m205 &rotary

[john b]

whats the best way to run 205 with rotary?should i fully prime the pad and then and product or just add product.just picked some up and have never used it.just lookin for tips.thanks

[tuscarora dave]

I lightly prime the entire face of the pad and without adding anymore product to the pad, start running the polisher slowly to spread the product in my work area, then bump up the rpm to around 1100 rpm for several passes depending on severity of defects I wish to remove, then slow the rotary to its slowest setting for a final 2 passes to ensure there are no holograms left in the finish.

Finishing with a rotary with certain pads can be a real challenge to do without leaving behind holograms. I like to use the thickest and softest foam pads available and to step even further in the right direction, I try to only use variable contact pads when rotary finishing paint.

I've followed up with this Mazda Miata several times since finishing the super soft single stage paint with 205 and rotary. The owner of the Miata hasn't applied a wax on the car since I did this job and there never were any holograms each time I saw the car in direct sunlight from the day I did this job.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/32939-93-mazda-miata-paint-correction-megs-vs-mothers.html

I attribute this to low speed polishing, keeping the pad completely flat wherever possible and using a semi concave variable contact pad to work the curves while having a great percent of the pad in contact with the paint.

I find it very important to remove 100% of any compound residue or compound dust before moving on to rotary polishing with a polish such as 205 (any polish for that matter) as any thing left behind creates the potential for holograms. With the right pad and technique holograms can be non-existent or will be so minimal that any LSP will hide them.

IME it is possible to finish hologram free on certain paints with 205 but some cars where I thought I had finished hologram free would prove me wrong into the future once the wax or sealant wore off of the car. In almost every case, the customer never noticed them but I saw them so it really wasn't a big deal to anyone but myself.

[statusdetailing]

I completely agree with this. I've definitely finished cars out with a rotary and 205 with no problem. But every once in a while I'll pull a car out in direct sunlight and find a few holograms. I usually just step down to a white pad and 205 on my porter cable if this happens.

There's so many variables that can cause holograms. Curviness of the car, high temps dry out polish, dirty pad, etc. It just happens sometimes.

Dave, what pads work best for you when finishing with a rotary?

[tuscarora dave]

Dave, what pads work best for you when finishing with a rotary?
The best finishing pads I have used for rotary finishing are the red pads that Poorboy's World has. He markets them to Flex 3401 VRG users and calls them 5.5" Variable Contact Pads for Flex VRG polisher.

I say, he calls them 5.5" VC because they actually measure out at close to 7 inches from edge to edge. They are slightly dished in the middle but are otherwise a flat style pad.

He also carries a 6.5" VC pad that I really don't care for at all because they are more of a large curved pad with a dished recess in the center. IME these curved type of pads cause holograms when finishing.

AG doesn't carry any of the PB VC pads and I wish they would/could.

When I say that the 6.5" VC pads are curved, I mean curved like this example below (the pads shown behind the 3 rotary buffers at the top of the page) and I really don't care at all for these type curved pads from any manufacturer.

Foam / Wool Pads & Accessories for Rotary/Circular Polishers (http://www.autogeek.net/rotary-foam-pads.html)