Thoughts on first time rotary usage

R

reggie11

New member
I am back again with another couple of questions before I go ahead with my first polish. I have decide to use my friends Makita (no higher then 1000-1200 rpm) rather then buy a PC or UDM. I plan on watching some videos and reading up a ton before I do it. He is also going to show me some pointers before I go ahead with my polish. My questions are below.



I have mild to moderate swirling so I was thinking of using an orange pad. Would using a white pad reduce the risk of me causing any damage?



If I use an orange pad do I have to follow that up with a white or green pad with a finishing polish? I have a feeling it depends on what type of polish I start with.



Do any of you have a recommendation on a polish for a first time user? I looked at some other threads and found people recommended 1Z, Danase, and Meguiars #80. Are there partilcular polishes that are safer to use for beginners?



I appreciate all the help!
 
reggie11 said:
I am back again with another couple of questions before I go ahead with my first polish. I have decide to use my friends Makita (no higher then 1000-1200 rpm) rather then buy a PC or UDM. I plan on watching some videos and reading up a ton before I do it. He is also going to show me some pointers before I go ahead with my polish. My questions are below.



I have mild to moderate swirling so I was thinking of using an orange pad. Would using a white pad reduce the risk of me causing any damage?



If I use an orange pad do I have to follow that up with a white or green pad with a finishing polish? I have a feeling it depends on what type of polish I start with.



Do any of you have a recommendation on a polish for a first time user? I looked at some other threads and found people recommended 1Z, Danase, and Meguiars #80. Are there partilcular polishes that are safer to use for beginners?



I appreciate all the help!
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Yes, a white pad would reduce the risk of damage, simply because it is a softer pad. If you are a beginner, you will probably find the white pad to be easier to control. The orange pad has been known to hop around due to its stiffness.



Regarding following the orange pad up with something else...Most likely yes, but it depends on technique, the paint, and product selection. Remember, start out with the least aggressive method first, and work your way up. The least aggressive method IS NOT an orange pad.



Regarding product selection. You will get a ton of recommendations. I prefer the Meguiar's and 1Z polishes for starting out.
 
For your first time, I would really recommend using a light polishing wool pad. A green or blue edge wool pad for correction, and an edge white finishing wool pad for the finishing polish. Wool stays *much* cooler than foam does. You have much less risk of damaging the clear coat, trim, or plastic bumpers with wool than foam. A foam pad will *instantly* damage any trim it comes in contact with, and can burn through the clear on plastic bumpers *fast*. And there is no warning before it happens. Wool pads are a new guys best friend, as long as you use the correct type of wool for what you're doing.
 
SuperBee364 said:
For your first time, I would really recommend using a light polishing wool pad. A green or blue edge wool pad for correction, and an edge white finishing wool pad for the finishing polish. Wool stays *much* cooler than foam does. You have much less risk of damaging the clear coat, trim, or plastic bumpers with wool than foam. A foam pad will *instantly* damage any trim it comes in contact with, and can burn through the clear on plastic bumpers *fast*. And there is no warning before it happens. Wool pads are a new guys best friend, as long as you use the correct type of wool for what you're doing.
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I was under the impression that wool pads were more aggressive so that helps a ton. Do you recommend any particular place to get them? I see foam pads for sale most of the time....
 
reggie11 said:
I was under the impression that wool pads were more aggressive so that helps a ton. Do you recommend any particular place to get them? I see foam pads for sale most of the time....
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Most people are under that impression, and it is true that the most aggressive pad you can get is made out of wool. However, wool is like foam in that it comes in many different levels of aggression. As long as you are using the level of aggressiveness that's correct for what you're currently doing, a wool pad is generally safer to use with a higher margin of error than foam.



I would recommend getting an Edge 2000 adaptor, and six inch wool pads from Autogeek. You'll have to call them to order the six inch white finishing wool, as it's not available to order from their website. Also get a green and a blue Edge wool pad. These are very mild pads, but still have the ability to do some good correction. *Don't* get the yellow or black wool. They are *serious* correcting pads. As you get more experience, try getting an LC purple foamed wool pad for even more correcting fun. Just don't get one right now; they don't have quite the margin of error as the thick edge wool pads do.
 
Reggie11- No matter how you do the real correction, I'd sure plan on doing a final finishing step (with a finishing pad and a finishing polish) lest you end up with holograms.



And yeah, you do need to be sorta careful with orange foam pads on the rotary and I never finish out very well with 'em.
 
Hey superbee Ive got a question for you, when using the makita 9227 on plastic bumpers and such do you keep the same speed as if you were polishing metal panels (1300-1500)? Do you have to move the rotary faster and make more passes at slower speeds (1000-1200)?
 
SuperBee364 said:
For your first time, I would really recommend using a light polishing wool pad. A green or blue edge wool pad for correction, and an edge white finishing wool pad for the finishing polish. Wool stays *much* cooler than foam does. You have much less risk of damaging the clear coat, trim, or plastic bumpers with wool than foam. A foam pad will *instantly* damage any trim it comes in contact with, and can burn through the clear on plastic bumpers *fast*. And there is no warning before it happens. Wool pads are a new guys best friend, as long as you use the correct type of wool for what you're doing.
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SuperBee364,

Edge has a white wool pad? Is this a special order item from Edge or a vendor?
 
