Rotary is coming tomorrow

C

Carl Anderson

New member
My Makita 9227 is due to arrive tomorrow. I already received a bunch of other products I ordered as a gift for myself for Christmas including Poorboys and Menzerna polishes, pads, backing plates, new microfbers, etc. I am getting pretty excited. Looking forward to traveling to Whidbey island tomorrow to start the ultimate detail - my John Deere clearcoated riding lawn mower. It is has scratches I couldn't remove with my PC. After that it is the 30 year old Kubota tractor - gotta love that orange.



It is ironic but getting the rotary has got me pretty amped up. It reminds me of two years ago when I was waiting for my M3 to arrive. My car hobby (obsession) is what got me into detailing about 3 years ago. But the detailing has taken on a life of its own. I love detailing the vehicles almost as much as using them. Very odd. Detailing can be an expensive hobby, but if it keeps me from buying more new cars (mine always look new now), it will save me a great deal in the long run.
 
Congrats on the purchase. I plan on getting my Makita this spring. Are you planning to visit the junk yard for some practice panels? Or are you gonna practice on vehichle just using EXTREME caution?
 
Instead of junk yards try your local body shop. They might ba able to give you whole doors or hoods to practice on and not charge you.
 
01bluecls- Most body shops are happy to give you a body panel for free. The first one I called in the phone book sounded excited that I would come pick up an entire hood and take it away.
 
Yeah, any panel you take is one less panel they have to pay to have hauled to the dump :D Get a dark one so you can watch for holograms more easily.
 
If you have a PC and plan on keeping it, I wouldn't go crazy trying to get a swirl free finish with the rotary as much a learning to remove defects. That will come with time. "Most" anytype of rotary hologram will come out with the PC and some light Polish. Usually i'll use IP or PG with the rotary and follow with FP2 and the PC.



Good Luck :up
 
My Makita arrived. Unfortunately, I had to go to Whidbey last night to do the farm chores so probably it will be a week or so until I can try it. I will start on the Kubota and the John Deere. The next step is our 93 Volvo wagon which has some scratches that do not budge with the PC even using a cutting pad and DACP. It will be some time till I use it on my Jet Black M3, though I do have some scratches on my hood from the feline incidents. By the way, I have trained the local cats to stay off the hood using the scat matt from Griots which I place over a towel on the hood when it is dry and cold. My wife has a bamboo Lexus 330, and so far as I can tell the PC should take care of it ad infinitum.

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Hey Carl. If you want to learn the rotary quickly, pick up some 2000 grit sandpaper and wet sand a few scratches- if you can barely feel them with a fingernail (remember to feather the area so you don't leave a groove) until almost gone.



I find that any surface that needs to be 'cut' with a rotary will have a few scratches that are a little deeper than the rest. So i wet sand those areas, just to bring the edges down a little, and this wet sand 'mar' will give me a guideline to how much the rotary and compound is cutting. The wet sand mark is to show you that you are not cutting too much and to give you a stop line. This way when you have removed the sand mark, the rest of the paint should be ready for a polish, remember that the sanded areas will need a little more attention, but you will get the feel of process very quickly. Also make sure you look at that spot in the "right light" so you know when it's gone.



Remember with the rotary PRESSURE IS EVERYTHING! and always keep moving. You should NOT have to apply- any or very little pressure, let the weight of the machine do the work. Most people run into problems going over edges and gaps, make sure you let up pressure, on these passes.-------- You could use a wool pad and a heavy cut with NO pressure and get the same results as a finish pad and light cut with heavy pressure. That's the beauty of the rotary, in the right hands, it can do wonders.



I recommend products that don't have fillers, so you know your results.



I'm hoping this gives a little insight, into what works for me.
 
Salty,

Thanks for the tips. I will pick up some 2000 grit wet dry sandpaper and give it a try on my mower. I just finished compounding the top of our washing machine. The paint was horrible, and it couldn't be cleaned with 409 or even powdered cleansers. It had a very rough, porous feel. I started by claying which really didn't do anything. Then I tried DACP with a polishing pad. Finally I switched to the 4" pads I ordered and used Menzerna intensive polish using a cutting pad. It took some time but it came back to life. Then polished with Menzerna final polish using a polishing pad, and finally ended up with the Klasse twins.



My wife thinks I may have something wrong with me. Well, I thanked her for her concern, and informed her it is perfectly normal to start out one's rotary career on something you don't really care about. She is still concerned. So I finally relented and informed my wife that "there is no cure." It is what it is.
 
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