As far as machine polisher or products are concerned; there is no single solution for all paints types; every detailer has their own preferences, as long as the machine and products used are satisfactorily meeting your detailing goals. Each polishing project should be assessed individually and a ‘test panel’ will reveal the best solution of machine, pad, polish that yields the desired results



Some find they are more comfortable and therefore more confident using an orbital. Many users get experience with an orbital and then go over to an orbital. My advice in this instance would be to go with a lightweight rotary (Flex P- PE14-2 150) until you become accustomed to using a rotary on vertical panels. Many found the orbital uncomfortable to use due to its inherent vibration and some found it hard to control



I hope this article will instill confidence in your decision of what type of polisher to choose, making your first polisher experience a pleasurable one.



Machine Polishers



There are two basic categories of machine polisher; orbital and circular. Orbital (OPM - elliptical orbit) machines are preferred by the majority of enthusiasts for maintaining their vehicle`s finish. Circular (RPM - constant circular orbit) polishers are designed to abrade the surface completely eliminating swirls, scratches and paint defects. Unfortunately, in inexperienced hands, circular polishers can strike-through or burn the paint, but with sufficient practice you can become proficient with a circular polisher.



Orbital Buffer or Rotary Polisher



There is a place for both a random orbital buffer and a high speed polisher in a detailer’s toolkit, once you are proficient with an orbital all that is required to ‘step-up` to the polisher is practice, practice and then more practice, which should be done on a scrap vehicle panel as opposed to your own or someone else’s vehicle



Like all tools there is a learning curve with it, so first gain experience on a paint surface that doesn’t matter i.e. a scrap panel, practice until you feel confident enough in its use and capabilities to use it on your own vehicle.



A rotary doesn’t require the same amount of downward pressure as an orbital. Staying within the lower speed ranges, providing you are careful not to hold the pad in one place for too long, and paying attention when you come to the `edge` of a panel or a body contour it will not cause any damage or paint burn. Staying within the lower speed range and using common sense, these polishers’ are pretty much idiot-proof (I can use it, what does that tell you)



Sometimes a dual-action polisher just isn’t enough for really tough scratches and swirls. You need the cutting power of a rotary polisher and / or a wool pad to penetrate the clear coat and smooth over rough edges to restore your paint to its original flawless finish



Jewelling is a process of reducing applied pressure and machine speed in combination with a longer polishing time. It is really effective with a rotary polisher and a diminishing abrasive. Be cognizant that excessive pressure will make the pad / polish combination more aggressive, this has the effect of increasing kinetic energy (friction heat) which may result in a strikethrough. Typically the final step in surface polishing; using a finishing polish (Menzerna PO 85 or PO 106FF) in tandem with a pad that has no abrasive abilities Lake County (LC CCS Black (80 PPI) Finishing foam.



A recent test using a gloss meter to test the final finish obtained with three polishing machines the results of which were that the Rotary finished with the highest gloss readings, followed by the Cyclo orbital motion and the Flex3401forced rotation orbital. No real surprises then by the results, and there is definitely a difference that can be seen with the naked eye.



In terms of paint correction a rotary polisher with a wool pad comes first (it should be noted that a follow-up with a foam pad is required to obtain an acceptable finish) a Cyclo or a Flex 3401 using Meguiar’s® M105 Ultra Cut Compound and a Surbuf® R Series pad come an equal second



Speed, kinetic energy (friction), applied pressure, foam pad actual surface contact area, pad and polish / compound grit number (abrasive ability) amount of surface lubrication available, area being polished, and material (paint, especially paint edges, plastic, metal, etc) heat conductivity



The above will, given the right circumstances, `friction burn` (strikethrough) a paint surface wither it be a rotary or an orbital polisher; the operative word here is excess friction



Note: If you have extensive experience with a random orbital machine the learning curve will be greatly reduced



Porter-Cable 7424 XP random orbital - at speed # 5 - 6 with a dual action polisher; Menzerna Super Intensive polish, LC White foam pad, 2 x 2-foot surface area, it takes approximately 10-12 passes to required to fully break down the polish.



