Pads Hotter Than Your Morning Cup of Coffee

[AaronE]

So maybe the title is misleading, but my pads are warming up to the touch when polishing or compounding on my 21mm orbital. I polish on my machines number 4 setting (3800/3900 OPM), only apply enough pressure to keep the DA on the car, and use three pea size dots of polish or compound (AIO is a swirl as recommend by Mike), and brush my pads off after each section pass and swap to fresh every panel. I use Lake Country 5.5in flat pads, CCS pads, and thin pro (these ones don't heat up much for me).

For those using the 21mm throw orbitals, how are you cooling your pads down or keeping them from getting warm in the first place.

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[Aaryn NZ]

Hey AaronE,

Now I don’t run a long throw 21 all that often so I’m probably not the best one to answer your question but I’ll have a go.

Basically anything that involves friction is going to produce heat, it’s just how it goes. How much heat? Well you’d have to check that with a gauge to know for sure. How many passes are you doing per section? Obviously the more passes, the more heat will build up but I’m of the thinking that what you’re experiencing is totally normal.

Also the thicker style pads will hold a little more heat than the Thin Pros too.

Be sure to have plenty of pads on hand & if the heat build up is still concerning you, try alternating a couple of pads between sections to allow them to cool down.


Aaryn NZ.

[SWETM]

Agree with Aaryn.

And will ad that some polishers also building up heat differently through the gears. That's often why you see the holes in the pads for the longthrows. I have a 21mm longthrow knockoff and it's horrible with heat build up. Will change the grease in it and see if that helps. If I polishing in warmer temperatures I have to put down the polisher between every 2 pads and 2 panels. To let it cool off some before polishing again. Especially when I use pads with no center holes. They tend to be sinking in in the middle easier.

[AaronE]

Hey AaronE,

Now I don’t run a long throw 21 all that often so I’m probably not the best one to answer your question but I’ll have a go.

Basically anything that involves friction is going to produce heat, it’s just how it goes. How much heat? Well you’d have to check that with a gauge to know for sure. How many passes are you doing per section? Obviously the more passes, the more heat will build up but I’m of the thinking that what you’re experiencing is totally normal.

Also the thicker style pads will hold a little more heat than the Thin Pros too.

Be sure to have plenty of pads on hand & if the heat build up is still concerning you, try alternating a couple of pads between sections to allow them to cool down.


Aaryn NZ.

That's where I'm at now with my Flats and CCS, I swap them out between section passes to let them cool. I do four passes a section with the 21mm.

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[AaronE]

Agree with Aaryn.

And will ad that some polishers also building up heat differently through the gears. That's often why you see the holes in the pads for the longthrows. I have a 21mm longthrow knockoff and it's horrible with heat build up. Will change the grease in it and see if that helps. If I polishing in warmer temperatures I have to put down the polisher between every 2 pads and 2 panels. To let it cool off some before polishing again. Especially when I use pads with no center holes. They tend to be sinking in in the middle easier.

I'm lucky mine with the motor sheds heat really well. My pad is the only thing warm when polishing.

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[swanicyouth]

You’re using the wrong pads. Using pads made to use with the machine will help. But, TBH, that may not be the whole answer. I’m sure I could use those pads fine on my 15mm. Likely something else is incorrect as well. Here are a few things that will cause heat in order of likelihood of occurring:

1. Too much downward pressure.

2. Too much polish in the pad.

3. Ambient temp of polishing surface too high (think black paint in sun).

4. Wrong pads/ incompatible Velcro’s.

5. Something mechanically incorrect in your set up: BP rubbing, machine broken in some way, motor defective.

Also a 5mm pad on a 21mm machine is not the best idea.

[AaronE]

You’re using the wrong pads. Using pads made to use with the machine will help. But, TBH, that may not be the whole answer. I’m sure I could use those pads fine on my 15mm. Likely something else is incorrect as well. Here are a few things that will cause heat in order of likelihood of occurring:

1. Too much downward pressure.

2. Too much polish in the pad.

3. Ambient temp of polishing surface too high (think black paint in sun).

4. Wrong pads/ incompatible Velcro’s.

5. Something mechanically incorrect in your set up: BP rubbing, machine broken in some way, motor defective.

Also a 5mm pad on a 21mm machine is not the best idea.

Not pressure is used (just enough to keep the DA on paint), three pea size drops of polish or compound or a swirl if an AIO, car is cool to the touch.

I think when it comes to the wrong pad Theory, the thicker ccs and standard Flat pads from Lake are retaining the heat because the thin Pros don't warm up like the others. I'm also inclined to think as well that the 5 and 1/2 inch pads are too small for the 21 mm throw, and I think I'm going to start buying 6 in 6 and 1/2 inch pads for my 21 mm now that I have it. the motor housing on my DA does not warm up as well. So it's not the gears in the motor warming

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[Mike Phillips]

Pads getting warm and in some instances hot is normal.

Pads getting hot isn't good but it happens with some tool.

With saturated pads, the "moisture" holds heat in better than air. Air = dry pads.

Also - I don't use or recommend pea sized drops when using an AIO. In fact I recommend the opposite. I recommend you use an AIO like a compound or a polish. I figure the guys that recommend pea sized drops only do demos on flat demo hoods, they never buff out entire cars. If they did, it would take them a LONG time.

[Mike Phillips]

See this,

How to correctly use an AIO or Cleaner/Wax by Mike Phillips

[AaronE]

See this,

How to correctly use an AIO or Cleaner/Wax by Mike Phillips

I use your swirl for the AIO (loving my D166 from y'all!) and pea size for my Compound/Polish.

I just took an infrared reading on the back of my CCS heavy cutting pad and it was at 152°F as the last pass for that pad before switching to a fresh one (one body panel completed with it).

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