Rotary Usage

littlejohn said:
what do you guys do to maintain a "wet buff" without using oodles of product? Especially when I'm using the Megs Compound Power Cleaner - M84 and to a lesser degree Megs Quick Detailer - M66.

I find that if I only work the product until just before it dries out, I'm forever reaching for the bottle to add more product to the pad.

I have found that if I use a couple of spray of QD to lub the pad, then I can get a bit more mileage before I have to reach for the bottle..



Btw... does anyone use a wool pad for the final buff?? to remove the LSP? If not.. what are the alternatives to doing it by hand? I would like a more glossy deeper look..





Cheers..
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Personally I, and many others now, are using Optimum products. They have an almost indifinite working time and you really have to try and make these products dry out and dust up. Try them out, you'll be pleasantly surprised I am sure.



As for the wax and the wool pad.....you won't find many people removing their wax with this method. Most apply by hand and remove by hand and the rest use the PC or Cyclo.



To achieve a "wet" and "deep" glossy look to your paint then you'll need to spend more time in the prep of your paint rather than the waxing step. Wax, while it may add some gloss, should be seen as an expendable barrier between your polished paint and the enviroment.



Hope that helps,

Anthony
 
Hi all, I worked on my front wheel fender last Sunday with the following steps:



M83/W7006/RB @ 600RPM

M83/W8006/RB @ 600RPM

M82/W9006/RB @ 600RPM



After the 3rd step, the finish looks completely swirl-free and flawless. So I put on a layer of M21 after that. Yesterday, I washed my car again and inspected the panel. I was shocked when I saw lots of holograms on the surface. I have a few questions in mind, hope any of the rotary buffing gurus can help me:



1) Was M82 merely hiding the holograms/swirls caused by Step 1 & 2?



2) Will M82/W9006 cause holograms?



3) Is my buffer running at too slow speed for Step 3?



Thanks!
 
Zey- Could be that the lighting you used to inspect lst Sunday wasn't right for showing holograms. Or yeah, the #82 might've hidden them a bit.



Yeah, some people have reported holograms with the #82/9006 combo. There are more than a few people who find #82 tricky to master.



I'm not that familiar with the Meg's products you used, but IIRC you're using too low a speed for all three steps. Also, many people who use those products (including Mike Phillips, who certainly knows what he's doing) follow up their rotary work with the PC, using something like #80, just to make sure they don't have any holograms.
 
Wow.....man I just re-read through this whole thread and I came to realize just how much things change in such a short period of time.....in regards to how I now buff out cars.



I no longer use a QD to wet my pads before buffing, I now use both 6 and 8 inch pads with my rotary when I use to use mainly 6in pads and I no longer use #9, #3 or 3M and I only use a few Hi-Temp products.



I also made a few typos, like when I stated I apply sealants with the PC. I never do that :buffing:



I also no longer buff in a figure 8 pattern but more of a cross stitch type pattern. I read my replies and I laughed cause I don't do many of those things now.



Anthony
 
Hehe thanks for the update Anthony. I got my Metabo rotary in the mail a couple of weeks ago and I love it. I detailed a car yesterday and it came out quite nice. I have the lake country multi-surface pads with the angled edges. I am doing ok with them but they take a lot of practice! I have read that they are for pros and that a flat pad is usually recommended for beginners, but I don't have any flat pads.



Anthony - What kind of pads do you use for your rotary?
 
I'm going to bump this thread just because I learned a lot from it (just read the whole thing). I've been flirting with the idea of using my rotary again and wanted to brush up on old knowledge. I have a "totally screwed" (owners comment) Audi Allroad coming up this week, so I think the ol' rotary is gonna get some work. :)



Cheers guys.
 
Picus said:
. I have a "totally screwed" (owners comment) Audi Allroad coming up this week, so I think the ol' rotary is gonna get some work..
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Tape the clear-anodized aluminum trim before you take the rotary to it ;)
 
Thanks. :) I'm going to wrap that thing like a present in painters tape. I've got all day for it, so I'm just going to take my time getting re-aquainted with the rotary. I am sure I'll have some sling early on.
 
