Curious about using PC

**GS4_Fiend** · 07-08-2009, 02:00 PM

Product is Menzerna Power Finish. Machine is PC 7424. Pad is Lake Country 4 inch Green Very Light Cutting Pad.

Would I burn too much clear coat if I do my passes very slow at speed 6?

**GS4_Fiend** · 07-08-2009, 03:08 PM

No one has a PC lol?

**Accumulator** · 07-09-2009, 08:38 AM

Originally Posted by GS4_Fiend

Product is Menzerna Power Finish. Machine is PC 7424. Pad is Lake Country 4 inch Green Very Light Cutting Pad.

Would I burn too much clear coat if I do my passes very slow at speed 6?

I haven`t used that product, or (AFAIK) that particular pad.

BUT..I have used many different products via PC with the 4" green Cyclo brand polishing pad and I *have* damaged clear with that when I got too aggressive.

So, be a little careful and don`t keep it in one place for too long. Feel the panel as you work it until you learn how hot things get with that particular combo.

And FWIW, I never use speed 6 with 4" pads via PC. While I`m generally one to crank up the speed and be quite aggressive, I do better with speed 5 when using the little pads via PC. Sometimes I even turn it down to 4 with some products....just seems to work better for me.

**GS4_Fiend** · 07-09-2009, 12:13 PM

PC is not that safe after all.

**craigdt** · 07-09-2009, 12:23 PM

I dont think you are understanding what he is saying. If you are scared to ruin your clearcoat, do what Goudy does and wash it with strong chemicals and finish with TW Ice.

But if you can use common sense and read up a little bit on how to use one, you wont damage your paint. Its not nearly as powerful as a rotary. As I like to say, if an idiot like me can use one successfully, then there is no reason that you cant.

**imported_Ivan Rajic** · 07-09-2009, 12:32 PM

Just get 5.5" pads... 4" pads are good for spot correction and tight spots but 5.5" pads work great on the PC/G110

**kaotikdt** · 07-09-2009, 01:10 PM

Originally Posted by lecchilo

Just get 5.5" pads... 4" pads are good for spot correction and tight spots but 5.5" pads work great on the PC/G110

Can you get serious correction out of 5.5" pads using a PC/G110?

**imported_Ivan Rajic** · 07-09-2009, 01:24 PM

Originally Posted by kaotikdt

Can you get serious correction out of 5.5" pads using a PC/G110?

I`m doing some videos soon comparing Makita, XP, old 7424 and Flex so I`ll be able to show it but from what I`ve seen and from my experience, XP is great with 5.5" pads. I know on the G110, which I`ve used for the past year or so, 5.5" orange pad corrected everything except hard audi and some BMW paint very well. XP has a bit more power and speed 6 is noticeably faster than that of the G110. I`ll have to do some more experimenting with 4" vs 5.5" pads to say if it`s worth using the smaller pads and not only risking damaging the paint but taking a longer time to go around the car. For me though, 5.5" pads work great on the PC, but I do almost all polishing work via rotary, so don`t have nearly as much experience as some on here using exclusively PC/5.5 or 4" pads

**GS4_Fiend** · 07-09-2009, 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by craigdt

I dont think you are understanding what he is saying. If you are scared to ruin your clearcoat, do what Goudy does and wash it with strong chemicals and finish with TW Ice.

But if you can use common sense and read up a little bit on how to use one, you wont damage your paint. Its not nearly as powerful as a rotary. As I like to say, if an idiot like me can use one successfully, then there is no reason that you cant.

How would using strong chemicals do anything with polishing? I`m trying to remove swirls.

**GS4_Fiend** · 07-09-2009, 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by kaotikdt

Can you get serious correction out of 5.5" pads using a PC/G110?

4 inch pad is the best for corrections. With that said, using at Speed "6" would make it very aggressive correct?

**kaotikdt** · 07-09-2009, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by lecchilo

I`m doing some videos soon comparing Makita, XP, old 7424 and Flex so I`ll be able to show it but from what I`ve seen and from my experience, XP is great with 5.5" pads. I know on the G110, which I`ve used for the past year or so, 5.5" orange pad corrected everything except hard audi and some BMW paint very well. XP has a bit more power and speed 6 is noticeably faster than that of the G110. I`ll have to do some more experimenting with 4" vs 5.5" pads to say if it`s worth using the smaller pads and not only risking damaging the paint but taking a longer time to go around the car. For me though, 5.5" pads work great on the PC, but I do almost all polishing work via rotary, so don`t have nearly as much experience as some on here using exclusively PC/5.5 or 4" pads

NICE! keep us posted. Which flex are you using?

**imported_Ivan Rajic** · 07-09-2009, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by kaotikdt

NICE! keep us posted. Which flex are you using?

Flex flex haha... sorry I refer to the XC as Flex as I use the Makita as rotary.

**kaotikdt** · 07-09-2009, 02:08 PM

YEah thats ok. well still keep us posted of your results.

**craigdt** · 07-09-2009, 09:11 PM

Originally Posted by GS4_Fiend

How would using strong chemicals do anything with polishing? I`m trying to remove swirls.

Exactly.

My point was is that if you are scared to polish your paint, then all you can do is wash and wax. And have swirled up paint.

**Accumulator** · 07-10-2009, 11:35 AM

Originally Posted by kaotikdt

Can you get serious correction out of 5.5" pads using a PC/G110?

-AND-

Originally Posted by GS4_Fiend

4 inch pad is the best for corrections. With that said, using at Speed "6" would make it very aggressive correct?

With the (original) PC/G110/etc. I don`t like speed "6" with 4" pads and I`ve been able to remove anything that`s safe to remove with speeds in the 4.5-5 range with the right pad/product.

With a 5.5" pad (which never worked all that well for me) then yeah, turn it up to "6".

While I seem to need 4" pads to do correction via PC, Kevin Brown insisted that my experiences in this regard aren`t the same as his and that the 5.5" pads oughta work fine for most people. Maybe I`m just used to the hard clear I`m usually working on.

Originally Posted by GS4_Fiend

PC is not that safe after all.

Unless you`re working on something "odd" (very thin/fragile paint) or you`re *doing* something foolish/careless/risky the PC is so safe most people get frustrated by how mild it is.

I`m the only person I know (speaking IRL, not including internet acquaintances) who`s ever damaged paint with a PC. The only times it happened were:

- very *THIN*/*SHOT* old single-stage that needed repainted anyhow (and it still looked a lot better after the polishing, even with the minor cut-throughs)

-a spot where I get *really* aggressive with PC/4" Cyclo green/3M PI-III RC 05933 around a *DEEP* RIDS (to the metal) that also needed repainted anyhow. In this case it looked *worse* because I turned a bad scratch into a bad scratch surrounded by cc failure.

-a pal of mine (at the Autopia G-T-G in St. Louis a few years ago) went through the clear on her 190-series Benz using my older PC with a Meguiar`s 7006 cutting pad. Mike Phillips was there and even he was shocked that it happened; I`ve always suspected that this incident precipitated Meguiar`s official stance that the 7006 is not suitable for use via DA (even though many of us use it with no problems)...hey, older Benzes have fragile clear and she was really leaning on it, big 6" pad or not it was just too much work in a concentrated area.

Those are the only three times. And I`ve used PCs for ages and know plenty of other people who use them too. It`s a very gentle machine.

Turn the PC down to speeds like 2-3 and it`s basically just the same as doing stuff by hand only the motions are less tiring. Then, after you get tired of the mediocre results from doing that, you can crank it up and actually get some serious work done