How do I prime a Rupes Foam Pad on a Rupes Polisher?

[Mike Phillips]

How do I prime a Rupes Foam Pad on a Rupes Polisher?


I get asked this question a lot and I see it asked a lot so here's the answer.

Question: How do I prime a Rupes pad on a Rupes Polisher?

Answer: You don't.

That is you don't prime a RUPES pad with RUPES compounds and polishes the same way you prime pads for other dual action polishers.

Instead, you KISS or Keep it Simple Simon and simply apply 3 drops about the size of dimes on the face of the pad like this,







This is ESPECIALLY TRUE for the Rupes Blue Coarse Foam Cutting Pads as they have a very large open cell foam structure and if it's very easy for any excess product to sling out and off the pad and end up as splatter dots all over the car and even you if you over use the product.


From this thread,

Mind Blowing - Rupes Blue Foam Cutting Pad and Zephir Gloss Coarse Gel Compound








Here's a tip...
When you go to add fresh product, don't add it to the same place you previously applied the product. Space out future drops of fresh product to different areas on the pad.



Interesting Pattern Develops
I thought this was very interesting, it's a picture of a Rupes pad after placing three dime sized drops of product on a clean, dry pad and then buffing just one section of single stage paint.


Look at the pattern created by the product, it shows how the product settled out under use...


The below pictures were taken from this recent show car/race car we buffed out...

Pictures: 1966 Orange Chevy Nova Super Sport Extreme Makeover

Here's an excerpt...

Rupes Bigfoot Orbital Polishers

First we tested the green medium foam pad with the Blackfire SRC Compound.

Key Points.

No need to prime pad, simply place product directly onto the face of the foam pad, place the pad against the paint, use a medium speed to spread the product out then begin making SLOW overlapping passes with just a little more than the weight of the tool for downward pressure.








Triangle Pattern
Now look at this crazy patter created from three dime sized drops of product after buffing out one section of paint.




And yes... the car came out nice using this simple technique to get the product onto the pad.




Before

[HD.Detailing]

i always hear not to prime the pads.. I used BFSRC compound on rupes green pad and didn't prime... it seemed to hop a bit??

[Mike Phillips]

i always hear not to prime the pads.. I used BLACKFIRE FSRC compound on RUPES green pad and didn't prime... it seemed to hop a bit??

I've never had a problem with pad hop using Rupes foam pads on RUPES polisher but here's something I do, especially for the first pass with a clean, dry pad.

Turn the polisher on the 3-4 setting and quickly, as in instantly when I turn the power on I get the polisher moving to spread the product out over the section of paint I'm going to work.

Then once the product is spread out turn my speed up.

I do the same thing with any tool I just make sure I do it with the Rupes polishers. That long stroke tend to easily sling splatter dots if you don't get the tool moving when you first start out.

Just have never felt any buffer hop to date. Be sure to apply just light downward pressure to the head of the tool. I'd say this is the most common technique issue for people born and raised using all other tools when they switch to the RUPES polishers.

That is they tend to use the technique they use with other polishers and apply too much downward pressure.

[Evan.J]

Great write up as always Mike. I do exactly what you do except I use four dots of product instead of three.

I have never had my machine hop on me.

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Prime SMAT products. Otherwise, no need to. I think this is the general consensus?

[Tato]

Thanks for coming with this subject, I'm using my Rupes more often and this thread offers rich content regarding how to get the results with it.

[Mike Phillips]

Great write up as always Mike. I do exactly what you do except I use four dots of product instead of three.

I have never had my machine hop on me.

Good to hear...

As far as number of dots or drops, dabs or dollops, guess it depends on how much product is in each dap/drop/dot/dollop on the pad.





For years I've seen people recommend pea sized drops and peas are very small in my opinion. While I understand the importance of not overusing a product I believe you need a certain amount of product just to provide enough abrasives plus lubrication and enough volume of these two components to create a film of product over the surface to be worked.

Too much product and your pad will hydroplane and cutting ability is diminished.

Too little product and there's not going to be enough lubrication to last through the buffing cycle let alone not enough actual product to work against the paint.

I always use the term ample to describe how much product to use as in use the ample amount.


From The Free Dictionary.com
[quote]am·ple
adjective

1. Of large or great size, amount, extent, or capacity: an ample living room.

2.
a. Large in degree, kind, or quantity: an ample reward.
b. More than enough: ample evidence.

3. Fully sufficient to meet a need or purpose: had ample food for the party.

Out of the above definitions, I'm using the 3rd definition.

Using too much product
If you use too much you can hyper-lubricate the surface and this will make it more difficult for the abrasives to abrade the surface as they’ll tend to want to glide or slip over the surface instead of bite into the surface.

Using too little product
If you use too little product there won’t be enough lubrication to enable the buffing pad to rotate and thus engage the abrasives against the surface so they can bite into and remove small particles of paint.

You want an AMPLE amount of product when first starting out because you pad is dry and some of the product is going to seep into the pad leaving less on the surface to LUBRICATE and ABRADE the paint.


We all find our way....

[Zelfiris]

Mike, should the question be changed to "How do I prime a Rupes foam pad on a Rupes Polisher?

I saw in one of your videos for the Rupes MF pads, you had prime it really well into each fiber

[HUMP DIESEL]

I've never had a problem with pad hop using Rupes foam pads on RUPES polisher but here's something I do, especially for the first pass with a clean, dry pad.

Turn the polisher on the 3-4 setting and quickly, as in instantly when I turn the power on I get the polisher moving to spread the product out over the section of paint I'm going to work.

Then once the product is spread out turn my speed up.

I do the same thing with any tool I just make sure I do it with the Rupes polishers. That long stroke tend to easily sling splatter dots if you don't get the tool moving when you first start out.

Just have never felt any buffer hop to date. Be sure to apply just light downward pressure to the head of the tool. I'd say this is the most common technique issue for people born and raised using all other tools when they switch to the RUPES polishers.

That is they tend to use the technique they use with other polishers and apply too much downward pressure.

This is something I learned thru trial and error. I too was using too much pressure at first and it messed up some pads.

HUMP

[Mike Phillips]

Mike, should the question be changed to "How do I prime a Rupes foam pad on a Rupes Polisher?

I saw in one of your videos for the Rupes MF pads, you had prime it really well into each fiber

Good catch....

Wait look... I did type foam pad....