Pads, Compound, and Polish to use with Rotary...

[KJW Detailing]

Hey everyone!

Well my college semester is about to wrap up and im looking forward to detailing in a garage (a buddy whom i work with built a garage to work out of...he's a tech...and he asked and provided me with a spot to detail out of)...

Anyway, in light of all of this, i want to invest in pads, compound, and polish to use with a rotary...I'm not looking to go overboard with a complete set of pads, compounds, and polishes, rather looking to get the essentials for the time being...so like 2 or 3 different pads...and then whatever is needed to properly correct the paint...

at work i am have been producing great results with a yellow (medium) cut pad and medium grit compound, then following with a green (light) cut pad and a light swirl remover...so im looking for this kinda two step setup for the cars i will be working on over break...

All help is great and please mention brand names and the individual products!

thanks AG and members for the help!

[trlblazer3]

Well a good start to answer your questions would be to know what products you already have at your disposal. You can't go wrong with anything out of the Menzerna line or Optimum line for use with a rotary. For my rotary work, I use CCS pads, mainly white and orange, along with SIP/106ff or OC/OP, whichever I feel like using that day. Either one leaves awesome results.

[KJW Detailing]

Well at my disposal currently is a PC with the full line of XMT and LC CCS Pads...but this is entierly to slow...(i also have all the other tools and products ness. to do full details...all big purchases from AG haha)

at work we use Ardex (which is a local philadelphia company that has detailing products)...but being an autogeek i'd rather better products...

I was thinking along the lines of Menzerna Products (but not sure whats ness) and then more than likely foam pads at this time...and probably the LC CCS Pads just need to decide on the size of the pads...

...im also thinking like a glaze if the ClearKote products i already have wont work with the Menzerna...and along that same path with menzerna...what waxes work with that?

Thanks!

[budman3]

If you plan it right you can use your CCS pads that you use with your PC. I have 2 different backing plates for my rotary so I can use 4", 6.5", 7.5" pads that I use with my PC. You don't need rotary specific pads when you can just get a BP to use with a rotary.

Optimum and Menzerna for the rotarty is a must, IMO. Either one will work, Optimum is a lot cheaper and the results will still be there. The to combos trlblazr listed would be a good bet. If you cave into the hype that Menzerna produces better looks, a finishing polish is the only one that would be needed, say 85U or 106FF.

Also, you can use any polish, glaze, wax with any products. I don't know where you heard you can't use certain products with Menzerna, but that's not true. A polish is a polish ... Menzerna doesn't have anything special in it where you can't glaze or wax with your favorite products ...

[trlblazer3]

Agree with budman, if you already have CCS pads now, just get a backing plate for the rotary and you're good-to-go. And I've used RMG and Pink Moose (50% RMG, 50% VMG) with Menz line with no problems at all. (Clearkote's glazes are by far my favorite glazes)

[KJW Detailing]

So i dont need specific pads for the rotary?

The only reason that i would prefer the rotary specific pads is b/c the pc pads dont have that angled edge that a rotary does and so i would think its harder to work the small grooves that some cars have but idk...and b/c the LC CCS pads are sorta small but thats no big deal...

What optimum products for use with the rotary would you rec?

...o and most of this if not all is christmas gifts so price doesn't matter to a point...

[budman3]

Optimum Compound or Hyper compound and Optimum polish. I don't think you'll need both the compound and hypercompound.

There are no PC and rotary specific pads, IMO. A pad is a pad. I've used a 4", 5.5", 6.5", and 7.5" pads and the only ones that are curved edge are the variable contact pads, the 7.5" ones. They all work well.

[trlblazer3]

I would say the essentials in the Optimum line would be OC and OP. I've found OC is very pad dependent, and can correct some pretty significant defects without having to step up into a higher-abrasive compound.

[KJW Detailing]

just wondering but with the backing plates for the rotary the same as what would use for the PC...b/c when i got my huge LC CCS Pad kit i got two backing plates...

will they work for the rotary as well?

[Jimmie]

They are different backing plates. You know what the PC backing plates look like. The rotary plates have female threads. Here's a link.
Rotary Flexible Backing Plate- Manufactured by Lake Country just for rotary polishers. Hook and loop backing plates for your makita 9227, Dewalt 849.
All you should need is a backing plate that fits your current pads.