You're a brave man to start off right away with a rotary. One popular option is to find a junkyard that will let you have a dented panel free or cheap to use for practice. That's one safe way to find out just what it takes to burn the paint, and to correct marring. For now I'd definitely recommend staying away from wool pads, way too aggressive for starting out. A body shop supply might have foam pads in stock of you don't want to order online.
$50 for a tool with pads for a noob.
- Thread starter Ruffy
- Start date
Woob
New member
That's a rotary, not a PC at all. If you don't know the difference your in for alot of trouble. IF anyone wants that Polisher, I'll ship it for 15 + Shipping. Truly is one of the worst Detailing purchases I've made.
well then whats the difference. theres two many terms and no quickly accessable page that explains it all.
A PC to mean simply means the brand porter cable. To me its a rotory polisher similar to my hitachi angle grinder just with finite control and less torque.
A RO to me is a handheld sander with a circlular pad that rotates. But ive been seeing RO thrown around repeatedly for almost everything. So I don't know.
So the porter cable is not just a rotory? Does that make it a DA? Where does ROB come into play?
I can easily return it (will do so. like typical chigaco electric quality one of the screws that bolts the handle on wont go in. the hole is misthreaded.
Where does a buffer come into play? Do you use the Porter cable as a buffer or do you use something else like this
I might just step up and buy the porter cable in a kit. I don't know.
A PC to mean simply means the brand porter cable. To me its a rotory polisher similar to my hitachi angle grinder just with finite control and less torque.
A RO to me is a handheld sander with a circlular pad that rotates. But ive been seeing RO thrown around repeatedly for almost everything. So I don't know.
So the porter cable is not just a rotory? Does that make it a DA? Where does ROB come into play?
I can easily return it (will do so. like typical chigaco electric quality one of the screws that bolts the handle on wont go in. the hole is misthreaded.
Where does a buffer come into play? Do you use the Porter cable as a buffer or do you use something else like this
I might just step up and buy the porter cable in a kit. I don't know.
The PC is a dual-action, really the same thing as a random-orbit. It has forced oscillations and non-forced rotary action. Much less aggressive than a straight rotary such as the one from HF. If you want to impress your wife, try out your PC to polish stuff around the house like shower doors, tub, etc. Some guys here are guilty of doing stuff like waxing their washer and dryer, LOL!
I hope you don't get frustrated with your first attempts. It does take some time and effort to do paint correction with a PC. Your technique will improve with some trial and error. If you have much to do, or any specific problem areas, as I believe I mentioned before it is a big advantage to try a 4" pad on a smaller backing plate.
Take care in selecting a detailer. There's plenty of hacks out there and plenty of posts here from guys who had to correct the damage caused by a so-called professional. You might consider placing a request in the regional forums down lower on the forum listings to track down an Autopian in your area. One of the main things to beware of is that you actually get the marring polished out, not just hidden with a glaze that will disappear after a wash or two.
BTW, welcome to the beginning of the addiction.
I hope you don't get frustrated with your first attempts. It does take some time and effort to do paint correction with a PC. Your technique will improve with some trial and error. If you have much to do, or any specific problem areas, as I believe I mentioned before it is a big advantage to try a 4" pad on a smaller backing plate.
Take care in selecting a detailer. There's plenty of hacks out there and plenty of posts here from guys who had to correct the damage caused by a so-called professional. You might consider placing a request in the regional forums down lower on the forum listings to track down an Autopian in your area. One of the main things to beware of is that you actually get the marring polished out, not just hidden with a glaze that will disappear after a wash or two.
BTW, welcome to the beginning of the addiction.
Woob
New member
The Porter Cable 7424/7336 is a Random Orbit Dual Action Sander/Polisher. Originally designed for wood work for clear (emanel, etc) surfaces. It's referenced the large majority as PC because PorterCable is one of the few out there that's easy to use and for design purposes. Dewalt's 443 has the same specs, but it runs alot higher on the RPM scale, (which is good for polishing), but does NOT run as easy for Waxing/Sealing where the PC strength lies.
What's the difference between a Random Orbit versus Circular action? Completely different in terms of motion, speed, aggressiveness, and purpose. The Random Orbit (RO) "oscillates" in place, in goes up and down, side to side, all in one motion. It basically jiggles, which is extremely safe. The Circular action, basically turns in a circle, however the sheer force and extremely rapid action builds tons of heat that easily burn trim and thin paint. You should use the RO for alot of minor paint correction and sealing, while the Circular Action is for heavy polishing and compounding.
