Pad Cleaning Techniques?

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

Hey people!

Just a quick question about how you go about cleaning your pads on the fly.
Of course a gritguard pad cleaner or something of that sort is the easiest and probably best choice, but I dont have $100 to hash out for one right now...thou it is on my wish list:)

So heres what i do when cleaning on the go...if its really bad I'll mist it with a little APC+ 10:1 and let it set just for a few seconds...then hose it off with the head set on 'shower' and it usually comes right off. Then i reattach it to my PC...spin dry on 3 and then move up to 6 and it becomes quite dry (especially in Az) pretty quick.

I was wondering if A. this would damage the pad
B. even thou i rinse right away might APC effect the polish/compound or wax im using on the pad?

C. If anyone has any other 'on the fly' cleaning techniques

While I'm at it...what do you guys usually do when your done with your pads...I've usually rinse/wash mine out really well and then let them set in warm water and dishsoap for a while...then later rinse them out and let them air dry. Any thoughts??

Thanks!

[So.Cal.]

Mike had an article I read on this.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/20135-how-clean-your-foam-pad-fly-when-using-porter-cable-style-da-polisher.html

and it's not recommended to immerse the entire pad in water since this will speed up the breakdown of the adhesive holding the hook and loop to the pad.

It took me a while to breakdown and buy a pad washer but I figure its a small investment considering what I have invested in pads.

have fun :xyxthumbs:

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

Mike had an article I read on this.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/20135-how-clean-your-foam-pad-fly-when-using-porter-cable-style-da-polisher.html

and it's not recommended to immerse the entire pad in water since this will speed up the breakdown of the adhesive holding the hook and loop to the pad.

It took me a while to breakdown and buy a pad washer but I figure its a small investment considering what I have invested in pads.

have fun :xyxthumbs:

Yeah I really want to get one asap. Someone had a used one up on MOL but by the time i saw the ad it was gone :(. Well if i start getting some higher paying jobs (which i hope to thru the summer) i should be able to invest in a few more things :xyxthumbs:

Ill keep in mind not to drown the pads much anymore lol...I'm just looking for techniques i can use in the mean time before i get the pad washer...ill check out that thread you posted ..thanks

[A4 1.8tqm]

I posted a video in the thread http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/24213-fly-pad-cleaning.html#post314755 that may help. I don't think it should be necessary to get the hose out every time you need to clean a pad on the fly, seems like it would take up a lot of time. Some pad lube and a MF or Terry cloth can get you going again in seconds. My $0.02 :xyxthumbs:

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

I posted a video in the thread http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/24213-fly-pad-cleaning.html#post314755 that may help. I don't think it should be necessary to get the hose out every time you need to clean a pad on the fly, seems like it would take up a lot of time. Some pad lube and a MF or Terry cloth can get you going again in seconds. My $0.02 :xyxthumbs:

Hey thanks for the video...I'll try that today. Going out to wax this beast Chevy Express Van...thing is about as big as an RV i swear. Body has turned out quite nice using 105 in bad spots but mostly just clay/205 over the whole thing. Just need to get the high top part repainted because the previous owner seems like she left it out in the Az sun quite a bit.

Only thing I'm not happy with is you can see orange peel (if your eyes are trained for it) on the paint....but other than that she's looking pretty nice:dblthumb2:

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

I think i should also ask, what do you use as your final pad cleaning technique when your done for the day?

[A4 1.8tqm]

I usually rinse out the majority of product under running water or in a bucket, then they go into a bucket with Snappy Clean to be thoroughly cleaned, then a final rinse under running water or into the washing machine. I don't see how you could get polishing pads completely clean with out fully submersing them. I've never had a problem with a LC Flat pad, the Hydro-tech pads can not be used if the pad is wet because the adhesive holding the backing might fail.

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

I usually rinse out the majority of product under running water or in a bucket, then they go into a bucket with Snappy Clean to be thoroughly cleaned, then a final rinse under running water or into the washing machine. I don't see how you could get polishing pads completely clean with out fully submersing them. I've never had a problem with a LC Flat pad, the Hydro-tech pads can not be used if the pad is wet because the adhesive holding the backing might fail.

Ya ive got the LC CCS pads and no sign of backing failure yet (thou i havent used them a TON). I know i shouldnt let them soak as long as i have a couple of times (thats what i meant when i said ill try not to drown them anymore lol) but I did think letting them set in a bucket of soapy water (ive just been putting dawn into the warm water) was a good idea so that the polish/compound/wax would break down...then rinse them out and let them air dry....but always looking for new ideas....

I love the on the fly cleaning technique as it seems to be a really good idea and much faster...cant wait to give it a go:)

[A4 1.8tqm]

I've let pads sit in water/cleaning solution for over a week, no problems, not that I recommend it. The important part is getting the product out of the pad... http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/25609-i-ruined-blue-lc-pad-warning.html

After heavy use with compounds I've had the divots on a CCS pad wear out like in the thread: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/24791-ccs-becomes-flat.html

Post up some pics of your work when your done!

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

I've let pads sit in water/cleaning solution for over a week, no problems, not that I recommend it. The important part is getting the product out of the pad... http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/25609-i-ruined-blue-lc-pad-warning.html

After heavy use with compounds I've had the divots on a CCS pad wear out like in the thread: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/24791-ccs-becomes-flat.html

Post up some pics of your work when your done!

