Rupes LHR 21ES Random Orbital Polisher - Features & Benefits

[SVR]

not used the bigfoot yet but I wouldn`t crank it up to six all the time and stay there, slow down the speed bit by bit. key to success in my book.

speeds I use depends on paint hardness, pad I`m using and how damaged the paint is

Sometimes slower machine speed and slow arm speed is better

[C. Charles Hahn]

Thanks Rasky always candid response from you, what do you think about cranking it to speed 6 all the times ? with the griots this seems to be a no.no. and i believe you never crank the flex to speed 6 either cmiiw



PS: Are you using the washer mod from KB ?

Generally speaking it`s akin to the "tortoise and the hare" -- slow and steady wins the race.

[Accumulator]

.. with the griots this seems to be a no.no. and i believe you never crank the flex to speed 6 either ..

Huh? I almost always do correction at the top speed on both of those :think: I`ll dial it back on the Griot`s for finishing if I`m not using the Cyclo, but not for marring removal.



Yeah..."it just depends" and all that, and sometimes a slightly lower speed works better with M105, but *generally* I never thought twice about not running those at top speed :nixweiss

[RaskyR1]

Thanks Rasky always candid response from you, what do you think about cranking it to speed 6 all the times ? with the griots this seems to be a no.no. and i believe you never crank the flex to speed 6 either cmiiw



PS: Are you using the washer mod from KB ?

The only time I`ve bumped up the speed is on panels with lots of complex curves where rotation can be slowed. At speed 4 there is almost always plenty of power and the slower speeds will finish out better. I will often go even slower for the final finishing. I do have the washer mod.



Charles`s comment is spot on too.







Kevin Browns article where he attaches ball point pens to a backing plate illustrates very well what is happening at higher speeds. :thumb:





Cheers,

Rasky

[Envious Eric]

whats the washer mod?

[Kevin Brown]

whats the washer mod?

From the first post in this thread:







The Bigfoot’s 21mm stroke creates loads of centripetal force at speed, and its spindle bearings allow the backing plate to spin along unabated. Consequently, random rotation of the backing plate should be out of this world! However, a purpose-built shroud not only covers the driveshaft-mounted rotating components, but also slows backing plate rotation via drag-induced friction.



Marco (the Rupes® engineer that developed the machine) explained that excessive rotation could cause scouring of the polishing surface if the backing plate and buffing pad were allowed to freewheel spin prior to contacting the polishing surface. He also mentioned that excessive rotation was considered to be a safety hazard in some parts of the world. Understanding his reasoning, I nevertheless decided to install a spacer between the backing plate and mounting pad in hopes of restoring a maximum amount of backing plate rotation.

A metal, plastic, or phenolic washer will work. Cut and sand to size.





The height of the spacer needs to be enough so that the backing plate will no longer contact Bigfoot’s shroud. The spacer shown is approximately 3/16� tall and was taken from a backing plate featuring a 5/16�-24 mounting stud.







The spacer was placed between the backing plate and mounting pad.











The pad still mounts safely and securely. If desired, a minimally longer bolt can be installed to compensate. The bolt is 8mm. The shape of the platform and spacer is known as a Double-D cutout.







The resultant gap is nearly unnoticeable.







With the spacer installed, backing plate rotation and cutting speed were dramatically increased.

The difference was apparent, even when low speed settings were used.

With the spacer installed, backing plate rotation increased immensely. While I was not able to verify exactly how big an increase occurred in terms of backing plate rotation or cutting power, I can say that it was a LOT. My best guess: backing plate rotation increased to 10-14 times per second, and cutting speed increased by about 50 percent.

If a rotary buffer outfitted with a wool pad had any sort of performance advantage over the Bigfoot, the advantage was nearly or completely negated after this easy to implement modification. This newfound cutting power elevates the Bigfoot to superstar status. I hope that Marco will not be overly upset by the addition of the spacer, and I am sure he is aware of the tremendous rotation potential of this machine (otherwise there would have been no need to design the shroud to contact the backing plate). Regardless, I plan on using my machine with a spacer installed.

[Envious Eric]

voids warranty?

[C. Charles Hahn]

voids warranty?

Per this other thread on the subject:



http://www.autopia.org/forum/machine...s-lhr21es.html

Will this temporary modification void the machine`s warranty?

I have verified through Francesco Ginocchio, Marketing Manager at Rupes S.p.A. that the warranty will remain intact. The wonderful Technicians and Engineers at Rupes hold firm in their belief that this modification is not necessary or beneficial in the chase for increased performance. Further, we both agree (Rupes and I) that with an increase in backing plate rotation comes a potential for loss of high RPM stability. Therefore, if you wish to temporarily or permanently try this modification...



PAY ATTENTION WHILE OPERATING THE MACHINE.



No message texting or brushing of your teeth while operating the UNLEASHED BIGFOOT BEAST!!!



Thanks for reading, best of luck!

[mikemurphy234]

voids warranty?

Eric, the warranty is NOT voided with the addition of the washer. This was cleared up by Kevin with Rupes. Although they dispute the fact that the machine works "better" with it, they agreed that the washer did nothing to harm it.

[Legacy]

Mike P said that with the washer mod. you are getting 90% rotation and only 10% ocillation. With the factory washer you are getting 50/50.

[Envious Eric]

well, I have one on order from Todd over at esotericcarcare, so I guess Ill have to try my own experiences...silver BMW will be the test subject!

[RaskyR1]

well, I have one on order from Todd over at esotericcarcare, so I guess Ill have to try my own experiences...silver BMW will be the test subject!

Eric man, have you been living under a rock lately? lol.



....didn`t Todd or DJ cover any of this with you back in November working on that F40?

[Kevin Brown]

Mike P said that with the washer mod. you are getting 90% rotation and only 10% oscillation. With the factory washer you are getting 50/50.

What is he talking about?!?! :Cry:



First off, there is no "factory washer".



Secondly, the washer has Z•E•R•O effect on oscillation speed.



Finally, the washer does not guarantee a specific increase in backing plate rotation.

[Legacy]

What is he talking about?!?! :Cry:



First off, there is no "factory washer".



Secondly, the washer has Z•E•R•O effect on oscillation speed.



Finally, the washer does not guarantee a specific increase in backing plate rotation.

"Isn`t this eliminated by adding the spacer washer as recommended and tested by Kevin Brown??"



This was the question, but the answer (90%/10%) got lost.

[Kevin Brown]

Isn`t this eliminated by adding the spacer washer as recommended and tested by Kevin Brown??



This was the question, but the answer (90%/10%) got lost.

No, from the factory the backing plate sits directly atop a mounting pad, and the plate`s height is set so that the backside of the plate gently touches a rubber shroud. All I did was pull the backing plate, slip a washer between the backing plate and the mounting pad, which eliminated the shroud/plate interaction. With the washer installed... the plate spins free as a bird! Whiirrrrllllllllll.....