I have used Rotary Buffers for probably more years than most on this forum and I dont ever create swirls, holograms, or any of this stuff.
My advice is to:
Know what type of paint you are going to be working on if possible - is it really hard or a softer clear on top
Keep the buffer moving the entire time it is on the paint surface, except when you start it.
Use clean lubricated pads
Use enough clean lubricated pads to complete the project which will be more than 2-3 pads
Use enough light so that you can actually see the material "flashing" and then starting to dry
Use slower speeds except at the polishing/jeweling stage where you can run it up to say "3" on a Makita9227c.
Learn what the polish/pad combination feels like as it goes through the cutting stage, to the polishing stage, to the finishing stage, where the material will almost all be off the paint and on the pad, and this is where you stop, wipe off the area treated, look at the work you just did, and either clean the pad, re-wet it, or get another one.
In my experience, any of the holograms, swirls, etc., in the paint that one creates is because of dirty, dry, drying pads, and if the surface is not cleaned and clayed, this also adds more junk that gets swirled around.
Think of the paint as one big surface that you are Polishing to perfection - what would you use to do it, and how aggressive and later gentle, would you be with the surface as you brought it up from extremely scratched to a beautiful finish - this is what you are doing.
The slower speeds on a Rotary are easier to control the machine and get the pad in places where a really high speed would cut too fast and remove too much material off.
Here are a couple of examples, I hope to be able to post up soon -
2002 Lexus, Jet Black, 88k miles, never been detailed by a professional -
I tried Orange flat classic with Meguiars 105, Meguiars M34 detailing spray for lube, and it turned out very messy, did cut some of the defects out, but ended up being too labor intensive and unworkable.
Took a L/C Purple Foam/Wool Pad with same M105, and it cut the defects all the way down in 1-2 passes and I was able to finish it off to a beautiful gloss.
I went back and finished this all up with a L/C flat classic White pad and Menzerna P085rd and the gloss was even higher and clearer, so I stopped there.
2002 BMW M5, Jet Black, 60k miles, extremely scratched, swirled, paint, thin in many areas.
I initially wanted to use L/C Orange flat classic pad, with M105, but this soft paint was not really happy with the process and wanted to make a big swirly mess.
So I tried another clean pad, L/C Orange Flat Classic with M205, a much easier working compound, and it worked beautifully. I had to really lean on the Rotary initially to get the 205 to cut harder, but I was able to get out almost all but the deepest scratches and gloss it up as M205 normally does so well, when used with a lighter cutting pad. Did this for 2 or 3 passes, depending on the severity of the defects, and could bring a beautiful, clear, glossy finish to almost every panel, keeping in mind the paint was appearing thin in many places.
Each of these 2 vehicles got BlackFire Wet Diamond x 2 using the AutoGlym Foam Pad Applicator which worked very well and allowed me to really speed through the application, and then finished it all off with BlackFire Wet Diamond Wax x 1 with a regular foam applicator.
I also used a Meguiars G110V2 on both these vehicles, and it did work,but took too long, so I only used this machine on the smaller areas on the front and rear ends, and mirrors, and the trim pieces that run across the car from the A Pillars to the C Pillars.
I will always use a Rotary first choice because its much faster, but it also has its limitations on smaller areas, around any rubber trim, etc., where a smaller pad on a Random Orbital is easier to use and control, but just takes longer to get the same result.
That is how it works for me, your experience, and mileage may differ..
Dan F
j/k
