DIY for Budget — Black and Decker KP-600 DA Velcro Hook and Loop "Implant"

[PPLd]

Intro:
Most professionals and enthusiasts here use high end polishers such as the Meguiar’s G110, or Porter Cable 7424, etc. These machines are powerful and can give you a perfect show-car finish. They make use a backing plate that has Velcro hook-and-loop fastening mechanism so that the user can change to any foam pad as desired. However, the G110 and PC are quite expensive and they are not available in a lot of countries.
The B&D dual action polisher is fairly cheap. I purchased it for less than USD$40. It is available at local hardware store (at least here in Hong Kong). The major drawback of the B&D is that it comes with a fixed a black foam pad that is glued to a hard plastic backing plate. The backing plate cannot be easily removed without disassembling the unit. You are supposed to put on foam or wool bonnets on the original foam pad as you use it. The bonnet system makes this polisher a pain to use and limited its correcting power. After failing for a few times, I decided to modify the B&D DA so that it can make use of foam pads like the other high end polishers.

Tools used, in the order I used them:
B&D DA
Kitchen knife, teeth preferred
A glass/ceramic plate
Lighter fuel / kerosene
Plastic ruler
A pair of Scissors
Hook-and-loop stripes
Strong adhesive / super glue
A ball-pen
It is a good idea to have a few old cloths around in case if you need some cleaning.

Procedure:
First, here is the B&D KP-600 Dual Action Polisher.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/IMG_38871.JPG

As you can see, the B&D comes with a fixed hard plastic backing plate. The foam pad is glued onto the backing plate. B&D said you should use foam and wool bonnets (not in the photo).
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/IMG_38901.JPG

Take your knife out and start cutting. Beware that the head can rotate/move as you cut.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/IMG_38911.JPG

Tada!
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/IMG_38921.JPG

There are a lot of remaining adhesive and foam on the backing plate. Now pour some lighter fuel into a glass/ceramic plate and soak the backing plate in it.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/IMG_38931.JPG


Allow 2-3 minutes for the sticky material to soften up.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/IMG_38941.JPG


Use our ruler to remove the nasty sticky black stuff. Use a dry and clean cloth to dry your backing plate.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/IMG_38951.JPG


It’s time for the Hook-and-Loop strips. You will need a pair of scissors to cut the strips, as well as a ball-pen to draw the circular edge of backing plate onto the strips.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/IMG_38961.JPG


Cut the strips and stick them with super glue. Little glue goes a long way. Repeat until the whole plate is covered.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/IMG_38981.JPG


Tada! Finished!
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/IMG_38991.JPG


Another angle:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/IMG_39011.JPG


The size of the DIY backing plate is of 5-inch diameter in case if any of you are wondering.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/IMG_39021.JPG


Conclusion:
The Black and Decker DA is an entry level DA. It has a power of 60W and 4400rpm no load speed that is not adjustable. The above process took me 1.5 hours to complete. By cutting/modifying the machine you will lose all the warranty provided by manufacturer. So take this guide as a reference only! I hope I can help friends here with tight budget like me :D
Sorry for my bad English and thank you for reading! Feedbacks are welcomed!

[ROMEO]

I was gonna do the same with a ryobi ( $20 at the home cheapot )and use it for waxes and dealers, But gave it away since I got the PCXP

[tuscarora dave]

I am one who likes to modify tools to get the job done such as what you have done here. Thanks for sharing your project and photos with us. Let us know how your first detail works out with it.

My honest thoughts and feedback are that the machine will not have enough speed and power to rotate the pads that you will be using with it preventing any paint correction ability. The adhesive on the strips will probably not hold strong enough for changing pads either.

I am not typically a negative person but I have my doubts that this will work out in the end. As I said above, let us know how it works out.

Here is a similar project that I did. http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/flex-polishers/29075-flex-3401-backing-plate-surgery.html

[master detailer]

lol frist time that thing heats up its over lol good try

[BobbyG]

Hi Dennis,

Your English is better than many of the folks I deal with in the us so no apologizes needed! :laughing:

One thing I've said over and over; necessity is the mother of invention. :props:

I think in principle your idea is sound. The adhesive on the back of the Velcro strips "may" soften and if this happens try using a stronger adhesive similar to contact cement.

Contact cement is used to adhere laminates such as counter tops so a substrate like plywood or particle board.

Until you can afford an upgrade I think your modified sander will work well for you. What I'd like to see is some results after you've taken it for a test drive...:props:

By the way, nice writeup and photography..

Good Luck..

[Crazy Amos]

First, I must say your English is actually not that bad. I have read much much worse lol!

Second, that is a really great idea. I dont think you will have any problems with it. Those machines are not typically made for "correcting"-I doubt it does very much on clearcoat but in doing this I think you have increased it's ability to "correct" on single stage paints. In the past I have used a similar Turtle Wax brand buffer on a single stage VW while using the bonnets and the results were not too bad.
When using it to polish I would not recommend using any type of Diminishing abrasive because it may not be able to break down the abrasives properly. You probably want to stick to something like Megs SMAT technology.

Again, great idea! I think I will try it on my old buffer as well. Please let us know how it works.

[kkreit01]

Great job on the DIY, write-up, and pics. You could have used industrial, heavy-duty velcro for a better "hold". The HD sticks very well.

[BillE]

I LIKE IT!!!

May not have the 'horse power' for correction, but with the small size and popping on some 4" pads, I think it would be great for LSP application.

I've got a couple of old 6 inch 'orbitial polishers'...gonna have to play.

Thanks for the idea.

Bill