autogeekonline car wax, car care and auto detailing forum Autogeek on TV
car wax, car care and auto detailing forumAutogeekonline autogeekonline car wax, car care and auto detailing forum HomeForumBlogAutogeek.net StoreDetailing Classes with Mike PhillipsGalleryDetailing How To's
 
Thanks Thanks:  0
Likes Likes:  0
Dislikes Dislikes:  0
Results 1 to 7 of 7
  1. #1
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    MEGA pad selection for the FLEX 3401 - From Wool pads to Foam pad and even ABRALON SANDING DISCS

    MEGA pad selection for the FLEX 3401 - From Wool pads to Foam pad and even ABRALON SANDING DISCS







    The FLEX 3401 is not what I would call a fussy polisher.

    Nope. It will turn and burn just about any pad you choose to use. The good news is there's a LOT of pad options for the FLEX 3401. Below is just a SAMPLE of the available pads.



    Lake Country Hybrid in 6.5" and 5"

    In my how-to book,

    How to use the Flex XC3401 VRG Dual Action Orbital Polisher


    I strongly recommend the hybrid pads for the FLEX 3401. Pictured below are the 6.5" and the 5" pads. In order to use the 5" pads you'll want to get the Lake Country 4" Backing Plate Adapter System. It's really handy to be able to use large pad for large flat panel and then use smaller pads for the thin panels and intricate areas.







    In the hybrid line there are cutting, polishing, finishing, waxing and jeweling pads. Something for every detailing project.






    Lake Country CCS Pads
    CCS stands for Collapsed Cell Structure and these are the pockets you see in the face of the pad. Lake Country states these pockets make buffing smoother while disipating compound, polish and wax as you buff. These are available in both 6.5" and 4" pads.





    Lake Country Flat Pads
    These are simple, 6.5" foam flat pads and also excellent choices for any polishing project.





    Lake Country Hydrotech Pads
    The word hydrotech as it's used to describe these pads mean closed cell foam. The idea being is the closed or walled off structure of the cell design reduces the ability for liquids to penetrate into the pad as quicklsy or as easily as open cell foam pads. These pads are available in both 6.5" and 4".









    Lake Country Purple Foamed Wool Pads
    These are unique pads to the Lake Country brand. The wool fibers of these pads are encapsualted with foam particles creating pad that offers good cutting action with excellent plush cushion for smooth buffing.







    Here's some pictures showing how the 5" Hybrids fit to the 4" backing plates











    Here's some pictures showing how the 4" pads fit to the 4" backing plate. While this combination does work you need to pay attention to the aluminum housing for the gears in the head of the FLEX 3401 as the pads are smaller in diameter than the housing.












    To get any of these pads or to ask questions please call our friendly customer care staff at,

    1-800-869-3011

    They can help you get the best pads for your detailing project.



  2. #2
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: MEGA pad selection for the FLEX 3401 - From Wool pads to Foam pad and even ABRALON SANDING DISCS

    So you want to do some major correction work huh?

    Remove years of neglect that has left millions of swirls, scratches, oxidation and water spots in the paint?

    OR

    You're working on a gel-coat boat and you need to remove years of heavy oxidation?


    Then get yourself a Lake Country 7.5" Electrified Wool Polishing pad. Even though they use the word polishing to describe the type of pad this is don't be fooled, it still cuts like a son-of-a-gun because it's a WOOL pad. Fibers are a form of abrasive be they wool cutting or wool polishing pads.


    7.5 inch Electrified White Sheepskin Final Polishing Pad


    Electrified?
    The word electrified means Lake Country has taken the extra step to electrify the wool which removes the natural sharp barbs found in wool creating a pad that cuts fast but finishes with less scouring of the paint. This is a real benefit when buffing thin, scratch-sensitive clearcoat finishes.













    I highly recommend these in my how-to book,


    How To Detail Boats With Marine 31



    To get one of these pads contact please call our friendly customer care staff at,

    1-800-869-3011

    They can help you get the best pads for your detailing project.



