Rotary Polish/pad selection and specs!

[Wolf-Strong]

So I am getting a rotary, though I am a bit bewildered on what polishes to get. I am on a budget of roughly $150 for pads, backing plate, and polish. My goal for the rotary is to remove mild and medium swirls (picture below). I also will be repainting the bumper with some rattle cans, and will be wet sanding that down, and need to remove roughly 2000grit paper marks. Also, what are these little specs? The paint is clean in this picture, and yet these little specs appear. To my knowledge, this is the original OE BMW Jet Black paint. You can not feel that they are there, and the surface is well clayed.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/wolfstrong/detailing/IMG_0391.jpg

[ScottB]

Menzerna SIP, 106FF Nano, and Micro. Add in some pads and the free shipping discount and you should have made budget or came extremely close.

[pt91]

PG, SIP and 106FF. Edge wool pad and medium to fine foam pads.

[Wolf-Strong]

So I ended up getting a few Polishing and Finishing pads from Meguiar's So1o line as I have heard great things from it. Otherthan that, I have M83 and M80 already so I just ordered M9, the Hi-Tech Body Sponge, M39, Duospur Pad Cleaning Tool, Mothers Wheel
Brush, DP Polishing Pad Rejuvenator, Pinnacle XMT Pad Care Combo, and Meguiars Even-Coat Applicator -2 Pack.

Already am waiting for my order of Micro-Restore, ONR, few spray bottles, and wash bucket with grit guard and dolly! I can't wait to get everything together so I can get started!

[justin_murphy]

You will love using the Meguiar's 83 and 80. They will give you the same results everytime and give some of the best finishes I've seen. M9 is a great finishing polish and will remove some defects.

I want to here what you have to say about the Hi-Tech body sponge. As soon as you use it, let us know.

Oh yeah, you better take pics of all your work to share with us!

Happy Holidays!

[67Customs]

Those white specs are common on close up shots of paint with flash or good lighting. If you look at lots of close up detailing pics on the net, you will see that quite often.

[Wolf-Strong]

Those white specs are common on close up shots of paint with flash or good lighting. If you look at lots of close up detailing pics on the net, you will see that quite often.

Good to know :)


You will love using the Meguiar's 83 and 80. They will give you the same results everytime and give some of the best finishes I've seen. M9 is a great finishing polish and will remove some defects.

I want to here what you have to say about the Hi-Tech body sponge. As soon as you use it, let us know.

Oh yeah, you better take pics of all your work to share with us!

Happy Holidays!

:buffing: You know it! I actually have used the Hi-Tech sponge before, and to say the very least, I LOVE IT! I wrote a review (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-forum/7985-review-hi-tech-body-sponge.html) on it some time back. What I will say is that you should only use it in the shade on a cool, freshly washed surface. Just make sure that you wash it off often, and you will find all it does is lightly mar the surface; nothing a very mild non-abrassive paint cleaner can't handle. What I will say is that it cleans the surface SO much better than the normal clay we use. I'm not sure how it compares to agressive clay as I have never used it, but the point still remains valid; it is a fantastic product.

The last time I used it, I only used it in direct sunlight, and I got a solid 4 uses out of it, and for $11, that isn't half bad. This time I will be using it in shade only, so I can honestly say I am expecting around 10 uses; much cheaper than normal clay.

[sneek]

I am not so sure about that bumper idea. I have been using the rotary for a while now, and I don't think I would want to buff a surface that has been rattle canned. Personally I would just get a pro to paint it. Rattle can jobs are usually not good. There are some people with amazing skill, but trust me, it isn't as easy as it looks. Bumper+rattle can job+wet sanding+ new to rotary sounds like a bad idea to me. JIMO

[Wolf-Strong]

I am not so sure about that bumper idea. I have been using the rotary for a while now, and I don't think I would want to buff a surface that has been rattle canned. Personally I would just get a pro to paint it. Rattle can jobs are usually not good. There are some people with amazing skill, but trust me, it isn't as easy as it looks. Bumper+rattle can job+wet sanding+ new to rotary sounds like a bad idea to me. JIMO

I've rattle canned a bumper before, and that was trying to match a pearl white coat. I've found that the best way to do it is to do thin layers and let it dry. Usually takes a couple days to do properly. Patience is key.

On the side note, I am going to call around for a quote to paint it. It really is not much that needs to be painted at all, and if it only costs $100 to have someone else do it, then shoot, I'll just do that.

[Wolf-Strong]

Today I just picked up my Harbor Freight rotary, and my first impressions on it is that whoever built it, didn't go all the way to make sure it was a quality fit-and-finish tool. The screws to get the handle on were virtually impossible to tighten up as the screw holes were too small, and I needed to use an extension to get it to work. I also noticed it isn't very well balanced with being very front heavy, and can be a bit noisy and make some strange sounds, like the PC. On the handle, you can hold it just fine, however on the trigger handle, I found that the trigger lock button was badly placed. The trigger is a direct on/off switch, and RPMs must be adjusted by the dial, which fortuneatly is blaced right where your thumb is, which does make that part easy to work with. I still would of liked to see the RPMs be adjusted through the trigger though.

Now, as far as the good parts are concerned, it defiantly is made out of heavy duty materials, and there is a certain heft to it, while still being a relatively light machine. This I did like, and after running the motor on/off and on high RPMs, I can honestly say that I don't see it breaking down any time soon. Overall, I would have to say for $25, this thing is a steal, and for that price, a great tool for someone like me to learn to use a rotary on. Sure, it does have its annoyances, but honestly I find it less annoying than the PC. Next weekend, if all goes well and I get my toys in the mail, then I will be buffing out the car, and if not, then the weekend to follow.

[atty]

:iagree:

I concur, Wolf. For $25 it is truly a steal. I don't know how it holds up over time, but it appears to be adequately built, especially considering the price. If it craps out after a year or so, go get another one. For $25 I'm thinking about getting a spare anyway.

I especially like the weight of 6 lbs. since I'm used to swinging an old 8 1/2 pounder. Makes a big difference at my ripe, old age. I would strongly suggest that you take out the four screws on the gear housing and lift the gear assembly out to check the grease situation. No offense to the Chinese, but they have a habit of tossing a wad of grease into the gear box, and if it happens to hit the gears, fine, but many times they miss. In any event, I think you will find the amount on the low side, so don't hesitate to top it off. I prefer synthetic, but since you won't be running it on the race track, the regular version will do nicely.