What Makes a Rotary so hard to use.

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03Black1.8t

New member
Well from the looks of pic posted up here there is a advantage to using a rotary over a pc. I have a pc with the 6" backing plate and white,black, orange pads. Isn't any rotary ok to use. Or do you need to go out and get the 100+ dewalt/makieta one. I know you are not suspose to stay in one are becuase it will burn the paint. Other than that what are some negatives effects a rotary has? It just seems like I am spending to much time in one area with the pc and not getting the results I want. I am not very patient and maybe a rotary will be better since you have to keep it moving at all times.



Has anyone ever seen a pad that looks like the foam egg crate you sleep on. Last time I got my bumper touched up this it what the guy used. After he painted to apply 2 different things to it
 
the rotary tends to splatter a bit- as long as you use enough polish and keep the rotary moving you shouldn't have a problem-if I can use a rotary almost anyone can use one- stay away from overly aggressive pads and products tho
 
The biggest obstacle to rotary use is getting past all the negative publicity it receives. The rotary is not that hard to use. With a little common sense, anyone can use one w/o incident. I too thought the PC produced great results if you demonstrate patience, but I have very little of that!



JJ
 
I think the biggest mistake newbies with a rotary make is trying to use it at too high of a speed. Crank the speed dial down to the lowest settng and start there with soft pads and mild polishes, and KEEP IT MOVING, don't buff in one spot or on a ridge too long.
 
Has anyone ever seen a pad that looks like the foam egg crate you sleep on. Last time I got my bumper touched up this it what the guy used. After he painted to apply 2 different things to it[/QUOTE]



Yes, I saw black pads that looked like a circular piece had been cut out of a foam egg crate. It was on a Cyclo. It was being used by a person who was trying to get some scratches out of the paint of may car. Unfortunately, this person ended up putting "hologram" swirls in my paint. I don't know where these pads were from.
 
3M calls their white "waffle" pad a compounding pad. I use the Black Polishing one and like it alot.



Actually when I first started using them a few years ago they were flat, now the have em with curve edges.



I started polishing cars with my Dewalt 849 after I painted and despite long fustrating hours I cannot accomplish in hours w/a PC what I can do in minutes with my rotary.





I agree w/J.J. on the preception thing. Just get past that and follow the rules and you'll be fine.



It does take some time to master the technique of not splattering product and producing a flawless finish (no buffer marks or swirls).
 
The buffing step is an integral part of our quality-control process, and we think you get the best results from someone who does the same job over and over again every day,
Click to expand...



Nuff said. Practice makes perfect
 
To avoid sling. Get a yellow foam applicator, place your compound or polish on the pad and then spread evenly and thinly. This is the absolute best way to avoid splatter in my opinion. Spreading your compound / polish with your polishing pad still induce splatter for me.
 
An important part of rotary usage is polish choice - some are easy to use, some aren't. Try starting out with Optimum, its got great working time and minimal sling. Optimum via green pad at 1500RPM is nearly idiot proof, thats how I taught myself to work a rotary. You'll want to get some experience before you start using wool pads, Powergloss, etc. Its supposedly pretty easy to burn paint, but I haven't yet (even with Powergloss + wool on a 10 year old neglected CC/BC paintjob).
 
A rotary isn't that difficult to use. Once you find the right position to stand in while using it, and find the right place to have the handle, you'll be OK. Just keep in mind the advice from the above posts.



And no, you don't need to spend $100+ on a rotary. I got mine for just over $30 shipped, and I have no complaints.
 
themightytimmah said:
An important part of rotary usage is polish choice - some are easy to use, some aren't. Try starting out with Optimum, its got great working time and minimal sling. Optimum via green pad at 1500RPM is nearly idiot proof, thats how I taught myself to work a rotary. You'll want to get some experience before you start using wool pads, Powergloss, etc. Its supposedly pretty easy to burn paint, but I haven't yet (even with Powergloss + wool on a 10 year old neglected CC/BC paintjob).
Click to expand...
Thanks for mentioning that. I need to improve my rotary skills and this sounds like a great idea since Optimum Polish does have a long working time.
 
What does the article mean by cleaning the pad after working on a section. Does it actually mean soak it in water mixed with whatever yous use to clean pads?
 
Just use a brush to clean it.



Using a rotary is one thing, just follow the advices, having great results with it requires practice, just it! Hours and hours of training :)
 
If you ever heard the term "spurring" that's what they mean. Hold the buffer upside down (pad up), turn it on and gently touch the brush bristles to the moving pad surface. If cleaning foam pads, try and use a softer bristled brush so you don't tear up the pad
 
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