  3. #3
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: MEGA pad selection for the FLEX 3401 - From Wool pads to Foam pad and even ABRALON SANDING DISCS

    Machine Sanding

    Are you working on a severely neglected gel-coat boat or aluminum pontoon boat?

    If so then you can also use the FLEX 3401 to quickly sand off years of oxidation and then follow the sanding process by buffing out your sanding marks.
























    WARNING
    Don't try to machine wet sand car paint using a FLEX 3401. The paint on cars, trucks and suvs is way to thin to safely machine sand with a gear driven orbital polisher.

    The gel-coat finish on a boat is much thicker than the paint on a car and aluminum is thick as the metal used to build pontoon boats so there's much less of any issue using the FLEX for boats.

    I cover this in my how-to book,

    How To Detail Boats With Marine 31



    To get any of the Mirka Abralon sanding discs please call our friendly customer care staff at,

    1-800-869-3011

    They can help you get the right sanding discs for your boat detailing project.



  4. #4
    Super Member Chris@AutoCleanse's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    St. Cloud, Florida
    Posts
    1,551
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: MEGA pad selection for the FLEX 3401 - From Wool pads to Foam pad and even ABRALON SANDING DISCS

    Great article Mike.

  5. #5
    Super Member Paul A.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Tampa Florida
    Posts
    5,274
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: MEGA pad selection for the FLEX 3401 - From Wool pads to Foam pad and even ABRALON SANDING DISCS

    I just received my Flex 3401 this week and it is unbelievably better than i expected. I was using both a Hitachi rotary and a Porter Cable 7336 for all of my paint work and this new machine absolutely blows them both away. I had migrated to the LC Hybrid pads for use on my rotary and have them in every color. What's nice in that regard is how phenomenal they work on the Flex and i don't have to switch out to all new pads. However, i did order another 2 6 packs of hybrids!

    The Flex 3401 has been described as a beast and i agree! The only slightly strange thing i noticed was the spin being opposite of what i have been used to for the past 10 years or so. No problem...just feels different to pick up a bead of product from the other side now. You can feel the quality of this machine. In the 3 or 4 days i've had this thing i've already done heavy cutting all the way down to jewelling and LSP application.

  6. #6
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: MEGA pad selection for the FLEX 3401 - From Wool pads to Foam pad and even ABRALON SANDING DISCS

    Quote Originally Posted by Chris@AutoCleanse View Post

    Great article Mike.

    Thanks Chris, wish you could have joined us tonight.

    We cut the 1969 Tbird using the 7.5" wool pad on the FLEX 3401


    Before & After Pictures: 1969 Ford Thunderbird Barn Find - Sitting for 24 years

    Before






    After





    Using the FLEX 3401 with great pads and 3D products we knocked the Tbird out in about 2 hours.




  7. #7
    Super Member axel06's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Fords, NJ
    Posts
    883
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: MEGA pad selection for the FLEX 3401 - From Wool pads to Foam pad and even ABRALON SANDING DISCS

    wow great job to all... beautiful!!!!!!!

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 4
    Last Post: 01-08-2019, 09:56 AM
  2. 3M Trizact or Mirka Abralon discs
    By Whitewater25 in forum Auto Detailing 101
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 04-26-2018, 06:21 PM
  3. Boat detailing with the FLEX 3401 and Purple Foamed Wool Pads?
    By Mike Phillips in forum Ask your detailing questions!
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 04-12-2018, 10:52 AM
  4. Wool vs. MF cutting for the Flex 3401?
    By Paul A. in forum Tricks, Tips and Techniques
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 05-27-2016, 11:32 AM
  5. Wool pad for flex 3401?
    By Billand in forum Ask your detailing questions!
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 06-14-2012, 12:15 PM

Members who have read this thread: 2

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

» March 2024

S M T W T F S
2526272829 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 123456