Rotary Usage

[PrinzII]

I did something I haven't done since the age of 19. That's right. I used a rotary buffer on a Land Cruiser. But in a nutshell, I think I need to get some more practice (and my own DeWalt Buffer). The buffer I used was a Wen and it had a wool bonnett that would flop around.

[theveed]

Great info guys, especially Andre... Thanks...

BTW, how many panels can your pad cover before "caking" up? I found that my W7000 pad cakes up about half a hood or so. I'm only using about a quarter size drop of product per 1/3 of the hood (or 2sq ft.)

[Andre']

You should use more product than that, say two or three quarter size drops. I can polish 1/4 of a car before i need to spur the pad with a brush.

BTW your welcome.

[theveed]

so the lack of product is my main reason of residue? i'll give it a shot...

[Andre']

Yes it could be, try using more product and see it may help.

Laters.

[Taxlady]

DavidB wrote a great article about using machines for buffing and polishing. There is a whole section on using a rotary. It's in Detailing Articles and Tips:
Machine Buffing

[theveed]

I've read that already... needed more info... thanks.

[NY detailer]

I would practice as much as possible. Be very careful before you use the rotary for real. Everyone makes mistakes and it is very easy to burn the paint on the car.
Like showroom said, slower is best and work the speed up, i never go past speed 3.
good luck

[washman]

Here is a car with pretty bad swirls. I used a yellow pad and very low rpm's. If you hold the pad on and angle and move fast with high rpm's you will see the hologram effect. When you flaten the pad and slow down on the rpm's you will see them disapear. Most production line detailer dont go far enough, the last step thats why you see those holagrams.
http://www.washman.biz/pictures

[Chuckmotor]

About a month ago, I was trained by a pro how to use the rotary, and I've been practicing ever since. I've gotten pretty good at it-- no more splattering, sputtering, or slipping, just a smooth ride. In fact, I bought the Makita recently to aide my weekend business. I had a '92 Camaro that was in pretty bad shape and had no gloss, but a wool pad shined it up very well. After I finished, I smoked up the tires on the Camaro (with permission!). We went to a back alley/parking lot and I revved that American muscle up and slammed the gas. I accelerated to about 60 mph and then stopped and took a look behind me-- beautiful gray smoke. When the smoke cleared, I admired my long, parrarel lines of tire rubber on the pavement. Oh yeah, the rotary! The car looked great, and I feel very comfortable with a wool pad after a couple weeks with a lot of practice. I haven't left any buffer marks, burns, or bad swirls yet, so I think I'm doing ok. The key to a great finish is the right combination of pads and chemicals, and a slow, steady pace at under 2000 RPM. If you keep the pad flat and moving, you will not hurt the car.

[theveed]

Great tips Chuck...

Question... what do you do on tight painted panels like in between the bumper and the taillight, under emblems, etc where the painted surface is small (about 3-4")?

How about bumpers? The areas on a bumper where it's ridged, gapped (for air passage like grilles), etc that are painted? Do you do those by hand instead?

[Blk300ZX]

THe buffer should aways be on the move. If it skips you may have to recenter the pad on the adapter so the pad spins in a circle. Also, try more product to load the pad. Never run the machnine on a dry surface.
Dont think about burning the paint. Just remember that a clear coat is very hard and will not burn easily. As long as you are using the right products of course, ie. cc compounds, and high speed polishes.
Finally, make it a point to be more carefull around edges like door handles, wings, mirrors, where the panels end and a new one begins, and moldings. Anything plastic or rubber needs to be taped off.

Ryan