I'll be sure to do that. Didnt get a lot of 'before' pictures unfortunately as the batteries died and I just got so into the work over these days that doing the job became more important that taking the pics lol

I will do the after pics thou. This van was in BAD shape but its coming together nicely. Did spot 105...205 on everything and going to finish putting on Megs #20 tomorrow (i think i'm falling in love with that stuff lol).

I do have one question thou....DECALS! They are dried and ugly and I really didnt know what to do with them...I ran my buffer over a small section with 205 and a white pad and it did give them a little life...but obviously didnt make them 'like new'...the only thing is the damn decal (which was blue) turned my pad blue lol. I used the APC+ and rinsed it clean and it seems ok, but I was just wondering what you do if you get a car with decals on it, can you treat them...do you aviod doing anything to them orrrr what?

Should have the pics up soon, just be sure to ignore the 'high top' of the van...as it needs to be repainted (and the rims are a bit of an eye sore and will soon be replaced).

[rohnramirez]

Since there was pigment transfer from the decal to your pad, it would be a safe assumption that the decal was not clear coated. Which means you are removing the ink from the stickers. And as such, i would avoid ruining my pads going over it. But if you do decide to polish it, you would want to avoid the edges too. just my 2cents. :)

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

Since there was pigment transfer from the decal to your pad, it would be a safe assumption that the decal was not clear coated. Which means you are removing the ink from the stickers. And as such, i would avoid ruining my pads going over it. But if you do decide to polish it, you would want to avoid the edges too. just my 2cents. :)

Too late, I polished them all lol. I did them gently with a white pad and nothing peeled off (and even if it did the things looked so bad it wouldnt have hurt anything).

It helped give the color back to most of them...but I wasnt sure as to the 'make up' of decals...how they work, or how to treat them.

I might restrip the thing...but ive never done decals...dont know how to remove the old ones or where to order new ones...so thats kind of low on the 'to do' list, but it is something id like to learn how to do.

Thanks for the input thou, i didnt know the clear coated some of em, which does makes sense when you think about it :)

[A4 1.8tqm]

Too late, I polished them all lol. It helped give the color back to most of them...but I wasn't sure as to the 'make up' of decals...how they work, or how to treat them.

It's probably a good idea to keep some good wax/sealant on those decals, now that a fresh layer is exposed to UV light and the elements they may be even more prone to fading and cracking. and be careful around the edges.


I might re-strip the thing...but I've never done decals...don't know how to remove the old ones or where to order new ones...so that's kind of low on the 'to do' list, but it is something id like to learn how to do.

I've never removed decals from a car, but in my experience heat is your friend when removing adhesives like labels and stickers... In case you do try, a hair dryer will probably make it a lot easier :xyxthumbs:

[welcome2thedawn]

this is more of a question than a suggestion...is there any reason you couldn't "make" your own grit guard pad cleaner, using a shallow bucket with a grit guard in it..maybe spray the pad with cleaner, or have cleaner in water just up to grit guard, and use it the same way...maybe i don't fully understand how it works, as i've never seen one in action...and i am very much a newb...but just looking at it, it seems that aside from spraying cleaner up into the pad, you could do the same thing for a lot less money

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

this is more of a question than a suggestion...is there any reason you couldn't "make" your own grit guard pad cleaner, using a shallow bucket with a grit guard in it..maybe spray the pad with cleaner, or have cleaner in water just up to grit guard, and use it the same way...maybe i don't fully understand how it works, as i've never seen one in action...and i am very much a newb...but just looking at it, it seems that aside from spraying cleaner up into the pad, you could do the same thing for a lot less money

You probably could but from what Ive seen...first the grit guard is at the top, with a 'mini' grit guard that attaches to the big one. The big one sets on top of 4 'springs' that you can use to push down and move fresh water up into the area where the buffer pad is and that is what causes the cleaning...the rotation of the pad against the mini grit guard plus the fresh water being pushed up into the area where you have your pad.

If you put a grit guard all the way at the bottom, first problem i'd see is you would have no way of getting the pad while still on the buffer down that far in the bucket...unless you detached the pad...attached it to a drill with an extension and then put it in. But then with there being so little water, it would probably get very dirty very quickly.

I agree the price is a little steap for the GG pad cleaner...and you probably could rig one up on your own that works 'good enough' with a grit guard...a mini grit guard ...a 5 gallon bucket and if you could make something up to serve as the 'springing' motion like the GG cleaner has. The other thing the GG has is you can enclose the top of it when your done washing and spin the pad dry...which i suppose you could do up out of the bucket, but you would sling water everywhere (I know how much my PC slings with a 4" foam pad...im sure a 7" wool one would shower you lol) and plus if the pad flys off...its gonna hit the ground, if it flings off in the bucket....no harm no foul.

There are a few videos on here that show the GG in action...good buy i think if you will use it a lot...if not there are also links on here for 'cleaning your pad on the fly' you can read...which works well for me at the moment untill i can buy the damn GG (hopefully will find someone selling it used for cheaper:) ).

Hope this helps ya out some.