Crazy newbie rotary question:

[ljbrandt]

Well - I think I'll take your advice guys.

In all honesty, I was just looking for something to spread the duragloss 601/501 sealant faster than by hand and work into the paint a little better than a crappy traditional rendom orbit buffer. I was hoping since the duragloss product is not really a true abrasive polish, I could have gotten away with a cheap rotary with a finishing pad - but it looks like that still won't work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3t_mjOu_90


I watched this youtube video of a guy in Malaysia showing proper technique and saying "don't be scared, you can do it" and my confidence was all boosted...now, not so much. I guess I might just forgo a machine altogether and just do the duragloss by hand.

[Setec Astronomy]

If you want to be safe(st) with a rotary, start with a small, soft pad. Something more like 4-5" rather than 6-7", and something soft like a blue or black (wax or glaze) pad. Wear some ear protection those cheap tools are really loud. I got one of those cheap ($14 or something with coupon) HF angle grinders for a quick and dirty (non-automotive) job and it was ear-splittingly loud.

[Paul A.]

I use my rotary for levelling or correcting paint and from aggressive cutting all the way down to jewelling. HOWEVER, the key word i used is levelling i.e. cutting down paint. Period. Once you begin to move down the scale of aggression you need to be comfortable with the right pads, products and hand skills to refine paint...defect free.

If you are looking to brighten up your paint without cutting it down much (or at all) i would strongly...and i say strongly suggest a RO DA. It sounds like you have reached that conclusion from our advice but i clearly understand your question here. A lot think that rotary = quicker/better results. It is but not without refined skills and a lot of practice and experience. Some of my experience early on was peppered with poor results until i understood why they happened. A RO DA might save you some money and frustration in the long run. There is the chance that after using a rotary you find yourself having to correct what you did with it with either additional time going back over it or the cost of another product or pad to fix holo's, haze, etc. Plus i am sure with the right products, a DA will take care of that stove top as well.

Just trying to save you the pain of learning the hard way like i did! There may come a time when you want to expand your capabilities and a rotary may be the right tool for you. I would suggest to wait for that comfort level to arrive.

[GSKR]

If you want to be safe(st) with a rotary, start with a small, soft pad. Something more like 4-5" rather than 6-7", and something soft like a blue or black (wax or glaze) pad. Wear some ear protection those cheap tools are really loud. I got one of those cheap ($14 or something with coupon) HF angle grinders for a quick and dirty (non-automotive) job and it was ear-splittingly loud.

Agreed and on a low setting.

[Setec Astronomy]

Agreed and on a low setting.

Thanks for adding that, very important!

[Lowejackson]

One thing to bear in mind with cheaper rotary units is they tend to come with very hard backing plates. Whilst these have their place, most of the time polishing is significantly easier by upgrading to a better backing plate eg 3M or GlossIt. The downside of a decent backing plate is the overall cost of the polisher and backing plate will now be higher than the cheap DA.

However, a rotary can be a great tool to learn how to use, it is not a 'plug and play' device but with some practice it can yield very good results

[CalSun Detail]

Yeah, maybe you can wait a few weeks and save up some money or something to get a DA and better polish. These tools will last and you're eliminating the risk of mistakes with a tool you've never used. Plus, most professionals are not even using rotary anymore. DAs have improved sooooo much the past few years.