rotary+foam cutting pads= me no likey!

Hell i coulda done that with a PC. The only difference is with a PC it would have taken me 30-45 minutes to do that section, with the rotary i did it in ~ 10 minutes.



Can i actually get a perfect LSP ready finish with wool? Or will i always have to finish with foam?



Im very interested in presta wool pads and possibly their compounds/polishes now. Just gotta talk the fiance into letting me buy more gear hehehehe
 
David Fermani said:
Isn't this really just a EDGE pad offered by Presta? I don't think Presta makes pads, they might just get private labeled ones from the manufacturer. Just like this Auto Magic/EDGE pad below:



$19 for a buffing pad is 2-3 times the norm for a EDGE, LC or Hi-Buff pad. You might want to check into that to save some money.
Click to expand...



David, that's correct. Presta doesn't make pads ...I guess EDGE produces them with the Presta label.



The $19 price is the lowest I could find for these double-sided pads. Somebody else I contacted was trying to get $27 for the same P/N. Please share info if you have a source for better pricing. Thx.



bluePresta.JPG
 
Coupe said:
Can i actually get a perfect LSP ready finish with wool? Or will i always have to finish with foam?
Click to expand...





I think so. Let's get rydawg to comment on this - - he's got the most experience. He suggested doing an intermediate swirl mark remover stage on foam. (That could also be done with the blue wool by flipping over the double-sided pad.)
 
If I could find a wool pad/product combo that finished down LSP ready, I would be more that happy to give it a try. I personally find foam pads rather annoying, however I haven't used wool pads enough to determine how easy or hard they are to work with.
 
Hey guys!



Coupe I know the feeling on hop skip and jump on the cutting foam pads. It's wierd that it still did it with OP. I am having the same problem today with the new manz. po83 and a megs polish pad. I think it's the dampness and humidity that makes it happen.



Using wool will glide across the paint with Presta polishes. For wetsanding, wetsand with 2000-3000 grit, Presta 1500 polish on a yellow edge wool pad. Follow with a foam polish pad and a polish to remove the faint wool marks and it should look pretty amazing.



For wool pads you could also go with Schlegal or lake country.



If you are stuck in a bind now you can pick up a Schlegal wool pad at most napa's, car quest, or body shop supply stores. You want the 100% wool or close to it. Do not get the polishing wool, it will not have enough grunt other than shining. You can alos use OP or OC on wool.
 
I can finish out in wool and it takes a lot ot talent and skill to do so, but I always finish in foam just to make sure everything is 100% swirl free and the gloss will get even better.



I believe there's always room for refinement so use the foam to finish. Polish or finish pad.
 
tom p. said:
Yikes, what happened to that blue car, Coupe? :(



The Presta pads are very forgiving and quite easy to work with. I hadn't used wool for years...never had any success with it and was worried about it. These new Presta pads have changed all that.



Try to view some of rydawg's work...a blue Ford Escort and a black Pontiac SSE...your eyes are gonna bug out!
Click to expand...

Thanks Tom for the good words!



My eyes were bugging out when I had those two under halogens. I just finished up a 02 Burgandy Volvo tonight. Looks intense in my garage! I'll try to get pics tomorrow and do another click and brag for you guys too see. I wanted to try something different and used a foam polish pad and menzerna po83 instead of Presta and wool.

Polish worked great but the dampness made the foam hop. Now I know why I hate correcting in foam:wall
 
I have a 6" Blue wool pad from EDGE. They will be out very soon in this size. I'm really liking this Presta line!
 
Coupe said:
Can i actually get a perfect LSP ready finish with wool? Or will i always have to finish with foam?
Click to expand...



That's kinda a loaded question in a way. With lots of experience, you *can* create a swirl free finish with wool, but it will never have the depth that a foam pad will produce. Even if you use a polishing wool pad on a light colored car, you should always finish with foam for the best possible finish. You *can* and *will* see a big difference.



Bottom Line = Foam will never cut like wool, and wool will never polish like foam. That's why we need both. If you do both correctly, an LSP will be trivial.
 
It's only with the sonus das orange that I have any trouble.

Heck I even run 6.5 inch LC VC pads on my rotary with edge 6.5 inch backing plate and have no probs. (yes I am getting a smaller plate)



I can't wait to try foamed wool. Even though you can getaway with traditional wool on clearcoats, foam is the way I go.
 
