Rupes polisher balance?

[Philips146]

Hi guys I have a Rupes 21 MkII and I think it may be out of balance I've only done 5 cars with it. But when I start it up it moves side to side for a little bit and little black specks fly out in the first 3 seconds of running. I think it may be pieces of the rubber shroud. Any feedback will be appreciated.
Note: I use Meguiars MF and foam pads with Shine Supply compounds and polishes.

As always Thank You,
Philip

[The Guz]

Lube the area where the backing plate meets the shroud to solve the issue of the shroud shredding. Dylan of Rupes has a post about this on the forum.

Reading Mike's book he states that tool works best as system with the Rupes pads. It will have less vibration and feel more balanced. I personally do not like the Meguiar's thin foam pads on the Rupes 15 MKII other than the burgundy foam cutting disc. The microfiber pads seem to work ok. The Rupes pads definitely feel night and day compared to the Meguiar's pads.

[wing commander]

I just was reading the manual and it says you should use only Rupes pads and polish.Many have used non Rupes pads with success so maybe your combo may be out of balance and damaging the shroud. I hope others with more knowledge will reply since I have only used Rupes as a complete system without introducing non OEM pads or polishes.Maybe your pads are wrong weight,if you feel vibration something is wrong because my MkII has zero vibration when in use.

[Zubair]

All my Rupes Legacy and MKII polishers torque steer on initial start up even on speed one. I use petroleum jelly on the shroud and that sorts out the friction issue or alternatively use a washer mod.

[Detailsbydaniel]

I know someone using megs pads and shine supply liquids with no issues. Might be a bigger issue

[Mike Phillips]

The shroud is a "wear" item. That is it's normal for it to wear and thus wear out. It is designed to have physical contact with the backing plate to cause drag which in turn is supposed to create 50% rotation and 50% oscillation.

Having black chunks of rubber flying out isn't good though from a paint polishing point of view. I'd recommend applying a thin film of silicone or lithium grease to the back of the backing plate. Even a thin film of oil will provide lubrication. This will create "slip" and reduce oscillation while increasing rotation. This goes against what the RUPES engineers designed the shroud for but it does help prevent or reduce the shroud from breaking down.


:)

[Mike Phillips]

As for using non RUPES pads and products with RUPES tools, see this article...


The Air Test - Using NON RUPES pads on RUPES Polishers (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-mike-phillips-your-detailing-questions/103119-air-test-using-non-rupes-pads-rupes-polishers.html)




:)

[Philips146]

Ok guys thank you for your feedback. I am not too big of a fan of the Rupes pads not that they are bad or anything I just feel the megs pads work better. As for lube on the shroud should I use a specific lube? And as I said the polisher moves side to side is this normal?

Thank You,
Philip

[Rsurfer]

The shroud is a "wear" item. That is it's normal for it to wear and thus wear out. It is designed to have physical contact with the backing plate to cause drag which in turn is supposed to create 50% rotation and 50% oscillation.

Having black chunks of rubber flying out isn't good though from a paint polishing point of view. (( I'd recommend applying a thin film of silicone or lithium grease to the back of the backing plate. Even a thin film of oil will provide lubrication.)) This will create "slip" and reduce oscillation while increasing rotation. This goes against what the RUPES engineers designed the shroud for but it does help prevent or reduce the shroud from breaking down.


:)


Ok guys thank you for your feedback. I am not too big of a fan of the Rupes pads not that they are bad or anything I just feel the megs pads work better. As for lube on the shroud should I use a specific lube? And as I said the polisher moves side to side is this normal? Thank You,
Philip:props:


Are you describing the throw of the backing plate?

[Philips146]

Sorry for being unclear. When I turn the machine on the whole machine (from the handle to the trigger) starts rocking. the backing plate moves as it is supposed to. -Philip

[Rsurfer]

Sorry for being unclear. When I turn the machine on the whole machine (from the handle to the trigger) starts rocking. the backing plate moves as it is supposed to. -Philip

What happens when you have a pad on and is flat on paint? Does it still rock?

[Philips146]

What happens when you have a pad on and is flat on paint? Does it still rock?

Yes it does. On flat and vertical panels.

[idriveblackcars]

I love Rupes pads especially the yellow. But I can pretty much get my mk2 to work with any pad product combo while keeping the smoothness of the machine in tact.

Possibly try lowering the speed.

[rlmccarty2000]

I can't stand the Rupes blue pads myself. No matter what I do I always wind up with sling. I use Meg's microfiber cutting pads to get the job done with zero sling.

Sounds like you may have a bad unit. Contact Rupes directly to confirm. They have outstanding customer service.

[Todd@RUPES]

Ok guys thank you for your feedback. I am not too big of a fan of the Rupes pads not that they are bad or anything I just feel the megs pads work better. As for lube on the shroud should I use a specific lube? And as I said the polisher moves side to side is this normal?

Thank You,
Philip

The back to back motion is a function of the oscillation and the soft start. Until enough torque is available to the pad to break it loose (think a drag car and traction) the tool will drive against you. It is usually very very minor and noticeable for a split second...

However, if the shroud has worn, it could lock against the backing plate (again until enough torque is available to override it) which will only increase the initial steering.

The function of the shroud is to limit pad rotation in free air. When the pad is applied to the paint and the forces that induce rotation are increased, a properly lubricated shroud will become almost invisible.

As far as which lubricant to use you have a few options.

1) Pneumatic Tool Oil or similar. This is what we (RUPES Technical and Sales Team) use the most because we always have some handy.
2) Dielectric Grease - This is similar to what is applied at the factory and will last the longest.
3) Vaseline or similar - Will last nearly as long as the grease but might not provide quite the slip of the grease or oil.