What am I doing wrong with my Rotary?

PerfectFinish1 · 04-05-05, 02:52

Hey everyone,

Today was finally nice out so I decided to expiriment with the rotary. (It's my first time ever using the tool.) It is the Chicago Electric $25 rotary... used on a very oxidized finish with a 6.5" Lake County pad, and #83. I kept it on setting 1 or 2, and made quick passes, but not quick enough to cause any swirls... tried to keep the surface hot but not too hot to burn through the paint.

Let's just say the paint looks brand new again for the most part. (the test car is a silver 88 Mazda MX6 that I wasn't even sure had any clear left on it... well now it shines, has perfect reflection, and has tons of silver flake!) I'm amazed that only a few minutes of work left the paint so nice comparitvely... I definatley want to continue to learn how to use the rotary and buy a more expensive model as soon as I get a bit better.

The only problem I noticed was that there were a lot of spots where the product was kind of "gummed up" when I was done buffing.... most I could get off with A LOT of elbow grease and a MF.... but there were some spots that I couldn't even scrub off! What did I do wrong to cause these collections to form?

MongooseGA · 04-05-05, 02:56

Sometimes some products do that when they got hot. It's not normally something to worry about though. A little bit of QD normally takes care of it well enough too.

holland_patrick · 04-05-05, 03:15

too much product maybe try using less..

MS22 · 04-05-05, 03:19

If you were out in the sun or if the cars surface was still hot from being out in the sun the problem is that the product dried before is was supposed to. #83 and #80 are great polishes, a staple in my arsenal, but they are defintely not sun friendly. The only other problem not mentioned could be the pads caking up, if the oxidation was really bad you should have killed a couple of pads.

wifehatescar · 04-05-05, 03:38

it's the oxidation, it gums things up no matter wha machine you use, rotaries are worst though. on bad oxidation, I do 1 pass with a cotton bonnet and a chemical polish first just to knock out most of the dead paint

Black240SX · 04-05-05, 03:39

#83 is for a DA polisher. You might do better with a product made for use with a rotary.

PerfectFinish1 · 04-05-05, 03:42

Hmm... thanks for the posts. I'm guessing it's possibly caused by the sun. The oxidation was bad, but the pad wasn't too bad after only a few panels... it didn't seem to be betting caked up. The products seemed to dry too early, because even going over them with the rotary would not make them get loose...

I tried using quick detailer (thought of that just after I posted, too) and it took off the majority... but there were still a few REALLY heavy spots left.

I don't think I was using too much product, because I tried using a bit less and there definately was not enough to work with.

So... most likely the sun causing the product to dry too quickly?

edit: Yep, I didn't go over it with anything except QEW before beginning... what is your recomendation to do from here on this panel... another pass with 83 and hope it gets better each time?

Knockwurst · 04-05-05, 03:48

Quote:

Originally posted by Black240SX
#83 is for a DA polisher. You might do better with a product made for use with a rotary.

On the contrary, #83 works quite well with the rotary. Give it a try sometime . . . I think you’ll like the results

MS22 · 04-05-05, 03:55

Not to get off topic but I believe the "dual action" refers not to the buffer they recommend using but to the fact that the product acts as a "cleaner/polish"; hence the name "Dual Action Cleaner/Polish". FWIW the guy on the bottle is using a rotary.

the other pc · 04-05-05, 04:04

Meg's is quite emphatic that their products must not be used in direct sunlight.

You may have also been using too much.

How large an area did you do at one time? It's best to do no more than a couple feet square at once, then move on to the next little section.

None of their polishes should be worked until dry either. You should only work them until the diminishing abrasives break down. Typically that means that the product has turned from milky to translucent but there's still an oily film. Only their waxes and sealants should be allowed to dry, and only after application, not during.

You didn't mention which LC pad you used. Wool? Did you spur it often? Foam? Did you brush it often? Clearing the pad is important, especially if you're working on a heavily oxidized surface.

Do you have a copy of Meg's polishing video? If not, it's really worth getting (it's only ten bucks too).

PC.

Black240SX · 04-05-05, 04:40

MS22: No, the dual-action refers to the way random orbit polishers work.

Knockwurst: I don't have a rotary to try it with. I'm thinking I'll end up with one sooner or later, though...

wannafbody · 04-05-05, 05:10

Black 240- I'm pretty sure that Megs designs all their professional products for rotary use-they may work well with a PC as well