We need a Sticky for Pad/Polish Combos..... INPUT NEEDED .

RyansAutoDetail

RyansAutoDetail

Weekend Warrior
okay heres the deal i just bought a PC7424 finally after a year of waiting and bought 5 pads with it .. I am wishing to make a running tally of what you buff heads prefer and have tested and proven to be most effective in "most" paint correction work.

so what im looking for in this thread is the following:

-Pad Brand and Polish Combos that have proven results

-Polishes that are to be used on each pads and what is acceptable for each style of pad

-what variety of polishes white polishing pads can handle

- i think u get the idea here so im going to start with my list


RYANS CURRENT LIST:
Lake country ccs 6.5in pads:
white = poorboys pro polish
orange = poorboys SSR 2.5
gray = applying wax/LSPs
blue for menzerna finishing glaze ???

im looking at a heavy duty compound for my 10 year old van but saw on autogeek that the yellow heavy duty cutting pad is recommended for this job, will the orange cutting pad be sufficial or should i get a seperate pad and HD cut polish seperately ?

and go ppl add yur info in cuz im looking for as much info as i can get !

thanks in advance !
 
You can put any polish/compound on any pad. It merely depends on what you are trying to achieve.

If you put a strong compound (M105/SIP/etc) on an orange pad, it will cut more than if you put it on a white pad. Sometimes you don't need it to cut as much as it might on an orange pad. Sometimes the orange pad isn't enough so you go to a wool pad.

Sometimes if you are working with soft paint, it might make sense to go to a very soft pad, and use different polish. So instead of using IP on white, you use SIP on Black.

Honestly, after going through my initial buys I think it makes the most sense to buy 2-3 grades of compounds, 2-3 grades of medium polishes, and 2 finish polishes. Maybe a cleaner wax, a couple AIO, and some nice straight wax and sealant. That's pretty much the route I've taken.

By having a nice variety of different products, I can buy fewer types of pads and still do the work I need to do. Essentially I have 3 kinds of pad. Cutting, polishing, and no-cut. The only time I'll use the polishing is when I am doing an AIO only. If the process is going to require compounding, it's compounding pad then straight to no cut.

I like the simplicity of that much more than taking guesses on the pads, potentially adding micromarring from the pads, etc.
 
thanks alot for the input, i guess i need to go out and get some more polishes compounds and pads ...

so if i had to get say the ultimate cut megs compound i COULD use the orange foam pad for cutting even tho it is advertised as a mild cutting pad ? but my results would be "slightly" different than if i bought a yellow HD cutting pad for that sole compound only ?

EDIT -- didnt realize there was a LC pad cross reference chart on autogeek, which is helpful but only gives an outline and not a more proven set of combinations.
 
RyansAutoDetail said:
thanks alot for the input, i guess i need to go out and get some more polishes compounds and pads ...

so if i had to get say the ultimate cut megs compound i COULD use the orange foam pad for cutting even tho it is advertised as a mild cutting pad ? but my results would be "slightly" different than if i bought a yellow HD cutting pad for that sole compound only ?

EDIT -- didnt realize there was a LC pad cross reference chart on autogeek, which is helpful but only gives an outline and not a more proven set of combinations.
Click to expand...

Well think of it this way.

Let's say you have a compound that rates 6 on a scale of 1-10. Let's say you use a no cut pad. Your total cutting power is going to be 6. If you use a stronger compound, you'll get more cut. If you use a pad with more cut, you'll get more cut. Or you could raise both together.

The harder foam pads (like the yellow) apparently can cause some marring of certain finishes that is apparently very hard to correct later. And I believe that is why people move to wool when the orange pad won't get it done. So yes, your results with the yellow might be different, but they may not be better.

I don't think you necessarily need to run out and buy a bunch of different polishes and pads. I think you would be best served by spending some more time reading and learning, and paying attention to what others are doing.

For instance, you have 6.5" pads which are generally regarded as too large to do much corrective work with the PC. They are just too large for the power of the machine. Not saying you can't do correction, I certainly have, but it takes far longer than it would with 4" - 5.5" pads.

I decided to go with the following types of pads:

4" Orange for corrective work. I don't get cars that require wool.

6" polishing pads for general polishing of large panels.