David Fermani said:
That's kinda a loaded question in a way. With lots of experience, you *can* create a swirl free finish with wool, but it will never have the depth that a foam pad will produce. Even if you use a polishing wool pad on a light colored car, you should always finish with foam for the best possible finish. You *can* and *will* see a big difference.
Click to expand...





David and Ryan, thanks for clarifying this. The majority of my time has been spent on white and silver. I can certainly understand the need for foam and an ultimate polishing/SMR phase with a dk car :up





David Fermani said:
Bottom Line = Foam will never cut like wool, and wool will never polish like foam. That's why we need both. If you do both correctly, an LSP will be trivial.
Click to expand...



Thanks again. As more people try the wool>foam routine, they'll see a surface gloss and cleanliness that won't compare with anything they've accomplished in the past. So, relying upon the LSP for adding gloss will be far less of an issue. I still feel like I am searching for an LSP that doesn't add or detract from the perfected finish. I don't feel like I am at that point yet.



I think it's important to note that these various polishes phases only take minutes to complete. It's not like you're going to be adding hours to your detailing regimen. Once you get the hang of it and get the degree of correction you want, it goes very quickly.



I’m always looking for ways to make my sessions more efficient while not sacrificing the finished appearance or durability, of course. That’s the main reason I am very excited about the Presta products as it’s a new tool for me to get a superior result in less time.



With all this Presta talk, I’m gonna break out the gear again today and finish up the roof and a few more panels on my white car that haven’t been done. There’s a noticeable difference in gloss between the panels that I did two weeks ago vs. the panels that haven’t been touched. Today I’ll follow UCCL (green wool)>#1500 (blue wool)>SMR (foam polishing)>CG 5050 (foam finishing). :)
 
Coupe said:
Sorry but im not gonna go on the hunt for unicorns (dont have that kinda time), i need to find wool pads from some other company then that are easy to order from and dont play games like that.



Im not sure what you mean about the edge adapter, i have 2 for my makitta and 2 for my PC.
Click to expand...



Oh, then you already have the EDGE adapter that would work, I guess (:confused:) .



This is the adapter I had to order to be able to use the EDGE/Presta double-sided (only) wool pads on my Makita:



adapter.JPG






Your local body shop supply store will have either Schlegel or 3M twisted wool fibre polishing pads. Should be around $9 each. These are very common.
 
Yup that is the adapter that i have.

I am gonna check my PBE store to see what they may have. But if i do that then i need a BP for my makita. I really dont want to buy a BP since im trying to stay with edge2K system and already have the adapter.



I guess what im not sure about now is what cut wool would be best for a newb like me. Considering what i can do with edge blue foam i wouldnt think i would need more than a light cut wool. I just dunno :lol
 
Take a look at the picture of the bag I posted above...that explains the color/coarseness. Also, the polishes are color-coded to the pads.
 
justin30513 said:
I have a 6" Blue wool pad from EDGE. They will be out very soon in this size. I'm really liking this Presta line!
Click to expand...



Any idea when and who will be carrying the 6 inchers? I would've bought those pads off of ebay if they weren't 7 and a quarter in size.
 
firegate said:
Harder pads just behave that way with a rotary. I've generally found that I don't need a cutting pad to get good correction except for in situations with really bad or really hard paint though. With a pad like the Propel/Optimum Green (closest thing in the Edge line is the Blue) and a polish like HT Extreme Cut or OHC, I can correct most things with no buffer hop or overheating whatsoever.



I do remember someone (maybe tdekany?) recommending using an Orange pad on a PC for about 5min to soften it up and then switching it over to the rotary. Haven't tried that yet, but that might also be an option for you.
Click to expand...





Yes that was me. ""prime" the pad on the pc or get the pad soaking wet and spin it out on the rotary. The damp pad will not hop.



Also let the rotary's weight do the work until the pad is primed. Don't press down on the mashine for the first couple of passes.
 
justin30513 said:
I have a 6" Blue wool pad from EDGE. They will be out very soon in this size. I'm really liking this Presta line!
Click to expand...





I thought you could get 6" wool on their site :nixweiss

Can you even order off edges site? Or do you have to call?
 
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