Wool Pad question[s]

[dunit]

I recently got a car cover and discovered that the little plastic grommets that are made for a cable lock will scratch the car if they make contact with the car when you are taking off or putting on the car cover!



I am very upset since Honda paint scratches so easily anyway. It`s been a bit windy and my car cover has blown around while taking it off and alas, the grommets have either hit or slid across my paint, leaving small, but noticeable scratches. Darn!



Just pry the grommets off, they come off with a flatblade screwdriver...

[Leadfootluke]

I have a pc7424xp, with a 4" H&L right now. I see, all over, that PFW pads are not the best for DA`s, but when in the realm of the newer pcxp on a 4" back would they still not be effective for correction?

And this is kinda off topic, but I have been looking for a mother powerball, why not a 4" PFW on a drill? $15-$20 for the adapters and plate and pad. This might be out of the box and stupid thinking, but I have never so much as touched a wool/pfw pad so I am not sure what I am dealing with.

Enlighten me please :)

[Puckman]

I can`t think of any negatives to using a 4" PFW on a PC. I`ve very rarely used it in lieu of my 4" yellow firmer foam pad (just my experience anyway).

I`ve never liked the idea of any pad on a drill because of the unknown excessive speed afforded by a drill. I can control the speed better on my buffing machines but I`d like to hear others chime in on this topic.

[Leadfootluke]

I am actually thinking the same thing, as the 4" PFW would be on my DA for paint correction, but I feel I can get better articulation with a 4" PFW pad, on a drill, with polishing metal like my exhaust, versus a powerball.

[Todd@RUPES]

An orbital or even a random orbital polisher works by driving the backing plate in a motion similar to how you would apply wax by hand. In tiny little circles, but with out any rotation. In the chart I made below, you can see the motion articulated. The picture of the green pad in the upper right with the red circles represents the actual driving motion of the machine.

The picture below it is of the pad spinning. The spinning motion of the pad is actually caused by the tiny circles or orbits the machine drives the pad in. The resulting pattern of tiny orbits combined with the centripetal force driven rotation causes the machine to move the pad in a pattern similar to the yellow pad.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x121/tropicaldetailing/truth/randomorbital620.jpg

So what does this mean when talking about using a wool pad on a dual-action polisher?

Wool pads have nap that is soft and doesn`t change direction as readily as foam. Hold a wet mop about six inches from the ground, so that the nap is touch the ground and folded over a little pit. Now move the mop like you where stirring a big witch`s cauldron. You are the machine, moving the backing plate (stick/attachment) in an orbital motion with out spinning the mop.

Even though you may be moving the stick in a 1 foot orbital circle (stirring the cauldron) the nap resting on the ground (the wool touching the paint) will not move very much. This is because a lot of the orbital motion is absorbed by the nap. Wool pads are very inefficient at transferring orbital motion, unless the distance of the orbit`s diameter is much greater then the length of the nap. Most random orbital polishers have only a 5/16th throw or stroke. This means very little of the orbital motion actually makes it the paint`s surface where it can work. Instead the wool fibers roll over each other and twist.

Wool pad`s work most efficiently when they are subjected to centrifugal force. Think of spinning a ball attached to a string over your head. If you spin it slowly the string is loose and flexes. The faster you spin the ball, the tauter the string becomes, or the more leveling action the wool pad has. When you eliminate the orbital motion (absorbed through the wool) you are left with a slow speed rotary that doesn`t generate enough rpm to sufficiently pull the wool fibers taut. The orbital action will actual cause the wool pad to absorb some of the rotational speed as well!

You are correct in your assessment that a drill, because it is single action, will make more efficient use of a wool pad. Since the drill just spins (like a rotary) there is no orbital motion to absorb the wool`s movement, and since the drill will produce more unloaded rpm then a random orbital, it will generate more centrifugal force and make better use of the wools characteristics. I am not suggesting using a drill, I have never done it, but I do agree with your assessment.

I am not saying that a wool pad on a random orbital will not work; it will remove some material. However I have never seen an instance where a wool pad on a random orbital outperformed a similar sized foam cutting pad in terms of defect removal.

[Leadfootluke]

Thank you for the answer. I actually read all of your information on the foam wool before posting and thought I would ask anyways.

With that said, do you believe a 4" PFW pad on a Variable Speed Drill would be effective for metal polishing, or headlight restoration? It is cheaper than a powerball, and again, I felt that the flat pad surface gives me more confidence than a ball. And I do have other 4" pads for my DA that I could finish it down with too...

Just exploring the concept of the possibilities of a PFW pad with what resources I have.

[imported_Kevin Brown]

BINGO!! What Todd said is right on the money.

Traditional wool pads can be used efficiently with the random orbital for some purposes, but accurate and efficient defect removal is not at the top of that short list.

Joe from the "World Famous Superior Shine" uses wool pads quite a bit when polishing buses and airplanes, but I`ll bet that it`s because the wool contours to the oddly shaped panels (as seen on buses) and the rivets (as seen on both buses and airplanes) much better than foam. Plus, if there is a need to simply repeatedly "rub" a surface over and over, a wool pad has a LOT more usable surface area versus a similarly sized foam pad, so it will not load up with abraded material as rapidly.

For instance, if you were trying to remove dirt and grime that was embedded in old oxidized paint, but you weren`t concerned with removing scratches from the surface or getting the paint laser-level, the wool pad could do a pretty good job. The random orbital would be WAY more comfortable to use, and you would be less likely to burn through on rivets and whatnot. Plus, if some panels didn`t line up completely (or sharp panel edges were exposed), the rotary machine (spinning a wool pad at a high R.P.M.) could create some damage (bent panel edges or worse if the pad really dug into the edge of the panel... could you imagine the damage if the rotary buffer suddenly hooked a corner and the machine ripped away from your hands?!).

Nice answer Todd to a good question. :rockon:

[imported_Kevin Brown]

Thank you for the answer. I actually read all of your information on the foam wool before posting and thought I would ask anyways.

With that said, do you believe a 4" PFW pad on a Variable Speed Drill would be effective for metal polishing, or headlight restoration? ... And I do have other 4" pads for my DA that I could finish it down with too...

Excellent combo there! Just keep the pad as clean as possible.

When that pad removes metal or plastic (or paint for that matter), a lot of the abraded material attaches to the pad. In the case of metal, this can be disasterous because the metal particles can leave very obvious ridges or gouges in the piece being polished.

Keep things clean, get a better result.

[Leadfootluke]

Ah, the Legend himself :D

To be honest, I started this thread trying to establish what a PFW pad would be useful for, in my case, with what I have. Since I have the PCXP, I know that wool is not a good choice for what you and th0001 said, but at the same time, I have been contemplating getting a powerball. I figured, I would like to be able to do headlights, and, exhaust in my case.

http://i570.photobucket.com/albums/ss148/DurangedSandToyz/Magnum%20BB/IMG_0595.jpg

A drill adapter, and rotary backing plate for 4" pads and 2 PFW pads costs as much as 1 powerball. I know that is probably apples to oranges, but if I can accomplish comprable results and feel more confident, why not?

I would rather do this, than pay $30+ for a headlight restoration kit, or $25 for a powerball.