After how many times of using a cutting pad will the clearcoat disappear?

[Egoolps]

I`m thinking of buying the Porter Cable 7424, but I`m starting to hesitate.



I was reading about the orange pad, and it says it cuts into the clearcoat. Even though it`s minimal, at one point will the entire clearcoat be gone from doing this?

[Eliot Ness]

...........I was reading about the orange pad, and it says it cuts into the clearcoat. Even though it`s minimal, at one point will the entire clearcoat be gone from doing this?The orange is a light cutting pad. Technically if you used an aggressive polish/compound often enough I guess you could cut through the clear coat, especially with 4" orange pads. Realistically you`ll use the orange pads to initially remove defects, scratches, swirls, etc. from your paint. After that you should develop your washing skills to the point you don`t need to use the orange pad very often if at all.
I`m thinking of buying the Porter Cable 7424, but I`m starting to hesitate..............Don`t hesitate unless you`re thinking of buying a Flex or G110 instead. A good DA polisher will make your life a lot easier and with just a dab of common sense they are very safe for your paint. Read the following DA guide to get a bit familiar:



http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/images/misc/dapolishing.pdf

[Invigor]

you can buzz through the clear on edges and body lines in no time.

[JasonC8301]

I believe you will not burn through the clearcoat with a Porter Cable 7424 unless you get a rock stuck in the pad or use an ajax paste as the polish.



Using the PC7424 with a light cut/aggressive polish pad and a light/medium polish on a beater car first can actually let you get a feel for the polisher and what combination of pads/product/technique works for you.



There is more hesitation to use a rotary because heat is what burns/cuts through the paint. The rotary (I use a Makita 9227C) spins in a direct circle which causes more heat build up which leads to paint correction if using the right technique.



A PC7424/7336 on the other hand is a dual action polisher which pretty much spins in a figure eight which doesn`t produce as much heat build up as a rotary but more so than hand polishing.

[Accumulator]

I believe you will not burn through the clearcoat with a Porter Cable 7424 unless you get a rock stuck in the pad or use an ajax paste as the polish..



Well, unless you`re me :o Cyclo green 4" pad/3M PI-III RC 05933/too much time/pressure/confidence. This was on a *badly* scratched (down to primer) flat area of the MPV that needed repainted anyhow, but I did compromise the clear surrounding the scratch, did it in a rotary-goof-like way. Sure surprised me! Also surprised my painter, who`d assumed I did it with the rotary and was astounded that the PC could do that.



But yeah...a little common sense goes a long way and the above wasn`t remotely a normal occurrence.



Egoolps- More likely, you`ll find that the PC isn`t as aggressive as you`d *like*. That`s what usually happens ;) Don`t let the above spook you, you *won`t* do what I did.



But note that it`s not really a matter of cutting *through* the clear; removing more than 0.0003-0.0005" will usually be enough to precipitate failure. So correct it when needed, but then don`t mar it again (heh heh, easier said than done). Polishing out scratches/etc. should only be an annual thing at most, if you wash/dry/etc. properly.