Flex XC 3401 VRG (7.5 Amp electric motor) would be the best option prior to stepping-up to a rotary polisher (Rotary 101, if you will); this tool was made for paint correction (used by EU car manufacturers, much like the Cyclo is in the for US production line paint correction) it is far superior in its paint correction abilities than a Porter Cable 7424XP (PC) however it will not make paint corrections as fast or as thoroughly as a rotary polisher.



Makita 9227 rotary - at 1200 RPM, Menzerna Super Intensive polish, LC White foam pad, 2 x 2-foot surface area, it takes approximately 8 - 10 passes to fully break down the polish. Makita at 1500 rpm (speed 3): 76 db

Speed Dial # RPM

1 600

2 900

3 1500

4 2100

5 2700

6 3000



Singular or Dual Controlled Component



1. Centripetal force [: a force that makes a body follows a curved path]



2. Centrifugal force [: the effects of inertia that arise with rotation as an outward force away from the centre of rotation.]



The definition of a dual (two) action as opposed to a singular (one) action polisher-



a) A Single action machine (constant centrifugal orbit (RPM) is one that has only one controlled component of a backing plate / pad. Due to its singular clockwise motion and high torque motor ( 10 Amp) it is able to produce friction while the operator applies pressure, allowing these machines to do a lot of work quickly i.e. 10 % faster at accomplishing the desired results than a Dual action machine forced rotation machine



b) A Dual action machine (random elliptical centripetal orbit ( OPM) is one that has two controlled components of the backing plate / pad; orbiting around a centre spindle, while the baking plate / pad freely spins on its own axis. The backing plate mounting is off-centre, as the drive rotates centrifugal force moves the backing plate in an elliptical motion, to balance this motion a counter weight is fitted to counteract machine vibration



The pad rotation of a duel-action is driven by its orbital speed. The faster the machine orbits, the more centrifugal force is applied to the backing plate, which results in its random elliptical centripetal orbit (OPM). A pad with a large contact area absorbs the orbital action due to its high surface resistance. A 5.5-inch foam pad has much less surface resistance than its equivalent 6.5-ich pad and will provide better correction



c) A Forced Rotation Dual action machine has both a centrifugal and a centripetal motion (RPM) and a direct drive orbital (OPM) motion with forced rotation, which means that the back plate rotates by a gear mechanism in a forced circular motion, as the back plate rotates it also oscillates in a random pattern. One action is the circular rotation and the second action is the random movement of the backing plate while it is rotating.



This type of motion is 50% faster at accomplishing the desired results than a dual action machine. (What makes this type of movement ‘safe’ is the comparatively lower torque electric motor on these units, so that it`s virtually impossible to apply too much concentrated pressure in one place at one time. Chances are good that when too much pressure is applied, the oscillating action will come to a stop thereby protecting the finish.



Noise Levels



Sound pressure (SPL) db (A) or acoustic pressure is the local pressure deviation from the ambient (average, or equilibrium) atmospheric pressure caused by a sound wave.



Reference levels: Normal speech 60 dB - Busy traffic 70 dB



• Meguiar`s G110V2, 55 dB

• Porter- Cable 7424XP, 55dB

• Flex XC 3401 VRG, 79 dB

• Cyclo Polisher Model 5, 77 dB

• Makita 9227C 76dB

• DeWalt DW849, 84 dB



Based on unverified manufacturers supplied data





The throw (or eccentric offset) of an orbital machine



Centripetal force [: a force that makes a body follows a curved path: it is always directed orthogonal to the velocity of the body, toward the instantaneous centre of curvature of the path] [1]



All other parameters being equal, a machine featuring a large stroke (or offset) will create more centripetal force than a machine featuring a small stroke, because centripetal force is the primary element that causes the backing plate to rotate. Therefore, if you use a machine with a large stroke size, you should generally see an increase in random pad rotation versus an identical machine featuring a short stroke. If the orbit offset is doubled, the speed of the backing plate is also doubled; however the abrasive ability is increased more than double



These could be considered short orbit or eccentric offset machines:



