Pad caving in middle

[Huy-Do]

Just curious if I am doing anything wrong

This past weekend I detailed a friend's car using the Wolfgang™ Low Profile 5.5 inch Orange Light Cutting Pads that came with the Universal Pad Washer :buffing:. After I was done with one side of the truck, the pad was all black and caved in the middle. I immdeately switched to another pad and went over the same panel to make sure I didn't go too deep. The new pad came out clear with no black residue.

My questiona are:

1. What makes a pad cave in the middle? Did I go over a raised edge too much and damage the pad??

2. Wha make a pad turn black?

[pricha00]

I would assume black is dirt that wasn't removed before polishing and what causes pads to cave in is usually too much heat caused be too high a speed or too much pressure placed on the pad. I had a similar issue with some 4 inch pads that I used on my SUV. Now I know to go a little slower on the speed and keep the pressure to a minimun. Just the weight of the polisher is plenty. Depending on the damage to the foam, it may be trashed. I have had some pads come back to normal after cave-in and one wouldn't reform back to normal. Even when cleaned and cooled the centre had no meat in it if you know what I mean. Learned my lesson the hard way I guess.

Pat.

[ASPHALT ROCKET]

Too much pressure on the pad causes it to cave.