When to use Rotary or PC..

B

b34tBoX

New member
Hey guys, proud new owner of a 9227.

I was using a PC 7424 for about a year to take care of swirls.

It worked, to an extent, but I felt was very time consuming. So I bought the rotary.



Is it suggested that I save the rotary for very damaged paint?

I understand that I should always start with least abrasive.

So if for example I can't get rid of defects efficiently with PC, yellow pad and SSR2.5.

Then I could try the rotary with foamed wool and SSR2.5?



For cutting, as of now I only have SSR2.5 and 1. SSR3 will be ordered shortly. And would use that for only severe corrections, naturally..



Just wanted to get recommendations on when I could use each machine.

Save the rotary for medium to severe corrections, and PC for light swirls, and applying polishes..etc.

Sound about right?
 
IMHO, the rotary is a plus up to an existing pad/polish combo. IOW, you can step down in polish and pad and achieve (or exceed) the level of correction you would get with a more aggressive pad and polish combo via PC.



With the example you've given, I'd say try white foam, with the polish you're using on the rotary and see if you get the results you're after.



Just my .02 and my own experience. Others will chime in shortly I'm sure.
 
landcruiser said:
With the example you've given, I'd say try white foam, with the polish you're using on the rotary and see if you get the results you're after.
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Wow, OK. I think I may have just underestimated the power of the rotary.



I would have never had thought to use a white pad with SSR2.5 to do any sort of corrections for swirls.
 
craigdt said:
Yes indeed. Many times it can be finished down to LSP ready on lighter paints.
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Amazing.

I'm going to hold off on the very abrasive compound and wool pad, and see what I can accomplish first with foam pads.
 
b34tBoX said:
Wow, OK. I think I may have just underestimated the power of the rotary.



I would have never had thought to use a white pad with SSR2.5 to do any sort of corrections for swirls.
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The pad/polish combos are interesting to play around with. Due to the torque and power of the rotary vs. the PC, you can "lean" into the rotary and it won't bog down.



Let us know how you like the rotary. :)
 
landcruiser said:
The pad/polish combos are interesting to play around with. Due to the torque and power of the rotary vs. the PC, you can "lean" into the rotary and it won't bog down...
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IME this holds true for the Flex 3401 and even the PC when using 4" pads.



Mild product/pad combos that wouldn't accomplish *anything* via PC/6" can do incredible work when the machine is more aggressive.
 
Beat I've been using the rotary for most of my work, and when I use the PC/G110 I use it only as a final step when I just can't finish out without holograms from the rotary... I get this a lot on VWs and softer paints, like some Porsches or older SS paints... from what I've seen though, people either choose one or the other, and it's mostly due to personal preference...



For example, lately there has been a PC explosion with M105/205, etc. but I still don't understand why it's recommended over a rotary... people say with the non diminishing abrasives you can correct better with the PC while still finishing out LSP ready because you can vary pressure so it's light at the end of the pass and it finishes down nicely, but I can do that with the rotary as well, unless I'm working with the 'bad' paint and can't finish down with rotary... then yes, I'll use the PC/G110



I don't know if I'm biased but to me, visually, the paint always looks much slicker, flatter, deeper and clearer when finished with rotary than with the PC... maybe I've had bad luck with the PC or used the wrong products/methods, but I can't even count how many times I would use a certain pad/product combo (M80/LC white for example) and with rotary it comes out perfect and mirror-like while the PC does remove the light swirling and it seems LSP ready, but when you look at the reflection you see these small jagged-looking spots where it almost seems as if the PC left polish at random spots in the paint...



I'll try and get some pics of that when I get a chance.



In any case, I think your original idea was best... use the rotary for correction, then finish down with PC or use it for a light 1-step if you can't finish down perfect with the rotary.
 
Accumulator said:
IME this holds true for the Flex 3401 and even the PC when using 4" pads.



Mild product/pad combos that wouldn't accomplish *anything* via PC/6" can do incredible work when the machine is more aggressive.
Click to expand...



Are there smaller BPs available for the Flex now?
 
landcruiser said:
Are there smaller BPs available for the Flex now?
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No (I might've been unclear in my previous post :o ). I just meant that a Flex *or* a PC/4" can do impressive work.



I haven't tried my E2K plate on the Flex yet either.



I plan to have a friend of mine cut a Flex backing plate down to ~3.5". We'll see how it turns out.



But the idea seems problematic IMO. The head/housing of the Flex is pretty big and I forsee this little 4" pad sticking out of a big machine :think: I really dunno if it's gonna offer any real functional advantages over just using the edge of a larger pad. Well...it might work well for spot-correction, we'll see.
 
Accumulator said:
No (I might've been unclear in my previous post :o ). I just meant that a Flex *or* a PC/4" can do impressive work.



But the idea seems problematic IMO. The head/housing of the Flex is pretty big and I forsee this little 4" pad sticking out of a big machine :think: I really dunno if it's gonna offer any real functional advantages over just using the edge of a larger pad. Well...it might work well for spot-correction, we'll see.
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Yeah, that's what I think too. 4" pads may not be a "doable" mod on the Flex?
 
landcruiser said:
.. 4" pads may not be a "doable" mod on the Flex?
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I guess we'll know more when my buddy cuts the plate down to size.



If it holds up (he was concerned that the plate might be hollow in some places) it could be handy for spot repairs that previously would've taken either a rotary or lots of work with a PC. But on medium/soft clear the PC is plenty capable so I'm thinking primarily about hard paints that need a small area done.
 
Accumulator said:
I guess we'll know more when my buddy cuts the plate down to size.



If it holds up (he was concerned that the plate might be hollow in some places) it could be handy for spot repairs that previously would've taken either a rotary or lots of work with a PC. But on medium/soft clear the PC is plenty capable so I'm thinking primarily about hard paints that need a small area done.
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Please post up some pics when you get it done?
 
landcruiser said:
Please post up some pics when you get it done?
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I've never done the digital-imaging thing, but I might post something up when it's done.



I was using the Flex yesterday and I again thought to myself that a) the machine's housing is just too big for a lot of the "tight spot" work people want 4" pads for, and b) for spot-repairs the PC is just about as good anyhow (with 4

" pads).
 
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