Pads melting on the Velcro

**MJT** · 09-03-2013, 02:48 PM

Hi guys. Yesterday whilst compounding with ccs pads and m105 I noticed the Velcro on the back centre had started to melt and tear and was really hot as I changed the pads. Any reason why this is? Is this common? How can I avoid this happening?

**eff** · 09-03-2013, 02:55 PM

What kind of polisher were you using? The DA polishers are designed to prevent heat built up like you mentioned. Also, how hard were you pressing down on the pads?

**wompasaurus** · 09-03-2013, 03:21 PM

i had this happen once when i first started polishing and it was due to to much pressure and using the same pad to long you really need at min 3 of each pad but really its best to have at least 6. you need to clean them at least every panel. the best advice i have for pressure is take your buffer with a pad on it to a scale and apply the pressure on there i normally wont apply any more than 12lbs sometimes if the area is in need of major correction ill go 15lbs. but thats only with a da like a pc, harbor freight, meguiars, gg.

Mike Phillips · 09-03-2013, 03:30 PM

It's heat building up at the backing plate. Too much downward pressure over too long of time when doing heavy correction work is when you usually see this issue.

If you use the same pad too long you end up getting what's called Pad Saturation, that is the pad becomes wet with product throughout the thickness of the foam, especially in the center agains the backing plate.

Wet foam retains heat better than dry foam. This is the primary culprit of trying to use too few of pads for the correction step.

Besides that, there's this...

The Compression Washer

I wrote an article about Compression Washers explaining how important it is to the function of DA Polishers here,

Don't use your polisher without it!

There were some further follow-up questions about compression washers so here's some more pictures and information to make sure everyone's clear on what the compression washer is, where it goes and why it's important.

The common Compression Washer used with popular DA Polishers is about the size of a U.S. Quarter.

One side of the compression washer is going to seat against the free floating spindle seen in the picture below.

The other side of the compression washer will seat against the small steel attachment plate on the back of a backing plate.

It would look like this without the backing plate in the way...

Normally you would slide the compression washer over the threaded portion of the backing plate and then align this to the spindle on the polisher and tighten together.

Nylon Compression Washer
Here you can see where after tightening the compression washer has an imprint from where it was crushed during tightening.

Fiber Compression Washer
Here you can see where after tightening the compression washer has an imprint from where it was crushed during tightening.

Do's and Don'ts

Do use a compression washer between the backing plate and the spindle.

Don't use a steel washer if you lose the compression washer.

Compression washers do wear out with use, that is if you remove and replace backing plates often you're going to wear your compression washer out.

Autogeek carries replacements...

Lake Country Compression Washers 5-Pack

Mike Phillips · 09-03-2013, 03:32 PM

Another factor that causes heat build up is mismatched hook and loop material between the backing plate and the pad.

Jason Rose explained this to me years ago so I always give due credit where credit is due. I cover this in my how-to book.

A good practice is to use pads and backing plates from the same company and trust they did their homework.

**manman** · 09-03-2013, 04:33 PM

I had this happen as well, can you give some more information about your usage scenario (what tool, size backing plate, pads, speed settings, your technique, etc). I think all these things play a factor.

In my case this was happening to me using the 'full' sized Griots Garage DA, with the 3" backing plate and pads. It turned out to be a few things for me, but ultimately I think it was that I was using techniques taught for a 5-6" pad with a smaller pad.

1) I was using too much pressure (probably even for a full sized pad- but the work of course is concentrated with a smaller pad), and too many section passes 6-8
2) I was using speed setting 5, and was advised not to go higher than 4 for the smaller pads.

After adjusting my technique, I now do about 4-5 section passes, speed setting 4 and using a lot less pressure than I was. Results are coming out great, and have not had a single issue yet (before that I had ruined about 4 or 5 pads in only a few days...).

I never had any issues with the 6" pads, even when I was using too much pressure, so may be a different issue in your case, but that is definitely what I saw- the backing material melting and ripping away from the pad.

**ski2** · 09-03-2013, 04:52 PM

Originally Posted by MJT

Hi guys. Yesterday whilst compounding with ccs pads and m105 I noticed the Velcro on the back centre had started to melt and tear and was really hot as I changed the pads. Any reason why this is? Is this common? How can I avoid this happening?

What has worked for me is using 2 sets of 2 pads to do the entire car. Use pad 1 for a panel or two, clean on the fly and set asside, use pad 2 for a panel or two, clean on the fly, set asside and use pad 1 again. Continue wtih pads 1 & 2 for half the car then switch to pads 3 & 4 for the second half of the car.

**MJT** · 09-03-2013, 11:05 PM

Thanks guys really interesting stuff. I was using ccs 6.5" orange pad with my Harbor Freight DA and using m105. It was a black car with lots of scratches and swirls and found I had to repeat passes a lot before seeing significant results. I also had it set on speed 6 to get the most out of it for the correction work. I am never quite sure how much pressure to use. I normally push down enough so that the backing plate is still spinning but no way near as fast as if there was no pressure at all. Is that right?

**manman** · 09-03-2013, 11:39 PM

After my experience both ruining pads and finishing my car only to realize I put a bunch of swirls in it- I've gone on the lighter side of the given range for pressure (9-14 lbs is what I've heard), and that instantly changed my results for the better. If the scratches are deeper I go to a more aggressive product, then pad before I start using more pressure, personally since the change in pressure made such a difference for me.

The best way I've heard to get a good idea of what that's like, is to put the tool on a scale and press down until you get into that range. Of course on a vertical panel you'll have to press a little harder since the weight of the tool isn't included, but that should still give you a good idea.