Question for PC users that switched to Rotary? - Page 6

SuperBee364 · 05-01-08, 12:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob Tomlin

Very helpful post Super, I appreciate it.

Those Edge 2000 pads are cool in that they are double sided, so each one is like having two pads....correct?

Edit: the purple foamed wool is out of stock!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denzil

Yep, they're like having 2 pads. It's really convenient! It makes switching different size pads a breeze as well.

Anytime, man, I hope it helps.

I really do like the Edge 2000 system. Buying the double sided ones really brings the cost per pad down alot. Cheaper than most single sided pads (that are of decent quality). Haven't bought any in foam yet, though, I'm waiting for my LC foam pads to get worn out first. Won't be long now.

Bummer about the purple foamed being out of stock... I think properautocare also carries them for about the same price.

Edit: Wow, those purple foamed wool pads must be popular. I checked a bunch of different places, and all of them were out of stock. But Phil at DetailersDomain comes through again! Lake Country 6.5" Foamed Wool Pads

Denzil · 05-01-08, 01:06

Supe! They're cheaper at Top of the Line!!!

Lake Country 6.5" Foamed Wool Pads

That's where I bought mine.

SuperBee364 · 05-01-08, 01:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denzil

Supe! They're cheaper at Top of the Line!!!

Lake Country 6.5" Foamed Wool Pads

That's where I bought mine.

Wow, that's the best price I've seen yet on em. Thanks! I need to order some.

Denzil, your ability to sniff out the best prices on stuff is unsurpassed.

Denzil · 05-01-08, 01:46

I bought those 2 LC purples along with what seems to be the cheapest for P21S 100% Carnauba Wax.

Rob Tomlin · 05-01-08, 06:06

This is slightly frustrating, because it seems that I will not be able to order everything that I want/need from one place. The foamed purple wool is out of stock at most places, DetailerDomain does not have pads for the Edge 2000 system (except a yellow foam cutting pad) and TOL doesn't have any Edge products at all.

So, what are peoples opinions on LC foam vs Edge foam for a rotary (I will probably get a 5" backing plate AND the Edge converter)?

JBs · 05-01-08, 09:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperBee364

Yes, it is... and grats on the Makita.. You'll love it.

Can I have my crow slightly warmed, please?

EisenHulk · 05-02-08, 05:33

Bump. Bump. Bump.

Quote:

Originally Posted by EisenHulk

Also, is there one certain model of Makita that you guys prefer? Is it the 9227? I'm starting to wish after doing just five cars with my PC, that I had just gotten the rotary and then practiced on a few beaters.

Rob Tomlin · 05-02-08, 07:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBs

Can I have my crow slightly warmed, please?

Hey SuperBee, I thought this was still your favorite method:

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperBee364

My favorite medium correction pad (my workhorse), is LC's purple foamed wool.

My current sytem (unless the car is heavily swirled and has serious defects), is:

Purple foamed wool with Menz SIP, then either green or blue wool (green for hard clear coats, blue for softer clears) with 106FF, then White wool with 106FF.

I can often skip the last step on softer clears, but most of the time I do it anyway.

I'd substitute Menzerna Intensive Polish instead of SIP for a guy new to the rotary. Using the system above (with regular IP instead of SIP) is a very safe and easy process for someone new to the rotary. You're not using very aggressive pads or polish (and not removing alot of clear coat), yet you'll still get very good correction ability, and the shine you'll end up with will knock your socks off.

Some basic safety rules:

Don't go over 1,000 rpm until you're very comfortable using the rotary.

Keep the buffer head moving over the paint the entire time that the head is turning.

Don't push hard.

Don't overwork (dry buff) the product

If you keep those simple rules in mind and try out the polishes/pads recommended above, I think you'll have a good first experience, and it should be safe, as well.

But the link above says that you now prefer finishing with foam?

SuperBee364 · 05-02-08, 08:22

Wool, what am I missing?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperBee364

The Menzerna line works *really* well with wool. Optimum Compound (not the Hyper compound) works very well with wool, and has a long working time. It does have a tendency to leave some pretty good compounding haze, though. HTEC also works well with wool, especially if you add a couple drops of OC to it to extend the working time.

My favorites with wool:

Heavy Hitter: Black (or yellow) wool with Menz PG. Serious correction, and not much compounding haze. It really finishes down very well for such a high degree of correction. IMO, it finishes down much better than OC does. I'm hoping this combo is gonna be replaced by M105... just haven't used it yet. Somewhere I have a link to a post on detailingworld where Dave KG was able to finish Menz PG down to an LSP ready finish. That's how good Dave and MPG are.

Medium correction: LC purple foamed wool with SIP. SIP can be a bit tricky sometimes, but adding a few drops of PO106FF will make it play nicely. SIP does play nicer with the green and blue LC pads than the purple foamed wool. You'll get better correction with the purple foamed, but if you don't need the extra cut, the green or blue edge is definitely easier to use with SIP than the purple foamed. Make sure you spur the pad after every application of SIP.

