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Mike.Phillips@Autogeek · 05-21-2011, 03:58 PM

Priming your pad when working by hand

Anytime you're first starting out working on your car's paint by hand or machine your hand applicator pads or machine buffing pads are going to be clean and dry.

Clean Applicator Pads
You always want to work clean, and in the context of this article that means you want the working face of whatever type of pad you're using is clean so that you don't inflict swirls and scratches into the paint.

Dry Applicator Pads
Doesn't matter if you're starting out with brand new pads or previously used but clean pads, before you start working on your car's paint you should prime your pads with whatever product you're using.

Here are three reasons why you want to first prime your pad before working your car's paint,

1. To wet or dampen it and thus make it more gentle to the paint

2. To help the pad material glide over the paint easier

3. To ensure that 100% of the working face of either the applicator pad is working at maximum efficiency.

How to Prime Your Applicator Pads
Pictured below are over 15 types of hand application pads. You can prime all of them in the same manner as shown below.

1. Apply some product to the face of the applicator pad, guesstimate the amount of product needed for the size pad being used.

2. Using your clean finger, spread the product out and over the face of the pad lightly working the product into the surface of whatever material your pad is manufactured from.

3. After priming the face of your applicator pads, pour some product directly onto the face of the pad; this is your working product, that is the amount of product you'll be working with over a specific section of paint.