PC polishing technique question

A

anubus12

New member
I am new to PC detailing and tried it out this past weekend. While I had pretty good results, I was not 100% sure what I should be doing with the PC.



I am using the 7336 with Propel 6.5" flat pads. When spreading compound on the paint surface or running the PC faster to polish, should I be putting enough pressure to make the pad as flat as possible and have the most surface area on the paint? Or should I be using the edges of the pad to work the compound?



What I noticed was that when I put the pad onto the back plate, the pad is "bowed" a bit in the center. Meaning, the edge of the pad is higher than the center of the pad. I wasn't sure if I should leave it this way and use just the edge or push hard enough to flatten out the pad while polishing (at 5-6 speed).
 
I put enough pressure to bog the machine down, then back up ever so slightly. Most of the work with a PC will be done toward the center of the pad anyways. You will get coverage all around but the workhorse is more towards the center of the pad.



Just put enough pressure on it to get things done. Smaller pads help tremendously.



Jim
 
When spreading the polish around at first, no need to apply any pressure. But when I polish apply a good amount of pressure, especially if the paint is tough. Also crank it up to 6 when polishing.
 
kleraudio said:
I put enough pressure to bog the machine down, then back up ever so slightly. Most of the work with a PC will be done toward the center of the pad anyways. You will get coverage all around but the workhorse is more towards the center of the pad.



Just put enough pressure on it to get things done. Smaller pads help tremendously.



Jim
Click to expand...



That's exactly how I do it, too. Bog the machine down, then ease up til it's operating properly and keep that same weight on it while you work the polish. I usually use speed 6, too.
 
As others have already mentioned, moderate to heavy pressure is definitely a must in performing all but the most minor paint corrections, especially if you are using a bigger pad. I actually prefer to use the smaller 3 or 4 inch pads because I feel that it is more effective at removing swirls and I can get at alot of places that the bigger pads can't. Even if the bigger pads are able to reach a certain area I find that the majority of times it is impossible to apply adequate pressure and I end up trying to work on the edge of the pad instead. Just be sure to lighten up on the pressure once the polish starts to break down though. Also, when you step down to a finishing polish, much less pressure will be needed on the head of the machine at this point since all your trying to do now is finesse the paint to bring back the gloss.
 
yes the videos are very nice. I learned from them that I sometimes I go too fast to get maximum correction as well as I do not apply enough pressure. Very usefull.



Also I have noticed that a quick spray of some distilled water on the pad before starting help reduce/eliminate dusting.



Cheers



Nick
 
I recently switched to 4" pads for correction and find that you don't need nearly as much pressure as the 6.5". I put 6.5" back on when appling glaze or sealant. Just be careful you don't apply too much pressure and bog the motor down - it should still move freely.
 
do you change the counterweight when switching to 4 inch pads? where do you buy a new counterweight? and how do you switch it?
 
I use the same 5" counterweight for the 4" pads. Its TOUGH to bog down a 4" pad. Lately ive been using the 5.25" ccs pads from Danase. I get the best of both worlds with these pads. Hard to bog the machine down, adequate pad coverage and good correction.



titsataki - be careful with the distilled water trick, if your polishes are solvent based you are in for a bit of trouble. I take the guesswork out and use a dedicated pad conditioner. Works for both solvent and water based polishes.



Jim
 
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