Finishing: Depends on the clear coat hardness. Really hard clears finish down *very* nicely with the white wool and PO106FF. Medium clears finish nicely with the white wool and regular old FPII. Soft clears, you pretty much have to finish with a foam finishing pad, wool just won't leave a satisfactory look. Generally, you can improve the look after using wool to finish with a really fine finishing polish (like PO85RD) and a foam finishing pad, but so far it's been a mixed bag for me; some cars it makes a tremendous difference on, some I wish I hadn't wasted the time doing another step after the white wool.

So it's a trade off... Using wool to finish is fast and easy. And it'll get out compounding marks, holograms, and light defects better and faster than, say, a white LC foam pad. It'll also leave a darn fine finish. However, as a general rule, you can get more shine and gloss from a foam finishing pad and a fine (like PO85RD) polish. The trade off is that the foam finishing pad/polish combo has zero correction ability; the finish must be compounding mark, defect, and hologram free already.

I two step polish most of the cars that I do. After the correction step, there are normally a few holograms and compounding marks left that have to be removed. So I use the white wool and PO106FF to get out the holos, marks, and leave a great finish. If I'm lucky enough to have finished the correction step with no additional minor correction needed during the polishing step, I'll grab the foam finishing pad and the PO85RD for the last step.

I do have a few (only a few

) high end clients that pay me very well to do their cars. On their cars, I do the same two step, then do a third with the finishing foam and 85RD.

SIP and white wool make for a very good single step combo if you have a real cheap customer. It gets out some pretty good defects and finishes off very nicely. That is one thing that's changed from the post above... White wool and SIP to single step instead of purple foamed. Add a couple drops of 106 to the SIP to extend the working time, make SIP play better, and get a much finer finish than you would with just SIP. It does take away some of SIP's correcting power, though, so don't add too much.

BTW... "White Wool" refers to Edge's white Finishing Wool pad.

Those two posts you guys refer to really do make it sound like I'm contradicting myself, but really it's just a matter of deciding which pad/polish combination is best for the job at hand. Plus, I'm always experimenting with the latest polishes and pads. There are a few posts around here that, when thrown into this mix, would really seem contradictive. But I just can't help trying every new pad/polish combo that comes around.

Sorry for all the confusion.

Rob Tomlin · 05-02-08, 10:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperBee364

Wool, what am I missing?

So it's a trade off... Using wool to finish is fast and easy. And it'll get out compounding marks, holograms, and light defects better and faster than, say, a white LC foam pad. It'll also leave a darn fine finish. However, as a general rule, you can get more shine and gloss from a foam finishing pad and a fine (like PO85RD) polish. The trade off is that the foam finishing pad/polish combo has zero correction ability; the finish must be compounding mark, defect, and hologram free already.

I two step polish most of the cars that I do. After the correction step, there are normally a few holograms and compounding marks left that have to be removed. So I use the white wool and PO106FF to get out the holos, marks, and leave a great finish. If I'm lucky enough to have finished the correction step with no additional minor correction needed during the polishing step, I'll grab the foam finishing pad and the PO85RD for the last step.

I do have a few (only a few

) high end clients that pay me very well to do their cars. On their cars, I do the same two step, then do a third with the finishing foam and 85RD.

SIP and white wool make for a very good single step combo if you have a real cheap customer. It gets out some pretty good defects and finishes off very nicely. That is one thing that's changed from the post above... White wool and SIP to single step instead of purple foamed. Add a couple drops of 106 to the SIP to extend the working time, make SIP play better, and get a much finer finish than you would with just SIP. It does take away some of SIP's correcting power, though, so don't add too much.

BTW... "White Wool" refers to Edge's white Finishing Wool pad.

Those two posts you guys refer to really do make it sound like I'm contradicting myself, but really it's just a matter of deciding which pad/polish combination is best for the job at hand. Plus, I'm always experimenting with the latest polishes and pads. There are a few posts around here that, when thrown into this mix, would really seem contradictive. But I just can't help trying every new pad/polish combo that comes around.

Sorry for all the confusion.

Thank you again for the follow up explanation. It does make sense.

I am getting the distinct impression that there is no easy answer or consensus here. I may just start out with foam pads (the Edge 2000 system) and get a purple foamed wool (and backing plate) down the line.

Thanks Supe!

SuperBee364 · 05-02-08, 11:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob Tomlin

Thank you again for the follow up explanation. It does make sense.

I am getting the distinct impression that there is no easy answer or consensus here. I may just start out with foam pads (the Edge 2000 system) and get a purple foamed wool (and backing plate) down the line.

Thanks Supe!

Very true. There's so many possible combinations. It's alot of fun trying them all, too.

I guess a quick summary would be:

Finish with wool = best combination to correct minor defects and holograms while still leaving a great finish.

Finish with foam = Best possible gloss but not nearly as much correction power.

Rob Tomlin · 05-02-08, 12:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperBee364

Very true. There's so many possible combinations. It's alot of fun trying them all, too.

I guess a quick summary would be:

Finish with wool = best combination to correct minor defects and holograms while still leaving a great finish.

Finish with foam = Best possible gloss but not nearly as much correction power.

Too true! That's what I love about this hobby.

The quick summary is helpful. If I start out using the foamed wool for medium correction, I would then determine whether to finish with wool or foam depending on why type of holograms or other defects were left with the foamed wool.