PC 7424 / pads / polish help !!!

S

schybrid

New member
I'm planning on getting the PC 7424.

someone please give me a direct idea of what type of pads to get and where.2ndly, what type of polish do i use for mild swirls? Do you use the same polish for different pads? or do you use different polish with different pads. I also want a polish / sealant that doesnt get dusty. someone please help me before my head explodes......



also whats the diff between 7424 vs 7336 PC ?





also , where can i get the PC and pads locally , in miami florida ? pepboys ?
 
I can give you my .02 worth:



- I'd start with the following Lake Country pads: Orange (light cutting), White (polishing), and Gray (finishing). I prefer the 5.5" and 4" pads for the PC



- For mild swirls I really like Meguiar's #80. #83 is great for moderate swirls, but is a little trickier to use with a PC. It takes practice but once mastered, both are excellent with little to no dusting in my experience. Pretty much every serious line out there has a good polish for swirls - just pick a line and go with it.



- The only places I've found pads stocked locally are at automotive paint supply stores. Autopia-carcare.com, Autogeek.net and autodetailingsolutions.com are some great online retailers. You can get some nice package deals for a PC, polish, and pad combo.



Good luck :D
 
YouTube - Car polishing featuring Porter Cable 7424



ok, found a good video to sum it up on using the PC 7424, but need a little help on which type of polish to use. also, I do use different polish with the different pads , correect?



orange = moderate polish

white= finish polish

gray = finish polish



then i can wax with a blue pad ? correct ?



does the Pc actually work good or is it crap ? and how about the 7336 ?

oh, thanks for the reply, i appreciate it alot.:xyxthumbs
 
Yep, that's the same video I watched when I started out.



PC works great, but your results will depend greatly on your technique:

- Amount of product used

- Amount of pressure applied

- Size of area worked

- Cleanliness of pad

- Product / Pad selection



Your pad/product selection is a good starting point. You can use a white pad with a moderate polish to finish up cleaner, or you can use an orange pad with a mild polish for a little more cut. Also, I use the grey pad for spreading around wax, works just fine.



The key is to experiment alot and see what you like and don't like. Be patient and don't get discouraged :D



Here's my tips for using the PC 7424



- Use the right amount of product. In most cases it's less than you think. I use mostly Meguiar's products and typically use 2 or 3 pea-sized drops of product on a pad.



- Put a mark on the pad so you can tell if it's rotating or not. If you are using the right amount of pressure it should rotate 1-2 times per second. If it's not rotating, the pad is gummed up or you are applying too much pressure



- Keep the pad clean. Hold a terry cloth towel against the spinning pad after each application of product to clean it on the fly. If the pad gets gummed up, the pad won't spin and the polish won't break down. If the pad gets gummed up, swap it out for a fresh pad.



- Work the product long enough to break it down. If it's hard to wipe off the residue, you haven't worked it long enough.



I've never used the PC 7336, so I'm not sure what the difference is.



When I first started using the PC, I was frustrated because I wasn't getting any correction. My main problem was using way too much product and gumming up the pad. The mark on the pad helped me see that the pad wasn't rotating and that's how I discovered I was using too much product. I also was afraid to work the product too long and it was very hard to remove the residue.



ALSO - be sure to use *High Quality* micro fiber towels to wipe off the polish residue. The Cheap-o towels you can get at the auto parts store will mar the surface again!
 
it's not too late to think about the flex, i've never used it, but from what I understand, it has more power for correction, and the dual action will keep you safer from errors that would be possible with a rotary.

i've had great correcting ability with 4" pads, but it just takes a long time. i think at this point, only having the PC a year and a half, i'd bump up to the flex.
 
ok heres what i came up with so far, let me know.



LAKE COUNTRY PADS

Yellow = severe swirl / scratches

Orange = moderate swirl / scratches

White = mild swirl / scratches

Gray = wax / sealant apply, no cut

Blue = wax apply



POLISH

Swirl remover

Finishing

Sealant

Wax



TOWELS

Microfiber towles

Lambswool pad LC-77-216, remove wax

Cobra microfiber bonnet,MB-1010,orange,covers lambswool





Wash car

Dry

Clay car

Mark pads(to show they’re rotating)

Apply small amounts of polish(note)



1. setup lighting

2. blue tape

3. Orange pad(swirl remover polish) #3 speed, 3-4 passes to apply.

4. Then #5 speed,work 4-5 passes.

5. Check swirls, rework if needed.



6. White pad(finish polish) #3 speed,3-4 passes to apply.

7. Then #5 speed,work 4-5 passes.

8. Check polished,rework if needed or hazing.



9. Blue pad(wax) #3 apply to coat.

10. Lambswool pad w / cobra bonnet to remove. Or towels to remove. # 4-5 speed.
 
doesnt the PC 7424 use 6'' pads. why does everyone keep referring to 4'' pads ? If I'm using the PC7424, cant i use the 6'' pads anyway, they should be safe becaasueits not rotary , right ?

also, is the PC gonna work, or is it a waste of time ?
 
you don't as good a correction with the 6" pads the 4" pads have much more cut then their 6" counter part. with the pc i only use 4". i got the flex da and i like it much better than the pc. i never really got any real correction with the 6" pads on my pc. i also got the flex edge adapter for the flex so i could use my 4" pads with it so far have not really found a need for the 4" thus far. if you can afford it i would serious look at the flex instead of the pc.
 
The 4" pads will correct faster and make the pc handle better. If the 6" pads work for you then use that. Even with 4" pads it will be hard to damage the paint. There are a lot of people on here who use the PC and get excellent results. I used my UDM and it got some of the swirls out but I was only using a medium polish with an orange pad. It all depends on how hard your clearcoat is. Just do a test spot on the car and to see if it removes all of the defects, and if not get a more aggressive polish and/or pads.
 
schybrid said:
doesnt the PC 7424 use 6'' pads. why does everyone keep referring to 4'' pads ?..........
Click to expand...
You can use any size pad you want as long as the Backing Plate matches up to it. People talk about the 4" pads because they will correct defects faster than the larger pads. There for a while all we had were 6" (and larger) pads. Now 4" pads have become popular with some of us because they correct faster.
.....also, is the PC gonna work, or is it a waste of time ?
Click to expand...
The PC is a good tool to have and learn on, but there are other polishers that will outperform it. You might want to consider the Flex 3403, it is more expensive but offers a lot more power. Do a search on it in the Machine Polishing forum and you'll find lots of info. Eventually a lot of PC users make the jump to a rotary, but it does take some skill/practice or you can do some damage.



You might want to read the following guide:



http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/images/misc/dapolishing.pdf
 
I have been using my PC with Lake country CCS 5.5" pads, I have a couple of yellow, lots of orange, white and gray. For polish I have had great results with Prima Swirl and Danase Swirl Abolishers

I would get some 4" pads for some of the stubborn scratches. Good luck
 
schybrid said:
Mark pads(to show they’re rotating)
Click to expand...



Just to make sure, you mark the backing plate and not the actual pad. I write the size of the BP on it with a sharpie to kill two birds with one stone.
 
snowskate said:
Just to make sure, you mark the backing plate and not the actual pad. I write the size of the BP on it with a sharpie to kill two birds with one stone.
Click to expand...

you kill birds ? and 2 for that matter ?:hide:
 
Hey all, I just wanted to thank yas for this read. About to buy a 7424 myself and was always way confused on the pads. In good shape now. :)
 
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