My first try with rotary polisher

[Strat]

Finally had a go today on a rotary.
I have a dented door I replaced and kept for practicing paint correction
I intentionally put a few marks (not deep)on it to see if they would buff out with farecla g3 premium polish and wool pad.
I did eventually get them out but found the paint very hard and wonder if audi paint is typically quite a hard paint?
It wasn't till I cranked the speed to 2000rpm that it really seemed to start a cut. I was careful not to allow paint to get too warm. I reasoned that the speed goes up to 3000rpm so 2000 must be not a desperately bad speed.
I am pleased with the result but Quite a few seem to say not to go over 1500 rpm

Should I have stuck with lower speed and applied more pressure or?
Any feedback greatly appreciated.

[Steelman]

Strat
Mike Phillips has videos on learning how to use a rotary buffer. Just do a search. I do not have a rotary at this point but want to learn how to.

[ClearVue18]

Watch videos and practice if you’re a rookie. If today was your first try and all went well then your on the right track.

[LEDetailing]

Finally had a go today on a rotary.
I have a dented door I replaced and kept for practicing paint correction
I intentionally put a few marks (not deep)on it to see if they would buff out with farecla g3 premium polish and wool pad.
I did eventually get them out but found the paint very hard and wonder if audi paint is typically quite a hard paint?
It wasn't till I cranked the speed to 2000rpm that it really seemed to start a cut. I was careful not to allow paint to get too warm. I reasoned that the speed goes up to 3000rpm so 2000 must be not a desperately bad speed.
I am pleased with the result but Quite a few seem to say not to go over 1500 rpm

Should I have stuck with lower speed and applied more pressure or?
Any feedback greatly appreciated.

What rotary were you using. I used my Dewalt rotary on Wednesday and loved the smooth operation.

[Strat]

I have a sealey rotary.
Was looking at getting a second wool pad and some come with instructions saying to use speeds 1800-2500 So feel more confident with using 2000 if paint needs it.
Wondered what you guys start with to check out hardness with paint?
For example of starting with wool mop would you start with say 1000 rpm and do so many passes and examine and see of speed needs to go up?
Thanks again all.

[LEDetailing]

I have a sealey rotary.
Was looking at getting a second wool pad and some come with instructions saying to use speeds 1800-2500 So feel more confident with using 2000 if paint needs it.
Wondered what you guys start with to check out hardness with paint?
For example of starting with wool mop would you start with say 1000 rpm and do so many passes and examine and see of speed needs to go up?
Thanks again all.

I try to keep my RPMs in the 1000-1400 range. I stay slower to avoid problems.

As far as paint hardness. I’m not able to describe my method, I seem to always get harder paints. When I was using the rotary more regularly it was in the late 90’s-2000’s. Seemed like every car was GM’s hard paint.

[Strat]

I started with 1000rpm and did around 5 passes and next to no difference at all. I kept stepping up speed till I hit 2000 rpm then things started happening.
Perhaps I'm just not pressing down hard enough but lower speeds seem to be doing nothing in this old Audi paint.
Interested in what you guys normally start with when not sure how hard paint is to begin with.
Thanks a lot!

[2black1s]

I grew up with rotary buffers back in the days before variable speeds were even available. I still have a Black and Decker model 6130 that I bought in the 1970s along with a newer DeWalt 849. I believe the speed of that B&D is around 2,5000 which was pretty typical back in the day. And you talk about torque... It's a workhorse. I don't have, and cannot find, any literature for the polisher so I'm guessing at the actual RPM but 2,500 is in the ballpark.

Now today, I wouldn't be too concerned with speeds up to 2,500, even 3,000 for heavy correction if you use some common sense. Keep the polisher moving (much faster than with a DA) and don't dwell for too long in any one spot. Be very careful around edges and body lines. Then once your heavy correction is done slow down the polisher for final finishing and/or finish with a DA.

Before the days of variable speed rotary's, or DA's, I would always do a quick "hand finish" with the compound or polish to eliminate any buffer trails, followed by a glaze and wax.

[mwoywod]

I've never actually turned my rotary polisher up above 1,600rpms. I can't imagine trying to correct at 2,500-3,000rpms. That's intense!

I've been using the rotary polisher daily for the past 4 years and while I know there are many professionals with more experience and skills with a rotary, I feel like at this point I have enough experience to at least give my opinion.

IME there are few compounds that are actually lubricated enough to stay wet when using a rotary polisher at such high speeds. If you were running the rotary at 2000rpms and working the area for 5+ passes, there is a good chance the abrasives in the compound broke down too quickly from the heat, and unless you were using an ultra fine polish with a ton of oils and lubrication, I guarantee you were likely dry buffing.

Even the most heavily lubricated compounds that are exceptional with rotary and wool like Jescar Correction Compound and Scholl Concepts S3 Goldxxl will break down too quickly at machine speeds over 1,500rpms. Like LED detailing recommended, ideal operation speed is between 1,000-1,400rpms.

There are things you will learn the more time you have under your belt with the rotary and wool. For instance, unless you're initially spreading the compound over your working area, unlike with pads, you will never keep a wool pad flat against the surface.

Long cycling compounds is pointless when cutting with a rotary. Chances are, if you are doing more than 2-3 passes the compound will dry up too quickly, which leads to dry buffing, which then leads to more heat. On thing Yvan Lacroix from Optimum says that I really like is heat is an unnecessary byproduct of polishing polishing paint.

Also, even if you find a compound with enough lubrication to endure 2000-3000rpms, the actual abrasives in the compound will prematurely break down and you'll end up wasting your time.

One suggestion I've found helpful is when using a diminishing abrasive compound, be sure to spread the compound out over the section (1X1 foot area). This isn't necessary with non-diminishing compounds like M100 and M101 but these compounds cut so fast that it's best to stop after just 1-2 passes to wipe, inspect, blow spent residue out of pad, and add a few more drops of product. One thing I have noticed is on really hard paint is that non-diminishing/SMAT compounds will have a longer buffing cycle because you'll be removing paint residue less rapidly.

I recommend getting a better wool pad
-Lake Country 6" Lambswool Cutting pad (only available through AG)

I also recommend investing in a compound with more lubrication that will stay lubricated longer
-Jescar Correction Compound (available through AG)
-The Last Cut Compounding Glaze
-Scholl Concepts S3 Gold XXL

-Compressed air/blow gun for fluffing fibers and removing residue from pad.