4" polishing pads for general polishing in small areas.

6" no-cut pads for everything else from light polishing, to AIO, to Sealants and waxes

4" no-cut pads for the same thing in small areas.

Right now I have the following:

Compound: Megs Ultimate (will buy M105 and PB SSR3 later)

Polish: Meg's Cleaner Wax (Will buy M205, PB SSR2.5 and Pro Polish later)

AIO: Optimum Poli-Seal, Klasse AIO, Liquid Glass

Wax: CG 50/50 (will buy a liquid carnauba later)


The products I own were chosen for the type of work I do. I needed an inexpensive and fast working compound, I needed some AIO with Sealants for those who wanted fast work. For those who wanted more, I do AIO topped with a nice wax.

I don't have a need for finish polishes much because in nearly every case, I'd be doing a sealant afterwards so I simply reduce that to one step.

As I do more cars with different needs, and I have clients willing to pay for that, I'll expand my line of offerings as necessary. What I won't have to do, is to buy a bunch of different pads. I might get wool pads, but honestly, that work is best suited to a rotary, and I am not interested in doing it.

The idea of a "proven set of combinations" is a misnomer. There is no such thing. Every scenario is different, every car is different, and you have to test your products (pad as well as polishes) on THAT car to get an idea of what will work best.
 
I would recommend picking up some 105 and a LC PFW pad. You can do some pretty good correction with that combo.

RyansAutoDetail said:
if i bought a yellow HD cutting pad for that sole compound only ?
Click to expand...

I highly recommend that you skip the yellow LC pad. It creates more work to clean up. You will get much better results with a PFW or a black Tuf Buf wool pad. They will finish out a lot better as well. Not to mention the chance of burning the paint, because of the extra heat that the yellow pad will generate.
 
blk45 said:
I would recommend picking up some 105 and a LC PFW pad. You can do some pretty good correction with that combo.



I highly recommend that you skip the yellow LC pad. It creates more work to clean up. You will get much better results with a PFW or a black Tuf Buf wool pad. They will finish out a lot better as well. Not to mention the chance of burning the paint, because of the extra heat that the yellow pad will generate.
Click to expand...


yeah i think im going to buy the wool pad for my PC and the 105 definately as i have seen some amazing youtube correction vids but they were all using a makita polisher so im wondering if i use that same combo only different machine if i could ideally get very close results as the videos show ?

i guess i could look into some smaller pads as u say the machine is apparently not powerful enough to do good work with all the 6.5 pads ive bought to start with ?

i guess i should have started with small pads and worked up to 6.5in pads right ?
 
RyansAutoDetail said:
i guess i could look into some smaller pads as u say the machine is apparently not powerful enough to do good work with all the 6.5 pads ive bought to start with ?

i guess i should have started with small pads and worked up to 6.5in pads right ?
Click to expand...

It's not that simple. Though I think 6.5" pads are just too large for the machine, I have used them, and have done swirl removal with them. However, their increased mass causes the machine to vibrate more, and their large surface area reduces the corrective ability of the machine.

I guaranteee you, if you put M105 on an orange 6.5" pad, and do 2-3 passes on average swirls, they will melt away like butter. The difference is that on a 4" pad or a machine with more power like a rotary or a Flex, you can do that in 1 pass, so the work goes much faster.

I bought very small (4") medium cutting pads because they have good corrective ability on the PC and they can work quickly. And I don't have to necessarily go to the strongest compound I have all the time.

I also chose to go with the Edge 2K system instead of velcro backed pads. It gives me several advantages with very few drawbacks. However, some pads are just not available with the system.

If I were in your place, I'd pick up the M105/205 combination, keep the SSR2.5, and your finishing polish, maybe an AIO and a nice wax, and get to work. That's PLENTY enough to get started.

I'd also say that you should have maybe 2-4 pads per step. So maybe 4 compound pads, then maybe 2-4 polish pads. 1-2 LSP pads should be plenty. In my case, the LSP and polish pads are the same, so I save money there. And since the Edge system pads are double sided I need half as many pads as the Velcro crowd.

By the way, I did a detail on my WRX with one polishing pad and Megs Ultimate Compound, and one LSP pad with Klasse AIO. That was before I bought my own PC, and the borrowed unit had only 2 6.5" pads total. So you CAN do it.
 
