changed, gone back, altered, then changed again. This is a recent clip I took of me polishing and included in a thread I made of the detail.



What do you folks think I'm doing good and think I could do better with. David, which gave me some good advice, feels I could have kept polishing longer, but I really stop once all I see is a slight residue on the paint. You think I could move faster? Smaller or larger area?



Ignore my silly head movements, I'm sure we all do something funny while polishing (I've seen Todd stick his tongue out in some pics).



 
Looks good. Not really work it longer (at high speed), but stage it down, reducing the speed as you get to your final speed. I usually:

1- spread @ 1 (a few passes)

2- bring it up to 3-3.5 (until broken down)

3- reduce to 3 (a few passes)

4- reduce to 2.5 (a few passes)

5- reduce to ~2 (a few passes)



I usually keep my finger on the dial and adjust speeds w/o lifting the buffer (trigger locked). I kinda go by feel and sound of the buffer too.
 
David Fermani said:
Looks good. Not really work it longer (at high speed), but stage it down, reducing the speed as you get to your final speed. I usually:

1- spread @ 1 (a few passes)

2- bring it up to 3-3.5 (until broken down)

3- reduce to 3 (a few passes)

4- reduce to 2.5 (a few passes)

5- reduce to ~2 (a few passes)



I usually keep my finger on the dial and adjust speeds w/o lifting the buffer (trigger locked). I kinda go by feel and sound of the buffer too.
Click to expand...





Weird how I didn't understand that? I guess a few extra passes at each speed would result in a longer working time.
 
Yep I stick out my tongue...



A couple things (but obviously what you are doing works, because you turn out great work, so take it for what its worth).



Use the trigger lock, and use your thumb to adjust the speed. This way you never have to lift the polisher to adjust the speed (which kind of looks funny, IMO) and makes the process a little longer.



For working SIP, your work time seemed pretty spot on. About a minute or so. Your arm speed is perfect, and even buffing at tough angles (since the bottom of the C3's doors curve back in) you have great control over the polisher, your actual technique look's perfect.



For myself to get that control down that low, I usually have to stand up and "back hand" polish the door, almost holding the polisher upside down.



I would recommend switching to the 7.5 inch beveled edge pads. The "print" of the pad is similar to the 6 inch pad (because the edges curve up), so the control is the same, but the lack of a "hard" edge digging into the paint really reduces the chance for hologramming.



I'm jealous of the car, a C3 Stingray in Marlboro Red, with side pipes? Wow, that is the perfect Corvette and a serious classic!



Great job
 
you seemed to have the touch. i couldn't figure this out when i started learning. i would push and push and push and the rotary would hop all over the place. the biggest step in developing my technique was to ease up and let the buffer glide. once you zone into that feeling it almost becomes second nature.



overall, nice technique...no bad habits that i could see of.



also, getting down low for side panels in a must. standing up and turning the polisher upside down increases your risks of having an accident. i saw one guy doing this catch the -power cord in the rotary...luckily he wasn't injured but it looked as if it nearly took his arm off :shocked
 
Nice video and beautiful car

Differences to my technique -



2 mins working time - I spend three to four and a half minutes with all Menzerna polishes and finish at 900 to 1100 and then 600 to 750

You move the machine a little too quick and do not do enough vertical passes



I like to do a horizontal and a vertical then switch between the two again and again

Just doing horizontal doesn't guarantee complete scratch removal. Some are one direction, some the other
 
SVR said:
Nice video and beautiful car

Differences to my technique -



2 mins working time - I spend three to four and a half minutes with all Menzerna polishes and finish at 900 to 1100 and then 600 to 750

You move the machine a little too quick and do not do enough vertical passes



I like to do a horizontal and a vertical then switch between the two again and again

Just doing horizontal doesn't guarantee complete scratch removal. Some are one direction, some the other
Click to expand...



Since the buffer is spinning at 360 degrees and is making equal contact on the both sides of the bad, the direction of the pass isn't that important...
 
TH0001 said:
Since the buffer is spinning at 360 degrees and is making equal contact on the both sides of the bad, the direction of the pass isn't that important...
Click to expand...



Correct - a lot of guys will do their intermediate polishing horizontally, then their final polishing vertically, so if there are buffer trails, they will be able to tell which process created them.
 
Ok then it's just a difference of technique. its very easy doing up and down passes, hold the head of the machine and glide it
 
Man, you make it look so effortless.



Anyone new to a rotary should watch this. Great example of how to do it right. Now just put a piece of sheep on the business end, and you'll be set! ;)
 
Sorry Todd but that is a second generation Corvette or a C2. Side exhaust was introduced in 1965 and continued until the end of the C2 in 1967. From the video it looks like Joy is working on a '66 or '67. Nice work, looks like you have the techniques down quite well.
 
Seeing someone that knows how to work a rotary really makes the process look effortless.



Contrasting this video with someone who doesn't know what they are doing really highlights all the differences.



I think that everyone has just about hit the nail on the head with your technique.



To refine what Todd said about speed control, I would start spreading your polish with your highest speed already selected. Just feather the trigger to keep the speed in check while you are spreading, then engage it all the way with the trigger lock. After that you need only slowly dial down the speed with every pass with your thumb, that way you don't have to stop. You will get to learn by the sound alone where you are as far as polisher speed by doing it this way. Hopefully that helps to refine your process a little bit more.
 
Wow, as a rotary newbie, I find this video extremely useful....and very surprising. I had no idea that you would work the polish that long! I thought using a rotary would take half the time, or less, than a PC. That doesn't seem possible if you have to work it this long (especially at 1500 rpm's). :nixweiss
 
Something nobody has brought up...



Ear plugs.



I'm only 21, and I can honestly tell that my machines are hurting my ears in a few different ways. Lots of ringing lately, not good. Too much polishing.:buffing:



Seriously though. Do it.
 
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