Random orbit polishing help

M

m5m3

New member
I am quite new to this and have been following discussions. I have a blue 996 with a clear coat finish. What I plan on doing is a clay bar treatment / polish, followed by a sealant. What I was wondering was the following



Is the ‘PC’ people talk about a random orbital polisher?

Can I apply polish and or swirl remover with the PC

Can I apply sealant (eg Klass or Zaino) with the PC.

It sounds like there are lots of different heads for a PC – eg foam, wool etc. What should I be using for each step / product.

Will the PC give me a better finish than hand polishing or is it the same finish but just quicker and easier.

Will the PC make the circular swirl marks in the clear coat worse (as it also polished in a circular motion?



Sorry for the long list, but I have gleaned quite a bit from reading the discussions, however I think I am missing the finer points.



Any help welcome
 
"PC" is an abbreviation for Porter-Cable... a maker of random orbit polishers/sanders. Several recent threads on the most popular models and kits (7424 and 7336).



I'll let the Klasse and Zaino guys answer the rest.:D
 
I'll try answering some of those questions



1. yes, PC is orbital polisher

2. yes, you can apply swirl remover and polish with PC including the 'all in one' products like cleaner wax, klasse all in one, etc.

3. yes, sealant (wax) with PC too (although some people do not see the advantage of applying wax with pc)

4. If you're using the CMA kit, then the

wool is the most aggresive pad (used with cleaners or swirl removers),

yellow- (also used with cleaners or swirl removers),

white is the polishing pad - has little cutting action - mostly used with polish

grey or black pad (it looks more like black than grey for me :)) - is for waxing since it doesn't have cutting or polishing action



5. Most people agree PC will give you a much better result in much less time..(espcially if you try polishing or removing swirls/scratches)..

6. IMO if used correctly, PC will not create more swirl marks..it's very easy to use..just be careful when using the wool pad :)



that's what I know...hope this helps :)
 
I agree with all of the above, except that I am not oneof those who believes applying Zaino with a PC wastes product. I can do my whole car with 1/2 ounce of Z using the PC. It's fast, easy, fun, and provides a nice thin coat with complete coverage.
 
That's good to hear. I'm going to try a coat or two of Z5 using the PC this spring. I'm not particularly concerned about using an extra 1/4 oz. one way or the other. Were talking about 30 cents or so here.
 
whether you use it to apply / remove wax is really a function of the wax. Souveran is so easy it is actually faster to do by hand. Gold Class takes a little more rubbing and goes on/off GREAT by machine.



Note - I wouldn't buff ANYTHING out with the orbital without a microfiber bonnet.



You CAN leave a new shape swirl in your car with an orbital - the shape will be tiny circles about 1/4 in diameter. However this usually indicates you just didn't use the product you were applying properly. Search this board also on "diminishing abrasives orbital technique"...
 
Using a PC to buff of Zaino. Applying, yes. But it comes off very easily anyway with Charisma or MT's.



It seems to me that there isn't enough surface area on a 6" MF pad to properly remove much of anything. But that's coming from somebody who hasn't tried it yet.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Cybercowboy [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>Using a PC to buff of Zaino. Applying, yes. But it comes off very easily anyway with Charisma or MT's.

It seems to me that there isn't enough surface area on a 6" MF pad to properly remove much of anything. But that's coming from somebody who hasn't tried it yet. [/b]</blockquote>
Yep that's the way I've got it figured too. When I first got my PC I tried to use it for everything including product removal. After all that's why I bought the MF bonnets.

In practice I find it much easier to just buff of the product by hand. If you were going to use the PC to routinely buff off product I would suggest buying a bunch of MF bonnets so that you could change them out frequently. Otherwise the 6" circle will gum up with removed product pretty rapidly.
 
I routinely buff out the entire car with a single microfiber bonnet - doesn't need changing. You'd think it would, but it doesn't. You can take it off and put it back on inverted - both sides work.



I was pretty surprised, but it works.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by carguy [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>I routinely buff out the entire car with a single microfiber bonnet - doesn't need changing. You'd think it would, but it doesn't. You can take it off and put it back on inverted - both sides work.

I was pretty surprised, but it works. [/b]</blockquote>
I would even consider doing that after hand wiping off the residue. Gotta make it shine like crazy.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by NSXNEXT [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>

I would even consider doing that after hand wiping off the residue. Gotta make it shine like crazy. [/b]</blockquote>
Yep! I have done exactly that. I didn't notice any real before/after difference, but it felt nice and didn't take long.
 
Honestly I don't think it shines any better. It saves time and muscles, though - which is why I use it. I follow up by hand to get the 1/16" bands up against mouldings that the buffer didn't get - but that's about it.



It won't be good at buffing off anything that is at all sticky - Meguiar's Show Car Glaze comes to mind. I do that by hand, and usually need some detail spray if it starts to pull too much.
 
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