Request: Pads recommendation

[Seeker]

Hi Everyone :)

I decided to go with rotary polisher and to use the following polishes: M105/M205/SF3800

The pads (or sponges) and the color system is getting me extremely confused!

Could you recommend me a suitable pad for each polish?


Just for your information:
I'm attending to correct 2 Chev's (Silver & White) and a black Lexus that I recently got (with a severe orange peel).

Question: Which orange peel pad you recommend for LS430?
Side question: Would 16OZ be enough to correct 3 cars? Or it will barely be enough for one car? (excuse me, if this seems a silly question).


Thanks in advance :)

[ViperGuy21]

All I can comment on is the amount of polish as I'm not skilled, nor familiar with using a rotary or doing orange peel removal. 16oz. of polish is plenty for 3 vehicles. Even on a big pick up the most you would probably use would be 4oz, and that's using it pretty heavy.

[dlc95]

Have you seen this post yet?

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-mike-phillips-your-detailing-questions/87097-my-recommended-buffing-pads-flex-pe14.html

[Paul A.]

Welcome to the community, Seeker!

I use exactly what Mike's post suggested with great success. 5" Lake Country Hybrids on my Hitachi rotary and now on my Flex 3401. I will just about guarantee they would work perfect for you on any paint conditions if used correctly.

To keep it simple, the M105 is a pretty aggressive product and when you resort to using that, for me, it's with an orange or maybe a white pad. The M205 I use with a white, black or red pad to refine what the 105 left behind and the Menzerna 3800 on a black, red or gold is for refining and jewelling to extract the most gloss and brilliance. For me, M205 and 3800 are close enough to use either one or the other. I haven't found the need to refine much if anything after M205. I have used M105 to cut down imperfections (scratches etc.) and then EITHER M205 or Menzerna.

I have never attempted eliminating orange peel however many on here have and may be able to offer some guidance for you. I personally don't like reducing too much of the paint layer.

Which rotary machine did you get?

As far as 16 oz enough? Plenty! I use maybe an ounce to 2 on average to large vehicles.

[Seeker]

I am extremely sorry for my late responds here. It kinda embarrassing not to respond to my own thread in time. Please accept my apologize on this matter. :)


@ViperGuy21:
Thanks man for taken the time and being the first to answer me. :)
I'm getting things shipped, and with the time that I hope to start the detailing project (hopefully in this upcoming week), I don't like to get caught with less product to work with (hardly, I could get a time to finish things probably and next week I'm off for couple of days).

@dlc95:
I might be thick, I still couldn't get things sorted out. So, decided to expand my choices (shortly, I'll write about this).

@Puckman:
Thanks for the warm welcoming :D
You actually answered my question!
Finally, I decided to get these: Lake Country Hybrid Power Finish 5 Inch Foam Pads (http://www.autogeek.net/5-inch-hybrid-pads.html) (One of each).
Also, I was wondering between CarPro Velvet and Denim. I decided to go for Denim Pad.

About the rotary machine. I went and got a price for them, and decided to pick one of the following models (nothing fancy):
1- Stanley Polisher (Min RPM: 1000)
2- No-name Brand (I think it's labeled as Fujitu or something) (Min RPM: 600).

Hitachi Polisher was like 20% more than Stanley, didn't bother much with requesting the Specs (Had 2 bad purchases from Hitachi).


I'll be placing my order today, and hopefully by the next week I'll start polishing. :buffing:
I do thanks everyone here for taking the time and respond me, it is really a nice friendly community here.:xyxthumbs:

[Paul A.]

No worries, Seeker. Best of luck with what you get. I know you'll like those pads!

[dlc95]

No problem, seeker. I'm going to use my normal 5.5" green and blue buff and shine pads on my Flex PE-14 rotary that I normally use on my d/a.

[Seeker]

Just a little bit of an update to this thread:

I have never seen anyone talk about splatters of polishing compound! Literally, it flew everywhere! This made me clean most of my car again, and I would really recommend that DO NOT LET IT DRY! I skipped couple of of these little splatters and said to myself, I'll clean them when I arrive to that panels later (to sum it up, let me tell you it isn't one of my brightest ideas).

The way I do it now, after priming the pad (not too much, just enough to get it covered). I wait a min or so to make sure the pad absorbed the polish, and then I put the polish on the paint itself and on the lowest speed try to get the pad absorb the polish on the paint and spread it on my working area.


Anyway, I got a black car that was repainted, it was one of the reasons of the great deal I had... So, what do I have to say about this?
The paint is extremely hard! It is more or less a shield of it's own.

Tried orange pad with M205, its no go, then M105.... With priming the pad, and without. Even, with spraying water... Low Speed (600 RPM), high speed (~2000 RPM)....
Now, out of frustration, decided to try the denim pad with M105.... Same result.... I mean I got no result, nothing is getting through this paint! I even at a point tried some 2500+ RPM it just made M105 dusts instantly, and even with water! All these I tried it with a rotary... so power is not something is missing here.

Next day, I decided to try a tube of Turtle Polishing compound (the green one in tubs), with the denim pad... The results, after working it really hard on 1800~2000 rpm I got small scratches into the clear coat. and made it hazing with some whitish on it. Went with m105 after that, and it cleared the haze, yet the paint remained the same! (I'd say on this part it make it 25% more wet/darker than the rest of the car).

What ever I am doing, I don't feel that I am polishing it more or less trying to hone a stone! By the way, the scratches are on the clear coat so it's not inside the paint.
The only positive part of this paint that it made me tune my rotary skills...

I don't feel like I am going to sandpaper, as I used too much of M105 and I doubt it will remove the sanding marks.


My next step would be to obtain, something so harsh on the paint. Would Turtle Premium Rubbing Compound be enough? Or is there, something much more stronger?

As I'm currently asking, is it a good practice to force a lower RPM on rotary? I mean like holding the ON trigger, then release and repeat. Technically, I am not letting it go to 600RPM, but lower than that (like 100~300 RPM). Would this be good practice for spreading the polish on the paint and even jeweling on softer paints?



Side notes: I could only work on weekends and during my working time it was almost 106/86F (41/30C) (5:30PM -> 2AM), so I doubt the temperature is to blame here (unless for curing it beyond imagination!)

EDIT: About the splaters going everywhere, I didn't mean to give seniors here an advice :P. I know there are many folks there that reads than writes. So, it just for reference. :)