New Flex

[badhemi]

Well broke out the new flex last night. As with any new machine a trip to the local body shop first. Picked up a 2004 Dodge Ram hood for practice. So with an orange pad and & #4 I got started on the abused hood. I wanted to know just how far i could go before damage would occur. Well right off I chose setting #5 which resulted in the XMT smoking after about five minutes in a small spot, keep in mind i'm learning how not to damage things. Hazed the paint real good and the hood could not be touched. After cool down time (about 7 minutes) I inspected the paint (hazed but swirrls & scratches gone). Put on a white pad and applied Pinnacle Advanced Finishing polish on setting #3. Worked the area about 4 minutes. As bad as the hood was it looked very good. Any tips on usage of the Flex and settings would be welcome. Also how should edges be done with the Flex?

[RaskyR1]

Well broke out the new flex last night. As with any new machine a trip to the local body shop first. Picked up a 2004 Dodge Ram hood for practice. So with an orange pad and & #4 I got started on the abused hood. I wanted to know just how far i could go before damage would occur. Well right off I chose setting #5 which resulted in the XMT smoking after about five minutes in a small spot, keep in mind i'm learning how not to damage things. Hazed the paint real good and the hood could not be touched. After cool down time (about 7 minutes) I inspected the paint (hazed but swirrls & scratches gone). Put on a white pad and applied Pinnacle Advanced Finishing polish on setting #3. Worked the area about 4 minutes. As bad as the hood was it looked very good. Any tips on usage of the Flex and settings would be welcome. Also how should edges be done with the Flex?

Congrats!

I usually work on speeds of 4-5 for correction...don't really like going above 5. Depending on your pad and polish selection you should be able to go over the edges. If you're using something aggressive then you should tape them off. The unit does have a pretty large throw so it can be tricky getting into some tight areas. Just be sure to use good pressure, arm speed, and over lapping passes.

I <3 my Flex! :cheers:

[badhemi]

thanks. i'll try taping tonight see what works. i noticed when i slowed down the machine was easier to handle. the Menzema products seamed to work better with the Flex. Half the hood was sand papered so it has some real good scratches.