what to do with paint on the pads?

W

wizardofahs

New member
When your using a tough abrasive and your buffer pad or applicator starts to match the color of the car, what do you do? It seems like having hte paint on the pad will reduce it's effectivness, is there a good way to clean them? how often should it be done? ie every pannel, 2x during the detail, or after the detail, or as needed?
 
I hope this is only happening when you work single-stage paints as opposed to basecoat/clearcoat! *I* find that the paint on the pads is more a weird/irritating thing to get used to than a REAL problem. I just rinse the pads out when they seem really loaded up. MAYBE after every panel (gonna vary by situation). I did the XJS with VM (MILD abrasives) and only cleaned the pad afterwards. When I did it with PI-IIII I think it was more like five or six times (maybe fewer). If your polish/product is one that calls for DRY pads, then just switch to a clean one, if not, just rinse them out whenever they bother you. You'll probably clean them MORE often than you really need to.
 
I had a chance to attend a Meguiars training seminar on the proper use of a rotary, Mike Philips actually was the trainer. He used a special brush designed specifically to clean polishing pads before, during and after the buffing process. You would clean as needed. I honestly can't remember what it's called but I remember that you need to rest the buffer upside down on your knee and somehow wedge it there before turning it on. The buffer will want to take off when you turn it on so be sure you've got a hold of it. Once you've turned it on you take the brush and start at the center and pull towards the outer edge, it will remove 80% of the gunk on the pad. Note you don't want to do this near the car as it will dust like crazy and make a mess of the freshly buffed surface.



Maybe try searching on Meguiars website for the brush, or possibly a paint autobody shop. :nixweiss



As far as an applicator I would have enough on hand to get a fresh one as necessary.
 
Dr. Jones



I just rinse and swap pads while it dries or use that as an excuse to take a break while waiting for the pad to dry.



11555polish4-med.jpg




Here's a pad that is pretty loaded up and on its way to the sink, don't tell my wife, next to a clean one. I was using 3M PI-IIIMG and I cleaned pads about 6 or 7 times. Like Accumulator said, probably more than needed.



Russ
 
You know, I've been wondering about this issue, and can't help but wondering if we're not worried about this enough OR we're worrying about it too much. :nixweiss



My point is that we get worried about paint being transferred to the pads right? It looks terrible and your natural instinct is to try to get that junk off before ever using it again. The thing is, what if all you ever detail are clear coated cars? Then you wouldn't be able to see the clear, colourless paint that has been transferred to the pad, but you just can't SEE....



Thoughts on this anyone? Is having paint on the pad like that really harmful? :nixweiss





MBZ 500E sounds like Mike Phillips used a pad spur? This can only be used with rotary machines and you shouldn't try to spur a pad on a PC.
 
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