Carbon Blue said:
Hey superbee Ive got a question for you, when using the makita 9227 on plastic bumpers and such do you keep the same speed as if you were polishing metal panels (1300-1500)? Do you have to move the rotary faster and make more passes at slower speeds (1000-1200)?
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If i'm using foam, I slow the rotation down to the min that I can and still get acceptable results. I also move the head faster when I'm working a bumper.
 
netspec said:
SuperBee364,

Edge has a white wool pad? Is this a special order item from Edge or a vendor?
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The white Edge finishing wool is available from autogeek's website in the eight inch size. To get the six incher, you have to call them and ask for it.
 
Yep the 6inch wool pads are great for beginners.



Im a big fan of the meguiars solo pads.



They use wool for cutting and foam for finishing. Works great as wool is much safer when cutting as it grabs less reducing the chance of holograms and produces less heat. Foam does a better job at finishing compared to wool. Some people say the white edge wool pad does not finish as good as the white foam pad. Then you have the 3M ultrafina blue pad that finishes even better than the white edge foam pad. So foam is definitely best for finishing.



So as well as getting a white wool pad i'd also get a soft foam pad just in case the white wool doesn't finish perfect.
 
I do agree that you can get a much finer finish from a foam finishing pad. However, you can still get a white finishing wool to finish down pretty darn nice. And it's safer to use for someone just starting out with the rotary. Try finishing down a few cars with the finishing wool, then after your comfort level comes up, try a finishing foam. Just remember that you are going to get that foam pad and the clear coat of the car hot *Much Much* faster with the foam. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how well the wool will finish.
 
SuperBee364 said:
The white Edge finishing wool is available from autogeek's website in the eight inch size. To get the six incher, you have to call them and ask for it.
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SuperBee,

I appreciate all the help. I am going to order the wool pads in the next day or two. I am assuming these work with the Makita with the adaptor they sell?



Also anyone else wanting the 6" white wool pad by Edge can contact Dwayne at Autopia- 800-869-3011 ext 212



Also seeings how you seem to be very knowlegable what do you recommend for a first and final polish work a beginner? Also any recommendations on a wax that will give me a good deep wet look? I heard Collinate is very good.
 
Yes, the Edge 2000 Rotary Adaptor will work with the Makita.



There are so many good polishes out there. Using a rotary kinda opens the door to a bunch of products that just aren't very effective on a DA. And they all have their different strengths and weeknesses. It seems like the polishes that are the most effective aren't always the easiest to use, and vice versa. However, there is one finishing polish that is both; 3M's Ultrafina. Not only is it easy to use, it does a great job. 1Z High Gloss Polish is another finishiing polish that is very easy to use. And it likes low RPM's. 1k RPM or less, work it til it disappears, and you're done. Very easy to use.



There are alot of medium weight polishes out there. And unfortunately, the very best one can be really hard to work with. Menzerna Super Intensive Polish is fantastic stuff, but it can be *very* hard to work with. Cutting it with a few drops of something like Optimum Polish or Menzerna PO106FF will make it play a bit nicer, but it also rapidly depletes it's cutting ability. If you don't feel like messing with SIP (and I wouldn't blame you a bit), there are some other very good alternatives. Menzerna's regular Intensive Polish is good stuff. So is Optimum Compound (they say it's a compound, but it seems like a medium duty polish to me), and the High Temp line is good, too.



As far as a heavy weight compound goes, you might want to wait til you've gotten good and comfortable with the rotary before you go to the big guns. Multiple applications of the lighter polishes is much safer.



You can't go wrong with Collinite.



Thanks for the contact info. I need to order a couple new Edge pads. :)
 
Thanks for all the help. I think I have my polishing plan figured out.



Makita Rotory

White 6" Edge wool pad

DACP #83 or SSR2...any thoughts

Blue 6" Edge wool Pad

Optimum polish...any thoughts



Top it off with Collinite #845



Any and all suggestions are welcome!
 
All good advice here.

My first attempt with my new Makita I used a LC purple wool and Optimum compound (1300 rpm) along wiyh some very careful wetsanding with 2000 grit paper to remove some rids on the hood of my 330I that four hours with a PC would'nt remove. It came out great except for some holograms that weren't visible until I got it out in the full sun. Watch the "Wetsanding video's" on youtube and get "The buffing with confidence video from Kleen car. While this was my first shot with the Makita rotary I had the benefit of a friend with a body shop who also gave me some good advice. Pay attention, be aware of the direction of the pad and any edges or obstructions where you are buffing.

Good luck !
 
reggie11- That white wool/#83 combo sounds mighty gentle to me...at least the white wool part of it. And #83 wouldn't be *my* choice, but that's just me.
 
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