• 3/32" (2.5mm) diameter orbit- Metabo SXE400 or several air powered units,

• 3/16" (4.75mm) diameter orbit- DeWalt DW443, Festool Rotex RO150 FEQ, or the Griot`s Garage RO

• 7/32" (5mm) diameter orbit- Makita BO6040



5/16" (8mm) orbit or eccentric offset;

• Meguiar`s G110V2, 55 dB, 6800 OPM, 4.25 amps, 5.5 lbs - approx US$ 175

• Porter- Cable 7424XP, 55dB, 6800 OPM, 4.2 amps, 5.5 lbs - approx US$ 150

• Flex XC3401VRG, 7.5 amps, 4.8 lbs - approx US$ 340

• Metabo SXE400 - approx US$ 75

• Cyclo Polisher, Speed: 3000 OPM - approx US$ 300



316" (5mm) orbit or eccentric offset;

• Griot`s Garage 6 inch Random Orbital Polisher, 7-Amps, 9600 OPM, 5.75 lbs 6800 OPM - approx US$130

• Griot`s Garage 3-inch Mini Polisher, 4.25 amps, 10000 OPM - approx US$90





The eccentric offset or machine stroke is the distance from the centre of the machine to the backing plate mounting spindle and the ‘stroke’ size is the distance from the outside of the diameter to the centre of the backing plate mounting spindle. The backing plate mounting is off-centre, as the drive rotates centripetal (Latin for centre seeking) force moves the backing plate in an elliptical motion, to balance this motion a counter weight is fitted, which also to counteracts machine vibration



It is generally accepted that a smaller stroke leaves a more refined finish. An orbital with a larger offset (i.e. 5/16 - inch (8mm) compared to 3/16 – inch (5mm)) has a higher speed applied to the backing plate / pad, which translates to a consistent levelling of the paint surface



.Orbital Speed Dial Settings



Griot`s Garage 6 inch Random Orbital Polisher

1= 2500, 2= 3300; 3= 4200; 4= 5100; 5= 6000; 6= 6800 OPM



Porter- Cable 7424XP / Meguiar`s G110V2

1= 2500, 2= 3300, 3= 4000, 4= 4800, 5= 5800, 6= 6800 OPM



Flex XC3401VRG Orbits per minute (OPM) without load plus (RPM) forced rotation (10:1 ratio)

• Level 1: 3,200 OPM + 160 RPM

• Level 2 : 4,000 OPM + 200RPM

• Level 3: 5,400 OPM + 270 RPM

• Level 4: 6,600 OPM +330 RPM

• Level 5: 8,000 OPM + 400 RPM

• Level 6: 9,600 OPM + 480 RPM



Electrical Formula



E = Voltage I = Amps W = Watts PF = Power Factor e = Efficiency (75 – 80%) HP = Horsepower (torque output)

• Kilowatts = I x E) / 1000

• Horsepower = I x E x e / 746

• When Kilowatts is known = kW x 1000 / e

• Amps when HP is Known = HP x 746 / E x e

• Amps when W is known = W / V



Ohm`s Law Calculations with Power - Ohm`s Law Calculations With Power



Electrical Outlets



The output from electrical systems is measured by voltage; (Watts / Volts = Amps) which equal the amount of current drawn, wiring and supply cables are sized according to their rated current draw. A typical domestic breaker (single phase 110 volt) is rated at 15A (amps) and should only be loaded to a maximum of 80% (15A =12 amps, 20A = 15A) Add the amperage drawn by each consecutively connected unit to ensure you do not exceed the 80% maximum.



GFCI and Extension Cord



Ground circuit fault indicator (GFCI) and Extension cord selection is based on two main principles. First, the cable should be able to carry the current load imposed on it without overheating. It should be able to do this in the most extreme conditions of temperature it will encounter during its working life.



Second, it should offer sufficiently sound earthing to (a) limit the voltage to which people are exposed to a safe level and (b) allow the fault current to trip the fuse or MCB in a short time. To meet these requirements requires consideration of the circuit load current (AMPS) a reasonable voltage drop, cable thickness (G) and length (feet) and the over-current protection device

Wire Resistance and Voltage Drop Calculator - Stealth 316 - Wire Resistance and Voltage Drop Calculator