The PC is like an Electric Toothbrush, scary at first but after sometime you'll be able to use one hand like a breeze. The Rotary (Circular Action) should be used by a professional and someone who knows their products, aggressiveness, and paint correction purpose.
The Chicago Electric Variable Polisher
What's the difference between a Random Orbit versus Circular action? Completely different in terms of motion, speed, aggressiveness, and purpose. The Random Orbit (RO) "oscillates" in place, in goes up and down, side to side, all in one motion. It basically jiggles, which is extremely safe. The Circular action, basically turns in a circle, however the sheer force and extremely rapid action builds tons of heat that easily burn trim and thin paint. You should use the RO for alot of minor paint correction and sealing, while the Circular Action is for heavy polishing and compounding.
The PC is like an Electric Toothbrush, scary at first but after sometime you'll be able to use one hand like a breeze. The Rotary (Circular Action) should be used by a professional and someone who knows their products, aggressiveness, and paint correction purpose.
The Chicago Electric Variable Polisher
mikebai1990
New member
Ruffy said:
It's great that you are looking to buy a PC. Like many have said, it will be a worthy investment. I'm wondering why you want to have your car detailed by a pro if you plan on buying a PC. Getting your car detailed will cost ~200 (with polishing/waxing/etc..). I personally think that if you plan on buying a PC, you might as well spend the money buying the polishing pads and polishing products rather than spending the same amount of money to get one detail done by a pro. With lots of reading, learning, and experimenting, you will be able to master the PC quickly, while saving lots of money
sixty7mustang22
New member
Custodian said:
I have GOT to go to Lowes this weekend and check.
sixty7mustang22 said:
Good luck with that.
Like i said ive been to 11 lowes and found nothing. It's a good thing I dont pay for my own gas.
Checked the sanding section, angle grinders, drill, everywhere. No porter cable ROB to be found. the only random orbital stuff I found were the palm sanders
I went to the last lowes within 50miles of me. No go. They had a unit on display but they were out of stock. Also it was priced at $108.
Also I went to this store called Mega tools in lilburn georgia. Surprisingly they had very high quality stuff. An entire section of just polishers/ROB's. Makita, Hitachi, Milwukee, BOSTITCH, Porter cable, Bosch, Hilti, Fien MOL (yes they had thousand dollar ROB's there)
Couple things under $100. But the porter cables were alittle high (130)
Saw some models that supported both circular usage and random orbital. I figure those are D/A.
Also I went to this store called Mega tools in lilburn georgia. Surprisingly they had very high quality stuff. An entire section of just polishers/ROB's. Makita, Hitachi, Milwukee, BOSTITCH, Porter cable, Bosch, Hilti, Fien MOL (yes they had thousand dollar ROB's there)
Couple things under $100. But the porter cables were alittle high (130)
Saw some models that supported both circular usage and random orbital. I figure those are D/A.
Sherman8r44
New member
Unfortunately I don't see it either on Lowes or the B&D site, but I bought the Black & Decker FS4000ROS (note the "4"...it's not the 3) at Lowes for $39.99 and it's been great for me. If you can find it laying around at your local Lowes, GO FOR IT. It works beautifully; the speed ranges are good (disregard the OPM numbers on the box), it's very safe for a beginner, and you don't need a separate backing plate. Really the only drawback to the B&D versus the PC is the backing plate--it's fixed, only 5" (so use 6.5" pads), and inflexible.
wannafbody
wannafbody
I bought a PC earlier this week for $71 and checked today and it was marked down to $47. I asked the customer service person and she refunded the original purchase and rang it up for $47. They will do that if the price changes within a week of purchase.
Ruffy said:
Kinda weird they wouldn't offer to knock down the price on the display and get it out the door. You could print off the receipt from another Lowes for $40-something that someone scanned and posted in Good Deals and see if they'll price match. Then you'll just need a few pads and a backing plate. I admit, for the first buff or two I bought some of that adhesive velcro and put it on the stock backing plate that comes with the PC and stuck my pads on with that.
BTW, it's agreed around here the cheap white foam pad that comes with the PC is junk. A lot of guys just scrap it, but I've heard of folks using it for stuff like buffing the windshield or even using it to buff dirt off their tires.