I have been polishing cars for about 10 years now, and am the owner of the elite detail shop in the Seattle area. I run my buffer at 3k rpms all day and usually remove scratches with either a wool/synthetic pad, or a cutting foam pad. The next step is then swirl removal, go to a medium softness foam pad, and slow rpms down to about 1800, then go to a finishing pad and slow rpms down to about 1400 and then apply your wax. Always keep polisher flat and move very slowly accross the paint, especially when you're at the swirl removal process. The paint will get hot, but nothing to worry about. When removing swirls, always use a non-silicone swirl remover, and many manufacturers will hide the word silicone in their ingredient lists pretty well. Silicone will only fill the swirls, and after a couple of car washes, the silicone will be gone, and the swirls will be back. Check out my before and after picture in extreme detail contest on Corvette.
 
Not to second guess your methods but "3000 rpms"? From what I gather paint manufacturers frown on an rpm over 1700 and to keep teperatures under 120 degrees. At 3000 rpm's you'll go way over that temperature, especially moving slow as you have recommended.



Perhaps because of your experience your method works great for you but it may spell disaster for a noob just learning, IMHO.



Anthony
 
ok i just got a vector machine polisher and last thing i want to do is even leave swirl marks or brun through paint on my practice cars. herers what i gathered for steps



1. i wash car with my meguiars mit and body brush and spot wash all bug spots and tar spots till car is spotless

2. dry with my leather chamois and or microfiber towels

3.clay bar it

4. look at and feel paint then start off with finest polish and pad

5. working at low speeds with a polishing pad and finest polish needed work in a 2ft by 2ft sqaure

6. apply polish to pad all away around about 1" from perimeter then dab on the area of car working.

7. laying pad flat on car and start at a low rpm and move buffer back and forth at low speeds

8. then use finishing pad to buff off left over residue/haze



I need any other tips and exactly what pads and polish i should purchase and use. Also is it vital to go in a figure 8 pattern with the polisher or is it safe to go north/south east/west and about rate of speed of moving buffer back in forth is acceptable as you dont want to slow or too fast
 
Hey Taco,



I am guessing that by your description you are going to apply a low abrasive polish with a polishing pad and then remove the residue with a fine polishing pad?



If so I would not recommend it. Reason being is that it really doesn't do any good. You're better off wiping off the residue with microfiber towels. Once you work in your polish it's pretty much done doing its stuff and has most likely begun to dry up so using another pad would only make a big mess.



If you are using the SAME polish, say Final Polish II, with your polishing pad you can then switch to a finishing pad (without removing the residue) and apply more FP II and buff over the same area. This way you only remove it once.



Here is a quick note also guys.....if your backing plate is only 4 inch in circumference and you have an 8 inch pad running on your rotary you are only getting the benefit of maybe 4 1/2 inches from the pad. You'll notice that a "ring" develops on the pad almost the exact same size of the backing plate. This indicates that only that portion of the pad is being used, the rest of the pad is pretty much useless. So make sure your pad to backing plate size is correct.



As for a pattern....you can go north, south, figure 8 and a hatch pattern just so long as you make sure you cover the area being buffed fully. I personally start back and forth then up and back and finish off by going diagonally.



As for how fast to move the polisher.....that's a personal preference really...BUT if your paint is getting too hot to touch then you are moving to slow and/or have the rpm too high. At first you'll be nervous, get tense, use a death grip....in general you'll make all kinds of mistakes as you will constantly check yourself but after awhile you'll notice that buffing becomes second nature.



Hope that helps,

Anthony
 
DSVWGLI said:
Does anyone tape edges off, for example where two doors meet or where a door meets a fender?
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I pretty much tape off the whole car. Anywhere where there is rubber and paint meeting itgets taped. If it needs alot of buffing, say with a foam cutting pad, wool pad, etc. I will tape of edges as well.



The brown paper that painters use is a great help when masking large areas...saves on tape.



Anthony
 
Thanks Anthony, what speed do you polish edges at and do you lift the edge of the pad that cuts into the edge of the panel?
 
DSVWGLI said:
Thanks Anthony, what speed do you polish edges at and do you lift the edge of the pad that cuts into the edge of the panel?
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I feather the trigger when I get close to the edges. I buff into an edge while triggering the buffer.



Anthony
 
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