Questions about this Buffer

[bschaef95]

Hey guys, I`m new here and am totally loving it! I am going to be getting an orbital buffer here in the next few weeks. I am just looking to apply wax (Mothers Carnauba) and some light duty polishing before I wax. I am a total noob at machine waxing, so that`s why I am going for an orbital. I have been considering this one 10 in. Orbital Buffer-RB101 at The Home Depot (http://bit.ly/t7Jb1J) I know its not a pro choice or anything, but I really am not looking for Dave Fermani results on my car. My questions are these: first, will it handle my light duty use? Second, can I get different pads, as people say that the ones that come with it blow? Lastly, what polishing compound should I use? Thanks a ton, for I am a humble noob among the gods of auto detailing!

[Accumulator]

bschaef95- Welcome to Autopia!



Those 10" RO buffers are tempting, huh? Low price, look like they`ll cover a lot of area nice and quickly....



But..there`s always a "but..." with `em. A few actually- they don`t have the power to do much of anything significant. No, you don`t need to be after Fermani-level correction to discover the unit`s deficiencies..it just doesn`t have the oomph to properly work products, let alone with a big pad like that creating lots of friction.



Also, the choice of pads/bonnets is exteremely limited, and most of what`s available is more likely to do harm than good.



Sigh...it`s just not worth buying. Really. Those things get sold...or given as gifts...used once, and then they sit around the garage for years untouched until there`s a garage sale or something.



Save up the $30, it`s a big chunk of the cost of a truly worthwhile polisher, especially if you buy used.



In the meantime, you can use products that work OK by hand and you can work on perfecting your wash technique, which is probably the most important, if least glamorous, aspect of keeping your car looking good.



By hand- Wash the car and clay it (suggestion: ClayMagic Blue). Get some Meguiar`s Ultimate Compound and/or Scratch-X v2.0 and some foam "wax applicator pads" and some MicroFiber towels ("MF"s). Work small areas at a time, aiming for "better" rather than "perfect" and just see how it goes (post Qs here). Use a good all-in-one to clean the paint and give it some shine, maybe buy one that does some concealing of defects such as AutoGlym Super Resin Polish. Then top it all off with a durable, user-friendly wax like Collinite 845 Insulator Wax. While you save up for a good polisher, I bet you can still have about the best looking car in the parking lot.

[bschaef95]

Hmm, I really need something to apply wax with pronto... Can you recommend anything good under, say, $60? Also, I know I will catch hell for this, but I am driving a 1995 Bronco, and although it is in PRISTINE condition, it is far from flawless, and if it will get the job done as a wax spreader, then I am in. One guy said that he used it on his `71 Corvette, and had great results. Not driving a Lambo here...

[Scottwax]

Those aren`t really buffers, they are wax spreaders.

[bschaef95]

Scottwax, you`re right. I am looking for a wax spreader more than anything. As a humble noob, I know little of this nomenclature. Would I be good getting this and using it to apply and remove wax?

[Ron Ketcham]

It will do what you want and a little more.

Just be sure and buy a couple of extra bonnets.

Some are just so wrapped up in their quest for perfection they forget there are those who just want to put on a wax or sealant, wipe it off and get on with their lives.

A suggestion to save some time and frustration is after you use it to apply the product, and it dries, put on a clean bonnet and then lay a soft towel down on the top, hood, trunk, whatever, put the orbital on the towel and use that to remove the majority of the dried product.

Keep checking the towel, when it shows some build-up, flip it to a clean side and go on.

Then for the other areas, curves, etc use the bonnet to remove as much as you can.

Use the towels that you used, finding the clean spots and hand remove the rest of the product.

This is not the "Autopia" way, as it is much to simple and doesn`t require hours of time seeking that sort of perfection, but for your old Bronco, will do just fine.

Did a lot of old beaters like this, using liquid Nu-Finish, cleaned em up and helped get them across the auction block.

Grumpy

[Accumulator]

"Wax spreader"... :think: Eh, noting that I have big vehicles and like LSPing by machine, I`d still pass on that thing and just do the waxing by hand for now.



OK, OK, sorry....I`ll get off my "buy a real buffer!" soapbox :o



Ron Ketcham- Back in the day, one could actually get some decent bonnets and foam pads for those 10" things. What`s available now?



One of my concerns here is that those machines often come with synthetic (or real) wool pads that should *NOT* be used, and/or terry bonnets that`re just as bad. You sure don`t want to machine-instill marring that you don`t currently have!

[Ron Ketcham]

You still can get some nice, heavy terry cloth bonnets for them

Grumpy

[Accumulator]

You still can get some nice, heavy terry cloth bonnets for them

Grumpy



Terry makes me leery...wasn`t it AutoInt that had pix of what "nice soft terry cloth" can do to automotive paint?



Yeah, I know, we *did* somehow do OK back before there was MF...but, well...

[Ron Ketcham]

The finish on that old Bronco could be hit with a hammer and only make a small dent.

I don`t recall ever seeing AI put up anything about damage by a terry cloth.

Sounds like something a company would do to promote the sale of micro fiber towels.

I have tons of micro fiber towels, but I also have tons of terry cloth, baby diapers, etc, use all them depending on what I am working on.

Terry is fine on that old of paint, plus he is not looking for perfection.

He could lay down micro fiber towels under the terry cloth when removing, if he was really concerned.

I use terry cloth on the old Beast, when once a year I get bored, looks good enough everyone wants to buy the old thing.

Grumpy

[Accumulator]

...I don`t recall ever seeing AI put up anything about damage by a terry cloth...



Huh...well, considering who we`re talking about here I`ll take your memory over mine on that ;) But sheesh, I`ve been thinking that for ages :think:



They were ~30X pix of previously perfect black paint after having been rubbed with "nice cotton". Oh well :nixweiss



And yeah, that approach of putting your preferred towel between the buffer and the paint can work swell :xyxthumbs

[Bill D]

I started off detailing using a machine kinda like that. It was a Craftsman. Then I used one or two other similar ones as they crapped out along the way. They do little for correcting flaws or making LSP application that much easier IME, let alone "the Autopian way" and yeah, terry bonnets are a big step backwards. To each his own, but if the application of a LSP is the only desire, I wouldn`t spend anything on a machine to apply it, I`d apply it by hand with a foam applicator and buff off with half-decent MFs and call it a day.

[Ron Ketcham]

One can easily mar a finish with a terry cloth or even a micro fiber if they really want to, just create a "pressure point" and rub hard.

Most of the problems from the terry`s comes from them not be cleaned right, washed right with softener, worn out, etc.

The use of a 10" orbital is all right as long as the operater doesn`t "bear down" on it.

They are good for removing the indicators, slight polishing action, etc. when used as they were meant to be used.

Bigger the area of the pad part, no "pushy-shovey", bearing down on the unit, less friction, less of the dreaded "pressure point".

Sort of like the "use a CD to check the micro-fiber for marring" thing.

Either of us could take any of the micro fibers and with a little work, a little pressure, leave it showing some marks.

Plus, when they do this "test" (for lack of a better word and I had to clean up my mind before I typed this) who knows what kind of pressure are they really using?

The result is that some marketers can take anything and turn it around to their advantage in their promotion of any product.

Grumpy

[Tru_Shine]

There are plenty of great spray waxes on the market that are going to make it a lot easier to wax your bronco and still get great long lasting protection. Optimum car wax, meguiars, and other spray sealants. you can save your $30 from the machine and get some spray wax instead.

[wascallyrabbit]

let not forget the wipe on and walk away sealants like os and upgp.