PC damages..

[jedi_force]

I'm new to PC and curious to know what sort of damages people have done with
their PC. I don't want to learn the hard way so it would be great if you could
share some of the bad experiences you had.

[strat81]

Well, this isn't PC specific but I remember a few years back doing a "detail" on my Gibson Les Paul guitar. New strings, polished all of the gold finish hardware, polished the lacquer finish, cleaned the pots, oiled the fretboard... the whole nine yards. Anyway, as I'm reassembling the guitar, I drop the stop bar on the top! This resulted in a nice gouge. Not a scratch, not a nick, but a gouge. It remains there to this day.

For those unfamiliar with the Les Paul, the stop bar is a heavy piece of metal that holds the strings in place at the bottom of the guitar. So, the moral of the story is: don't drop your PC on the car.

However, just like in the movies, it happened in slow motion. I see the bar slowly dropping from my hand, hitting the top of the guitar, and then bouncing off onto the table. This was similar to when I dropped a wah pedal on my Strat. That was a chinese Squier Strat so it wasn't nearly as traumatic as the LP incident.

[jedi_force]

Originally Posted by strat81

Well, this isn't PC specific but I remember a few years back doing a "detail" on my Gibson Les Paul guitar. New strings, polished all of the gold finish hardware, polished the lacquer finish, cleaned the pots, oiled the fretboard... the whole nine yards. Anyway, as I'm reassembling the guitar, I drop the stop bar on the top! This resulted in a nice gouge. Not a scratch, not a nick, but a gouge. It remains there to this day.

For those unfamiliar with the Les Paul, the stop bar is a heavy piece of metal that holds the strings in place at the bottom of the guitar. So, the moral of the story is: don't drop your PC on the car.

However, just like in the movies, it happened in slow motion. I see the bar slowly dropping from my hand, hitting the top of the guitar, and then bouncing off onto the table. This was similar to when I dropped a wah pedal on my Strat. That was a chinese Squier Strat so it wasn't nearly as traumatic as the LP incident.

Yeah, I can't imagine dropping PC on my 06 Lexus. Especially, the power switch is still on.
I can see how easily this could happen after polishing for hours. I bought a nice pair
of hand glove for dampening the PC vibration. I plan on taking many breaks when using
my PC.

[Accumulator]

Common sense will indeed make the PC pretty idiot-proof (but then idiots don't exhibit a lot of common sense so don't be an idiot).

Two examples that sorta mitigate the "you can't do damage" conventional wisdom:

A well-regarded Autopian (national-level concours honors in the Jag Club) cut through the clear of a Benz at the St. Louis G-T-G in, uh... I think it was 2003. This was with a burgundy Meg's 7006 pad and #83 (and IIRC, *my* PC no less).

I cut through (not just thinned, I hit color ) on a b/c Mazda using 4" pads (Cyclo green) and 3M 05933. I've used the PC with this combo since forever- perhaps familiarity *can* breed contempt. I was doing something sorta goofy on an already-damaged area, but I *did* cause permanent damage with the PC.

So just be a little careful, don't do anything dumb (like my friend and I did), and you'll be fine. Most people wish it were *more* aggressive than it is.

[jedi_force]

Originally Posted by Accumulator

Common sense will indeed make the PC pretty idiot-proof (but then idiots don't exhibit a lot of common sense so don't be an idiot).

Two examples that sorta mitigate the "you can't do damage" conventional wisdom:

A well-regarded Autopian (national-level concours honors in the Jag Club) cut through the clear of a Benz at the St. Louis G-T-G in, uh... I think it was 2003. This was with a burgundy Meg's 7006 pad and #83 (and IIRC, *my* PC no less).

I cut through (not just thinned, I hit color ) on a b/c Mazda using 4" pads (Cyclo green) and 3M 05933. I've used the PC with this combo since forever- perhaps familiarity *can* breed contempt. I was doing something sorta goofy on an already-damaged area, but I *did* cause permanent damage with the PC.

So just be a little careful, don't do anything dumb (like my friend and I did), and you'll be fine. Most people wish it were *more* aggressive than it is.

If this is the case then PC is far from idiot-proof. Sure, common sense will tell me not
to put not much pressure or sit on the PC, etc.. but one could easily lose concentration
or perhaps getting tired and accidently put more pressure. This sort of thing happens not
because we're idiot. This is physical aspect. I've been hearing it is impossible to burn
the paint with PC. I guess I'll have to try on the junk yard panel to be sure. Oh well..

[evenflow]

Originally Posted by jedi_force

If this is the case then PC is far from idiot-proof. Sure, common sense will tell me not
to put not much pressure or sit on the PC, etc.. but one could easily lose concentration
or perhaps getting tired and accidently put more pressure. This sort of thing happens not
because we're idiot. This is physical aspect. I've been hearing it is impossible to burn
the paint with PC. I guess I'll have to try on the junk yard panel to be sure. Oh well..

I hear that you are supposed to apply pressure with the PC to remove defects?

[Picus]

You are - just don't lean on it with a yellow pad and a cutting compound.

[Accumulator]

Originally Posted by jedi_force

If this is the case then PC is far from idiot-proof. Sure, common sense will tell me not to put not much pressure or sit on the PC, etc.. but one could easily lose concentration or perhaps getting tired and accidently put more pressure. This sort of thing happens not because we're idiot. This is physical aspect. I've been hearing it is impossible to burn the paint with PC. I guess I'll have to try on the junk yard panel to be sure. Oh well..

I probably came across differently than I intended.

I'm no idiot (and I don't expect people here to be either) but when I damaged the Mazda clear I was *in my honest opinion* being careless to the point of *acting* near-idiotic. Either than or there was a spot of thin clear, but I'd rather take the blame. Can't speak for my friend with the Benz, but IMO the lesson is to approach the more aggressive stuff cautiously.

It wasn't a matter of losing concentration (which can be disastrous with a rotary!), it was a matter of thinking "it won't happen to me" and not checking the progress frequently.

I didn't post those examples to scare people off the PC, just to help dispel the myth that the only way to damage a car with one is to drop it on the car. I used to say that too, famous last words I'm just trying to help others avoid the kind of trouble those two incidents illustrated. Again, it's most likely that people will wish it were *more* aggressive.

IMO there's no need to practice on junk panels, just start out with reasonably mild products and pads while you get a feel for it. With polishing pads and "normal" polishes, you really *can't* do damage on a normal modern paintjob. I don't even think you really need to use junk panels to start off with a *rotary*. IF you adapt a "I'm still learning here, I'm no expert" attitude and are willing to say "good enough" before attaining a perfect finish, you'll do fine.

[ScubaStevo]

I've put more swirls into a car than I had taken out once. Damn pad blew apart and the velcro backing plate kinda met paint. I was able to get it out with some wetsanding though.

[lbls1]

None.....and no plans for any damage. The PC is one of the greatest inventions to the art of detailing IMO.