Nanoskin Microbuff DA Paint Correction System

[Dman81]

jvanseeters,

New question: did you mix and match the formulas among the pads or do you stick to formula 67 on yellow, speed cut and nano cut on black?

and being the pads as so thin, how do you deal with body lines and raised areas?

Thanks again!!

tersplat

What about you, are you still using the system. Any advice that you could offer?

[Dman81]

And... is this like typical pads; should I have more of the cutting pad than the polishing pad? How many?

Appreciate your input greatly. I want to make sure I have all the materials I need before I start so I'm not left half done and out of needed material.

[jvanseeters]

I would say YES to your question about having a few more of the cutting pads vs. the polishing pads. Typically, I don't use as many polishing pads as I do cutting pads but that all depends on the product being used.

[Dman81]

Thanks Jvanseeters,

I appreciate all your answers as you appear to be the only one to have used this product that is responsive. I am hoping Tersplat shows back up so after I am finished there will be three of us.

I even wrote Autogeek suggesting they try it out as there seems to be a burgeoning market for this product.

How did you get the smaller spaces on your vehicle or handle deep body lines? Did you hand buff these areas?

[jvanseeters]

For the smaller areas I actually used 3" pads of cut, polish, finish. I got a 3" german made METABO DA polisher/sander for Christmas. Metabo is a fantastic machine. It's similar to the popular small DA polisher that Griot's sells. I know a lot of people use the Griot's 3" machine as it's one of the only machines made specifically for 3" backing plates and is slightly smaller in size. You could also use the new Flex Kompakt small direct drive but I think the dual action is a much safer alternative. I am thinking about getting the "Kompakt" to add to my rotary arsenal. Another option of course would be the Rupes LHR75 "Mini" 3 inch DA or their air driven 3". Finally, the cheapest option would be a 3" backing plate on the machine you currently use. The reason I didn't go that route was quite simply being lazy and I didn't want to switch around backing plates. I just wanted to be able to grab a machine that is already set up with the 3" whenever I get to an area on the vehicle that requires it. I go back and forth pretty often through the whole cut, polish, seal process on the vehicles I do. I set everything up on a cart, having multiple machines placed on the cart in various locations on two shelves both rotary and DA both 5" backing plates and 3" backing plates. I do also have a LARGE direct drive/rotary polisher (just a harbor freight one I picked up for $40) and I have a large 7" plate set up on that machine. I have a special conversion head made by DYNABRADE corporation that I use that is an incredible tool. This bad boy essentially turns your normal rotary polisher into a large throw DA polisher very similar to a RUPES or even the brand new BOSS polishers by Griots that just recently came out. I truly think that RUPES got their inspiration for their machines from the DYNABRADE head (Model #61384). The Dynabrade is sold on-line so check it out if you really want a neat tool. I don't know why more people don't use the Dynabrade tool. It is a SOLID piece of engineering I assure you. I was so impressed with the build quality of the Dynabrade attachment. It also comes as a "kit" which has the Dynabrade DA attachment in addition to the backing plate and everything you need to attach the kit onto your rotary polisher. The Dynabrade ONLY works with a ROTARY polisher. Get a cheap rotary from Harbor Freight, it will pair up great with the Dynabrade head. The Dynabrade head kit is about $150 which coupled to the Harbor Freight machine you have about $190 invested total and you essentially have a RUPES or Griots BOSS 21mm polisher for about half or 60% of the cost of those machines. One thing you do have to get used to is the vibration but once you work with it for a while, it's fine.