I did a full correction on a VW Jetta(dark blue) using a makita rotary with a 8" white finishing pad and SSR 2.5 and it finished down to LSP ready just by breaking down the polish (soft paint) , I tried the same pad/polish/machine combonation on a dark blue PT Cruiser and it would not even make a difference from a correction standpoint. I changed to a orange light cutting pad and still no noticable change in results. I then moved to a wool cutting pad and installed more swirls than the car had when I started. I then went back to a light cut polish pad using same polish and finally finished with Cyclo random orbital polisher using polish pads and polish w/ sealant. After all ot these steps when looking at the sun's reflection in the paint there were still some spider webbing there... At this point I got a case of the "F" its and applied a coat of Natty's blue and called it done. Having said all that it just goes to show that some paint is hard as diamonds and others can be as soft as Krylon. If I had started that VW Jetta using SSR 3 and a cutting pad there would be no paint left on the car. This is why you should always start with the least aggressive pad/polish combo and check the results before moving on. Hope this was helpful, TD By the way... As I was none too happy with the results of the PT Cruiser, the customer just can't say enough as to how well she thinks it looks.
 
so i should invest in the following to complete my kit:

- 4in LC orange cut pad
- 3.5in backing plate
- megs M105 compound
- what size PFW pad should i get 6.5 or 4 inch ?
- 4in polish white pad

anything else ?
 
My "opinion" is that you should get the 4" size pads for doing correction. Meaning the orange pads or the PFW. Get a backing plate to go with them. And for more general work, try to find some 5" or 5.5" pads. I think LC makes 5.5" CCS pads, I know Gloss-It has some 5" pads, etc. About the only time I'd be looking at large pads is for LSP where you are really just spreading stuff around. And even then, get 1 or 2 small pads just so you can get into tight spaces. When I was polishing my WRX I was thinking how nice it would be to have small pad to get behind the turbo scoop, and down on the front spoiler. There are always going to be those spots.
 
well i just got the following shipped to me

riccardo yellow clay
4inch PFW pad
4inch yellow, orange and white pads
megs M105 ultra cut compound ..
i think i might go get poorboys new SSR 1 or 2 but i am wondering if they both have less dusting ... could i get similar results if i used the 4 inch yellow pad with SSR2.5 than i would say using a 6.5inch orange pad with megs M105 ?

and would poorboys 2 + my PFW pad do some good correction as well ??

now i have so many combinations i wont have time to try them all unless ppl can give me some more input on what i have bought already ..

thanks again everyone !
 
I personally don't care for the yellow pad at all. It makes a mess. You can achieve better results with the PFW. It will cut well, but finish a lot better and keep the paint temp lower.

I would try the 4" orange with the 2.5. If that doesn't work, step up to the PFW with 105. Just remember, the 4" pad will focus all of your energy in a small area, so pay more attention to your pressure and corners, etc. so that you don't burn the paint.
 
blk45 said:
I personally don't care for the yellow pad at all. It makes a mess. You can achieve better results with the PFW. It will cut well, but finish a lot better and keep the paint temp lower.

I would try the 4" orange with the 2.5. If that doesn't work, step up to the PFW with 105. Just remember, the 4" pad will focus all of your energy in a small area, so pay more attention to your pressure and corners, etc. so that you don't burn the paint.
Click to expand...

hopefully i can get my hands on some 5.5 inch pads very soon as well as the new formula SSR's 1+2 as well as M205 polish to use with my 105 ... so i have a full repetoir of poorboys and megs compounds ... i might also look at trying ultimate compound which ive heard doesnt really require a finishing polish although in theory it should ... any truth to that ?

and yeah hopefully i can expand my supplies soon but i need more customers first !
 
very intresting guys.

I have tackled many cars with these combos. I always do test sections before continuing. these are just a few combo's. These are all with PC.

very bad swirls.
dacp on megs burgandy.

bad swirls.
dacp or 2.5 on megs polishing 6.5 or orange LC for a lil' more cut.

swirls or marring.
#80 megs polishing pad.

almost free of swirls.
PB's 1 polishing pad. or AIO polishing pad.

swirl free.
pro polish. light polishing or soft blue.
 
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