Moving from PC to Rotary

N

nate010753

New member
Thinking of selling my pc and getting a rotary. Or possibly keeping both. Reason being is I want to take my work up to the next level. I have some scrathces and water spots that I want to be able to at the very least make less visible if not totally remove. For the most part I have been happy with my pc and I think it is pretty great tool. I have had super results with it thus far but looking to kick it up a notch. I own a black car and I think I have done about as much as one possibly can with pc. I still have water spots that I can't get out. I typically use the Menzerna twins ( IP and FP) and yellow and orange CMA pads. I have recently dabbled with the Mezerna power gloss. This is something that a PC will not be able to break down ( yeah it was a pain discovering that) I used it on my friends 95 Mazda paint was totally sundamaged. I think it would have worked far better with a rotary. At any rate I was hoping somone out that that may have made the switch can share his/her experiences with the forum. I woould like to discuss things to watch out for and results noticed and maybe which rotary you opted to buy. I look forward to hearing your experiences.
 
Yeah, get the rotary, but KEEP the PC. They compliment each other; it's not an either/or choice. Even guys who swear by their rotaries for most everything (like Mike Phillips) still use the PC a lot.
 
Yeah I was sort of leaning in that direction using the pc for sealants and waxes and the rotary for compounding. Is the technique the same with the rotary?
 
I too would like to get a rotary to compliment my PC. Mainly just for those pesky spots that only I can see, and that a PC doesn't seem to have enough power to remove. But I can't justify the expense for a rotary (and old body panels to practice on) just for one or two cars.

Having said that, I have read posts comparing Menzerna polishes with Meg's DACP. They all said that DACP is more aggressive than Menzerna. This may help you out with your water spots. I am a firm believer in the power of DACP. I'd give that a try if I were you; a qt of DACP is only about $15. And DACP can be used with both machines. It may take a couple of passes with PC/cutting pad, but DACP may really remove or diminish the water spots to where you can live with them. Worked right (till powdery), it is an amazing product.

If (who am I kidding), when, I do get a rotary, my PC will probably still be used more. But that is because my car really only needs "maintained" now (except for some minor spots only "I" can see; my wife and friends can't see them, and they think I'm seeing things). But a rotary would be very nice on some of the vehicles I've done for others.



Dave
 
I finally stepped up to a rotary when I was helping out a friend with a badly neglected black Prelude. He was planning to get it repainted, but I wanted to see what I could do first. It had VERY bad watersots that would catch on your fingernails.



I tried 3M heavy cut compound with a wool pad and my PC and it didn't even touch it.



I didn't want to spend $200 for a rotary, but I happened to see one on sale for $30 at Harbor Freight Tools down the road. It's made by Chicago Electric (same as Chicago Pneumatic folks that supply a lot of auto manufacturers & body shops tools).



It's a variable speed (1000-3000), came with a backing plate and a wool pad, extra brushes, and felt pretty solid. I figured I'd give it a try for $30 and my friend didn't care if I screwed up his paint or not.



I've been pretty happy with it. It is heavy (9 lbs.) and it does slow down a bit when you apply pressure. It's loud too, so you may want to grab some earplugs while you're at it. I definitely got my $30 worth though. If you only plan to use a rotary occasionally, give it a shot. Don't sell the PC though. If you don't have a Harbor Freight near you, you can get them online. Looks like they aren't on sale anymore, but they are $50 now. I think shipping is free if you spend $50 too. If you want to go nuts and buy the Dewalt, they sell it for $150 which is the best price I have seen.



http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=46507
 
dengsxr said:
Yeah I was sort of leaning in that direction using the pc for sealants and waxes and the rotary for compounding. Is the technique the same with the rotary?
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Nah, it's different, primarily in that what works safely with the PC will cause DAMAGE with the rotary. Not the same margin of error. Gotta keep the rotary MOVING, for one thing, and there are a LOT of other usage "details" you gotta abide by.



Also, rotary-induced "holograms" are often best dealt with using polishes and the PC, another reason why you oughta have them both. Some people are SO good with a rotary that they don't get the "holograms", but that takes plenty of skill and experience.
 
Accumulator said:


Also, rotary-induced "holograms" are often best dealt with using polishes and the PC, another reason why you oughta have them both. Some people are SO good with a rotary that they don't get the "holograms", but that takes plenty of skill and experience.
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This is the exact reason I have both rotary and PC and use both on almost every detail job. The rotary can do things in a matter of minutes that would take hours with a PC. And there's some things a PC simply cannot do. Ya gotta have both.



Hologramming is a hit and miss thing with me. Since I can never know if my rotary work will result in hologramming, I always have the PC handy. The two machines work wonders.



A rotary is a big investment but I advise against buying a cheapo unless all you want to do is play with it before spending the real $$. Costco is selling the DeWalt DW849 for $155, an amazing price on prolly the best rotary you can buy. Add in a couple backing plates and some new pads and you're at $225-250.
 
Thanks for all the feedback guys it is much appreciated. Right now I really haven't much use for rotary and can't justify the expense. But I am looking into getting a classic car in the upcoming summer months and hopefully it will be just the excuse I need. I may look into getting a used one and was happy that bretfraz was able to give me a ballpark idea as to what a good price is on a new one.

For now I am just going to keep my eyes opened for a good deal. oh and find out what you guys meant by halogramming. I am sure there is lots of info on that here. thanks again.
 
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