Rotarys Dangerous?

[kastanaras]

I am thinking about buying one and practicing on a scrap body panel and wondering are they that dangerous to burn through paint.



From what I have learnt tell me if this is right,



#1 Keep them always moving and never let them sit on one spot of they will generate too much heat and burn thru paint.



#2 Start at around 1000rpm and don't push it past 1500rpm.



#3 Don't work too fast or you will get many buffer swirl marks but don't work too slow so you don't generate too much heat. Just nice even movement.



I work at a carwash and have seen them used and have tried it once or twice at low speeds and they don't seem that dangerous.



I have been using a RO but found it useless so will be buying a PC next 2-3weeks and get few months practice with that then later this year buy rotary.



I mainly want to start using one to get better results and the work alot faster. Random Orbitals do a good job but just are way to slow to do a whole car.



Any advice will mean alot.

 

[Invigor]

Skip the PC and just get a rotary with a nice set of pads. I prefer smaller 6" pads versus 7.5" pads on the rotary, seems I can do a cleaner job and get in tighter places with the 6"



There's nothing to be afraid of with a rotary, just take your time and be extra careful around plastic.

 

[kastanaras]

Well I am thinking of that seeing as I have been working part time at car wash for 1yr and seen these rotarys used all the time, even through I am still new to random orbitals I know how they work and how rotarys work.



But one thing is when it comes to working on 1-2yr old cars or even just 6month old cars with swirls or cobwebbing is the rotary overkill or is it just a quicker process than Random Orbital.

 

[Cassman]

Here is what an idiot with a rotary did to my car at a bodyshop last week. Then again, maybe he used a grinding wheel. :think:

 

[Accumulator]

IMO rotaries are safe in the right hands. If you have the requisite knowledge base and the proper temperament/frame of mind, then you can probably take it right out of the box and use it on your best car without damaging anything (whether you'll get a perfect, hologram-free finish is another matter ).



But that "requisite knowledge base" includes a *lot* of stuff...like how heat affects different things, how different surfaces react to abrasion, how products break down, etc., etc. And if you let your mind wander or otherwise make a mistake then things can go wrong in a hurry and you'll be calling your favorite paint shop.



I hadn't used a rotary in over 20 years and had *never* used one on b/c paint. Yet I took the Makita out of the box and used it (somewhat aggressively) on my beloved S8 without any problems. But that's *me*.