Porter Cable Experiences

jcrist · 03-14-02, 11:10

I recently bought the Porter Cable Random Polisher. One of our cars had some moderate swirl marks on the hood so I decided to experiment with it.

What I found is that using 3M SMR (dark car) with the yellow pads (highest speed) took the swirls out but the white pads didn't do nearly as good of a job.

I could swear there was a very slight haze afterwards, maybe due to the high speed on the polisher as I noticed even on this random orbital PC, at the highest speed it heats the clear coat up pretty good. The Klasse Sealant Glaze eliminated any haze left and I don't know what everyone is talkabout this stuff being so hard to remove?

Anyway, the point of this post is that I have a wide range of products (3M SMR, Finesse It, Perfect It, etc.) and I know the golden rule is to start with the least abrasive and work your way up until the imperfections are removed. In this sense I want to just point out that working your way up doesn't just mean the product you are applying but the pad you are applying with.

With this said does anyone have any idea what the equivalent of going from the white pad to the yellow pad is? I mean, I'm guessing that using SMR with the yellow pad might be close to using Finesse-It with a white pad?? Like the pad takes you a "half step up" in terms of product you are applying?

I also have a brand new car (4 months old) that is due for a detail to get the light rub marks from washing it out. I'm guessing that I won't need anything more aggressive than 3M SMR and might be able to get away with just the white pad. So if I have tougher swirl marks, I'm assuming it is better to try the yellow pad with SMR first before stepping up to Finesse-It. Also it seems like the PC is pretty safe even at the highest speed??

joed1228 · 03-14-02, 01:26

The Porter Cable is safe at the highest speed, last time I did that the pad wasn't on the car and I got a good amount of 3M SMR speckles all over my face ............... not funny.

About the pad ratings and stuff .............. I really don't know. If your car is as new as your say and has hardly any defects then the white pad and SMR should suit you fine.

To give you an example, I was using a white pad and 3M SMR on my Saturn to remove swirls that were induced by me using the local spray bay foaming brush like 3 times a week for months. When people say swirl city they don't even have an idea of how bad my Saturn was, the point is, after a number of passes, the white pad and 3M SMR took 100% of the swirls out of my paint, and they were really bad so I know for a fact you'll be all set.

The yellow pad is a medium to heavy cut for me. The white pad is weak and the black pad could be used to apply layer after layer of something like glaze or wax (I prefer to apply that stuff by hand).

bretfraz · 03-14-02, 01:40

There really isn't an answer to this question. The main reason is that no two cars are exactly alike so the results from one combo of pad-product-speed-technique will be different from car to car and even user to user.

You are moving into the part of detailing where it's more an art than a science. Almost everyone who considers themselves a serious detailer starts with a "building block" approach to car care - - Use Product A with Applicator B and apply with Technique C to obtain Result #1. This is also the easiest method to teach newbies as its easy for them to understand.

But truly effective detailing doesn't really involve a systematic approach but a creative, open-mind, fluid style. The fact is that an experienced detailer could probably use several different pad types and numerous different products to obtain very similar results. The old A+B+C=RESULTS is no longer applicable.

The use of a PC orbital is the first step into this territory. For now it's best for you to experiment a little with pads, products, and techniques on the same car until you're comfortable with how these combos react to one another and what types of results you get. Then you can progress to other cars using your new knowledge. Chances are you'll find as many differences in performance than similarities. It's all part of the learning process.

Welcome to the Gates to the Other Side of Detailing, grasshopper.