No air compressor to clean pads after a panel

K

Kolokefalo

New member
I will soon be trying my first machine polish with pc and hd UNO. Are the pad cleaners which look like spurs good enough to clean the pad between panels?
 
Foam pads? MF pads?



Depends on the type of pads which method is best to clean them. Personally on foam I would reach for a denture brush or something similar.
 
You can use a clean semi-stiff brush to remove the built up clear coat/paint from your pad. The more often you use it, the better your polishing process will be.
 
Yeah, even though I have a good air system, I often just clean foam pads with a brush and/or cotton or MF towels. Spritzimg the pad with a "clean" QD like M34 can help too.



I will say that I'm using the compressor more now that I'm using so many products with nondiminishing abrasives, maybe investing in a compressor would be something worth budgeting for. They're handy for all sorts of things.
 
Thanks for the replies! This will be my first ever attempt at paint correction so I can't trust my eyes or hands to tell when the pad is clogged up. I have been reading the newbir guides and I am planning on brushing the pads after every 1/2 panel. Sound wise?
 
Kolokefalo said:
Thanks for the replies! This will be my first ever attempt at paint correction so I can't trust my eyes or hands to tell when the pad is clogged up.,,[so]..I am planning on brushing the pads after every 1/2 panel. Sound wise?
Click to expand...



Yeah, best to err on the side of caution until you're more familiar with the whole thing. Especially since most people start out using too much product (hint hint ;) even though they also don't prime the pads properly (hint hint hint).



BTW, the above was mostly geared towards the newer nondiminishing-abrasive products, and optinions seem to differ on priming the pads with UNO.
 
Could you guys give examples of the brushes you use to clean your pads? I've used a mf towel or a terrycloth towel when they were really getting caked and want to use a brush so I don't go through so many pads/vehicle.
 
Unlike that nice fancy thing David Fermani uses, I have an old toothbrush-style brush with pretty stiff plastic bristles. No idea where/when I got it though :nixweiss Probably came in one of those three-packs with steel, brass, and plastic bristle brushes.



IMO you want something pretty stiff (no, it doesn't tear up the pads IME) with somewhat widely-spaced bristles (too densely packed and the polish clogs things up).
 
Accumulator said:
Unlike that nice fancy thing David Fermani uses, I have an old toothbrush-style brush with pretty stiff plastic bristles.
Click to expand...



Actually, I prefer using an Air Compressor. :eyebrows:
 
David Fermani said:
Actually, I prefer using an Air Compressor. :eyebrows:
Click to expand...



Yeah, I hear ya....I started using mine more and more after discussing it with KB, even though I'm not all that thrilled by the thought of the blown-off [stuff] floating all around the shop and then settling on everything (including the other vehicles).



While it's easy for me to spend somebody else's money, I really do consider a compressor pretty much mandatory for a car-guy's shop...for all sorts of reasons.
 
Accumulator said:
Yeah, I hear ya....I started using mine more and more after discussing it with KB, even though I'm not all that thrilled by the thought of the blown-off [stuff] floating all around the shop and then settling on everything (including the other vehicles).
Click to expand...



That's why you should either have a dedicated bay, or a prep station with curtains to cordon off your work area from the rest of the shop...
 
Accumulator said:
Yeah, I hear ya....I started using mine more and more after discussing it with KB, even though I'm not all that thrilled by the thought of the blown-off [stuff] floating all around the shop and then settling on everything (including the other vehicles).
Click to expand...



Exactly. I discuss this concern with my cleints and is one of the biggest reasons why they prefer having me do their vehicles @ my place.
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
That's why you should either have a dedicated bay, or a prep station with curtains to cordon off your work area from the rest of the shop...
Click to expand...



A curtain in Accumulator's holy detail sanctuary?? :censored:
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
That's why you should either have a dedicated bay, or a prep station with curtains to cordon off your work area from the rest of the shop...
Click to expand...



Yeah...back when I had the commericial building I did such things right, had a separate room for the jobs that really mattered.



At my current (home) shop, I have a dedicated bay, but the shop just isn't set up to accommodate a partition (cathedral ceiling, etc.) and I have too many vehicles jammed in there. There're a few coulda-woulda-shoulda lessons there :o



Fortunately, I seldom do any correction these days. If I were doing it more often I'd run some cables so I could use curtains when really necessary.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top