OK.....Sorry I got off on a tangent there talking about my various machines (I have 5 different machines I use when polishing a car). I know, for a simple home enthusiast, people probably think i'm nuts but i'm pretty passionate about polishing my vehicles to perfection and just having the tools to do the job when I am polishing. Believe or not, I got the tools pretty cheap. I have a Griots 6" random orbital (my first machine), I have two harbor freight machines (1 DA, 1 rotary) I got on sale for $35/$40 respectively), I have a Metabo 3" machine for tight spots, and finally I have a Flex 3401. Before my Flex 3401, I used the Harbor Freight rotary coupled with the Dynabrade polishing head attachment which essentially gave me a long throw machine. I don't know exactly what the throw of the Dynabrade machine is, but it's a long throw, very similar to a RUPES or the new Griots "BOSS" machines. It is somewhere between 15mm and 21mm. If you want to see the Dynabrade polishing head attachment in action, there are a few videos on youtube that give you a great demo. I love my Dynabrade attachment. It is a defect removal titan!! Again, I have no idea why more people don't use this incredible tool. It is a fantastic tool. If you did invest in one, you wouldn't be disappointed. I am experimenting with the Nanoskin cut and polish pads with the Dynabrade but I don't have a whole lot of time yet, at least not enough to say they work OK, or great, etc. One cool feature of the Dynabrade attachment is that I have a small "button" on the attachment which allows me to click back and forth between a FORCED rotation mode or non forced rotation. So not only do you get the long throw but you get a FORCED rotation long throw. I don't think either the Rupes or Griots BOSS have that capability. There are two Dynabrade attachments. The older one didn't have the push button to change back and forth between the "forced" rotation mode. The new one (slightly different model #) DOES have the button. If you get the Dynabrade attachment at some point in the future (or anyone else reading this) GET THE ONE WITH THE BUTTON!
________________________________________________
Here is a description from the Dynabrade Catalog on-line:
DYNABRADE 61384
• Run pad in rotary (cut) mode for initial buffing and removing dust nibs, light
scratches, oxidation and “orange peel.” Then switch to random orbital (polish)
mode for buffing to a swirl-free finish with no “haze” or “halo” effects!
• A great time-saver when a “final finish” is required!
• Includes cut & polish head, wrenches, 50855 Hook-Face Backing
Pad and 90082 Natural Sheepskin Polishing Buff.
_____________________________________________

OK, so after that LONG......description about how I essentially get into the tight areas or curved spots, I pretty much just switch around machines between the 5 machines I have. Sometimes it does call for a rotary, but 95% of the time, I use some form of DA polisher, lately my Flex 3401 for the majority of the cut/polish along with my 3" Metabo. One suggestion I have for you is consider getting a foam interface pad. Griots BOSS sells a new interface pad. I am going to buy one to see how it works. It has venting in the pad in various "holes" in different sizes cut into the interface for heat reduction. I am very impressed with the new Griots BOSS system (the machines, pads, and correction creams). VERY IMPRESSED. If you haven't seen it yet. CHECK IT OUT!!! It looks really nice. I am probably going buy one or request it for some type of gift (Christmas/Birthday/Anniversary/Fathers Day, etc.). Griots new BOSS system (Polisher/Pads/Creams) is without a doubt going to be a "game changer" in the world of detailing and polishing for both the home enthusiast like ourselves and the professional alike.

Here is a link to the Griots foam interface pad. What this foam interface will do is give you a layer of flexibility or cusion I guess is a better term in the nanoskin pads which are thin. The foam interface makes them slightly thicker like a more traditional foam cutting or polishing pad which are an inch or two thick. The Griots is called "Innerflex" and here is the description online from Griots site:
Our innovative BOSS™ Innerflex Pad reduces the aggressiveness of the foam pad you use it with while adding a cushioning effect that helps the pad conform to body panel contours. It also helps reduce temperature buildup and extend pad life.
http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/boss+innerflex+pad.do

There are a few other options for you as well such as foam interface pads used in wet sanding discs which could be adapted for use with the Nanoskin pads. I have a few of the interface pads from 3M but I have not yet tried them with the Nanoskin pads. The 3M wet sand interfaces MAY NOT work due to having a different form of hook and loop so if you are exploring that option, stick with the BOSS interface.

I hope all this information helps you somewhat my friend.

[tersplat]

I have switched back to foam pads, and still break out the microbuff pads once in a while, like tonight. I am doing a correction on a 2011 Cadillac CTS in black, and I could not find an aggressive enough compounding combo so I dug out the Microbuff cutting pads, and FG400, and it worked pretty well, just don't use much. It definitely cut more than the foam pads( even LC yellow heavy cuts), but still not enough. I ended up going with a LC Purple Wool pad and Americana IAT1500 for my cutting step. the finish wasnt great, but it was getting a 2 step anyways, so it works

I wouldn't try a curvy panel with these, they don't flex very well, and that can cause lots of issues, I use foam for and curves.

You can, and should mix and match the pads, and liquids, you'll see there is a lot more versitility than just green on black, pink on yellow, and yellow on blue. mixing them up is great.

[Dman81]

Jvanseeters, Tersplat,

I appreciate all your comments, tips, reviews, and most importantly..time.

I think I have all I need. Finishing up a final order tonight and July 4th weekend I am off to the races. I bought some LC foam pads and the ultimate combo to accompany the microbuff to be sure I get this right in one weekend.

I will report back with my findings and some photos.

Thanks again guys!

[4u2nvinmtl]

Why is he moving the DA so quickly @ 0:43sec's into the video? I guess that you don't need technique if you got this product... - J/K

All-in-all It looks and sounds like a good paint correction system. - Give away time?