Definition of pads caking up?

[mikebai1990]

There`s often mention of people using polishes and having their pads "cake up". I don`t really understand what is meant by caking up. I was applying Collinite 476 on my black pad a while ago, and after I finished, I decided to keep the product on the pad and just put it back in my plastic bag. Afterwards I found it was a very bad idea. The wax hardened up and didn`t work when I tried to apply it a few weeks later. There were squiggles on the paint from the hardened wax (didn`t mar from what I saw, thank goodness), and little balls of the foam seemed to start clumping up on the pad when I was using it. Is this the definition of pads caking up? Does caking up mean that the products are clumping up, or the foam as well? I ended up rubbing the foam pad aggressively with my hands and leaving it in soapy water for a day or so. It seems to have cleared up now.

[Accumulator]

There`s often mention of people using polishes and having their pads "cake up". I don`t really understand what is meant by caking up..



As I use the term, "caking up" means the pads get loaded with product to the point where they`re saturated and their performance is compromised. Like if you tried to polish a whole MPV with a 4" pad,without ever cleaning the pad out..after the first zillion hours of polishing there`d be a *lot* of old polish in the pad and if you kept working it that polish would start to dry out, leaving the pad loaded with semi-dried-out product.



What happened when you let the wax dry in the pad is sorta a weird/extreme example of the same idea.



Or when I tried to polish through numerous layers of KSG- the pad got all "gummed up" from the combination of polish and polished-off KSG.



The pad itself oughta be OK, if it starts having issues (perhaps because you keep using it after it gets really loaded with product) like bits of foam coming out, then oops, you killed the pad. Sorta like accelerating the wearing-out process. But in my experience that`s pretty rare.



Oh, FWIW I like a slightly more "open"/porous pad for use with "hard" waxes like 476S. As long as the pad doesn`t have any functional cut of its own, I`d rather use a polishing pad with waxes like that. An example is the white Cyclo finishing pad...it`s more aggressive than some other finishing pads (like the LC black one) and for me it`s a better match with products like 476S. Griot`s red waxing pad might be another choice, just a bit more open than the LC one.

[mikebai1990]

Accumulator, can you explain how the white LC pad is more porous than the black LC pad? I thought that since the black pad is softer, it is more porous and less dense than the white pad. I was actually thinking last time that the white pad would be better because it`s "harder" and more dense, meaning that I wouldn`t have to press as hard to get the hard paste wax onto the paint, and also meaning that less wax would be absorbed into the pad. I`ll definitely try out the white pad next time. My only worry is that I won`t be able to to see how much wax I`ve put on the white pad :)

[Accumulator]

mikebai1990- Ah..sorry, I`m not expressing myself well at all :o When I look at the black pad I see lots of *tiny* little pores, I have to look closely to see `em at all...it sorta looks like fuzzy felt to me; when I look at the white pad I see the pores more clearly and they`re bigger (but there are fewer of them).



It seems like it`s harder for waxes like 476S to get into the tiny pores of the black pad, so it`s harder to saturate it (evenly) with wax and in use it`s like it`s harder for the hard wax to transfer from that kind of pad too. This isn`t nearly as big an issue with waxes like #16 that "turn liquid" in use, let alone liquid waxes.

[kyotousa]

nice explaination i didn`t get what caked up mean either...



would a single pad be able to detail a regular sedan?

I only have 1 yellow, 1 white, and 1 black LC pads



My process would be like...yellow once...with mother PP => white once mother PP

then black once with VM or Klasse AIO



then sealant + Natty`s blue by hand

[JasonD]

If you don`t use too much polish, and have a pad cleaning brush on hand, you can certainly do a whole car with one pad.



There have been times, though, where I have gone through multiple pads. Just depends on how much polishing you are doing, and the type of product you are using.



kyotusa,



You *may* want to get one more additional white and black pad. You won`t always need the aggressiveness of the yellow pad, especially if you keep your car`s finish maintained, yet you will always find yourself using the white and black pads, and for multiple products.



I also like to have three different levels of polishing pads, not just two. (The black pad isn`t considered a polishing pad btw)

[Accumulator]

Yeah, I usually just one one pad (well, a pair with the Cyclo), even if I have to stop and clean out the old product.

[E-Jag]

Glad this came up. I`ve been wondering lately whether a fairly new medium or hard bristled toothbrush would effectively remove the caked up wax on a pad. Anyone do this?



____________

E-Jag

[mikebai1990]

It seems like it`s harder for waxes like 476S to get into the tiny pores of the black pad, so it`s harder to saturate it (evenly) with wax and in use it`s like it`s harder for the hard wax to transfer from that kind of pad too. This isn`t nearly as big an issue with waxes like #16 that "turn liquid" in use, let alone liquid waxes.



Thanks for clarifying. I`ve also found that with the black pads, the 476S is very hard to spread evenly and I`m always worried that I`m not getting the wax onto the paint. Hopefully switching to the white pad will resolve that problem!

[Accumulator]

E-Jag- I dunno...I use a toothbrush-style brush but it`s bigger and a *LOT* stiffer than any hard toothbrush would ever be. I`d buy a nice sturdy one that`s made for this, it oughta last forever and IMO the few bucks would be money well spent.



mikebai1990- Yeah, IMO most any pad would be better for 476S-by-PC than that black Lake pad. Those have their uses, but I don`t think this is one of them ;)

[E-Jag]

Accumulator, I`m sure you`re right. I`ve looked in auto parts stores and never see them and shipping would probably cost more than the order. Reckon I`ll wait until I need something else. Thanks for the quick reply.



________________

E-Jag

[kyotousa]

If you don`t use too much polish, and have a pad cleaning brush on hand, you can certainly do a whole car with one pad.



There have been times, though, where I have gone through multiple pads. Just depends on how much polishing you are doing, and the type of product you are using.



kyotusa,



You *may* want to get one more additional white and black pad. You won`t always need the aggressiveness of the yellow pad, especially if you keep your car`s finish maintained, yet you will always find yourself using the white and black pads, and for multiple products.



I also like to have three different levels of polishing pads, not just two. (The black pad isn`t considered a polishing pad btw)



thx i might go ahead and order 1 green and 1 orange LC 6"

VM is use as glaze right?....apply with black

how`s that sound?...



or should I order 2 green and no orange at all....

[BlackElantraGT]

I have this particular brush and on my Meguiar`s pad with a PC, it started chewing through my pad with little bits of foam flying everywhere, both my burgundy cutting and the tan finishing pad. The bristles are pretty stiff IMO. Since then, I haven`t used the brush. Maybe it works better on a rotary or on other type of pads, who knows. I just don`t want to take that risk again on my newer pads. If somehow I completely run out of pads, then I might consider using it again.



http://autodetailingsolutions.com/Foam%20Pad%20Cleaning%20Brush.jpg