What cloths to use to remove wax, buff

[Sad, little man]

I was wondering what I could use that is readily avalible to remove wax and wipe on QD. Just something that won`t swirl paint. Cotton bath towels would seem good, but are costly at about $5 each when I`ll need plenty to not constantly be washing them. Also, what is a good foam polishing bonnet I can easily get? I`ve used ones made by turtle wax that seem to be the only ones I can find around here, but they are very weak and rip and deteriorate. Is thais normal?

[Bill D]

I used to use simple flannel cloths to remove wax by hand, cut off the stitching. Do you mean a polishing bonnet for a PC? I also used to use those cheap Waxmaster buffers and got the bonnets from Pep Boys I think Nicsand but probably equal to TW. The foam ones were ok but the cotton buffing bonnets frequently tore away from the elastic.

[Sad, little man]

The foam just seemed very fragile to me. It`s for a 10" orbital. Hmm, so flannel will not scratch? How can I tell if a cloth will or won`t scratch my car?

[chris0626]

Sad, little man -- My experience says there`s no towel that will meet all your criteria for removing wax and applying/buffing QD -- i.e., I haven`t found one that is effective, swirl/smear free, readily available, and costs less than $5. I`m now using Autopia`s Concours Buffing Towel (though I understand DFTowel has a comparable product). I don`t really care about the price or "ready availabililty" as much as I care about effectiveness. Autopia`s CBT does the trick magnificently for me. Some genuine 100% cotton high-quality, made-in-USA bath towels (available from high-end department stores) are reportedly suitable too, but I don`t think you`ll find one of these for $5.



About polishing bonnets, I have the same question as Bill D. I`m using the Lake Country polishing pads for my PC, courtesy of Top of the Line. I`ve found them durable, long-lasting, and effective, and a good value for the money. TOL gets them to me very fast. But I don`t think you`ll find anything equivalent at WalMart.



BTW, we might sometimes be able to help you better if you added a "location" in your User CP. I don`t have a clue whether you`re in Arkansas, Canada, or outer Slovenia, so it`s really hard to tailor an answer for you.

[Sad, little man]

Heh, I think you`ve gone too far. I`m just not that into it all to wait on orders of special cloths and polishing pads. I`m more of the type to get what I can get without ordering something, and just use it. Let`s just say this... Will 100% Cotton US made bath towells hurt my paint, and are foam pads supposed to be so easily ripped? I mean, I understand they must be soft to work, but I`ve ripped some just trying to put them on. Is this how they all are? I`m fine with using cheaper stuff, I just want to stop ripping and rubbing them down to nothing.

[chris0626]

Sad, little man -- I think we`re on different planes.



Yes, LOTS of towels labelled "100% Cotton US" are not in fact 100% cotton and they`re not made in the USA and they can scratch/mar your paint ... if you care about that.



No, decent polishing pads will not rip as easily as you`re describing.



You want decent towels/pads? Then I think you`re going to have to pay more or exert yourself a bit more.



I`ll let others offer what you may consider "practical" or "realistic" guidance. I think you and I are just in different ballparks.

[jzxxx]

Sad, little man, I think your in the wrong place. This forum is all about going way to far. We are obsessed with finding the best soap,wax,polish,towels...ect for our car`s. If it`s too much hassell to order/buy the proper product`s use a old tee shirt, that will suit you just fine.

[Sci-Fi]

Sad, little man, I believe you will find it difficult to obtain the 10" orbital accessories (bonnets, foam applicators, etc) in the variety of styles and affordable pricing you desire for your polisher. Can look here for some buffer bonnets (#18) in cotton and MF:

http://www.gliptone.com/prod/buff.asp

and here for foam pads:

http://home.ica.net/~hajdu/frames/products/products.htm

http://www.waxstation.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=buff_bonnets#polyesterfoam



100% cotton bath and/or hand towels would be your most cost effect alternative. I believe there was a post about DollarTree selling MF`s towels for $1 each that passed the CD scratch test and at CostCo for a 12 pack of 16x16 microfibers for $8.89. An excellent value and price, if available in your area.

[endus]

Originally posted by Sad, little man

Heh, I think you`ve gone too far. I`m just not that into it all to wait on orders of special cloths and polishing pads. I`m more of the type to get what I can get without ordering something, and just use it. Let`s just say this... Will 100% Cotton US made bath towells hurt my paint, and are foam pads supposed to be so easily ripped? I mean, I understand they must be soft to work, but I`ve ripped some just trying to put them on. Is this how they all are? I`m fine with using cheaper stuff, I just want to stop ripping and rubbing them down to nothing.



Any towels you`re going to find around are probably going to give you swirls. If you don`t care about swirls then the minimum I would use are bath towels...anything less is going to be both harder to work with and more likely to damage the paint. Bath towels are good because they are large (don`t have to ahve zillions of them on hand) , they`re terry (which helps keep you from grinding dirt into the surface like flat towels), and are usually close to 100% cotton. I used them for a long time on my car and they are decent.



Franky, though, they *do* damage your paint by giving you swirls. special ordering MF towels from pakshak or somewhere really isn`t that big iof a deal and the results are much better. The MF`s are great for glass, pick up dirt when you use them with 303 ior Plexu on the interior, remove wax/polish/whatever well...they *are* worth it.

[JoshABI]

Originally posted by Sad, little man

...and are foam pads supposed to be so easily ripped? I mean, I understand they must be soft to work, but I`ve ripped some just trying to put them on. Is this how they all are?

Can you describe the actual process that you are going through that is causing your pads to fail? Are you talking about pads or bonnets? I just don`t know how pads could rip....usually, you just stick them onto the velcro plate. But if you have a 10" orbital, then I think you are using bonnets. More info please:)



EDIT: BTW, you can always try a search about the cotton towels. There is a ton of info available in past posts that will help you with that.

[Bill D]

Sad, little man



I think I know where you are coming from. To see in advance if the cloth you choose will scratch your paint try the CD test: get a CD ,like those free AOL ones you can get in store lobbies, and rub the cloth in question on it. I f you see scratch, that cloth will scratch you paint. I still use flannel from time to time and I get no scratching



If you are using a buffer like Waxmaster (found in Walmart) I would suggest Nicsand foam bonnets and terry bonnets. May not last terribly long but will not fall apart instantly.