Best product/pad to practice with rotary?

S

Space_Coyote

New member
Ok, I picked up my CE rotary yesterday and placed an order with Autogeek. I am getting the Edge 2000 kit with 4 of the 6" pads, SSR2.5 & 1 and Klasse AIO.



I've never used a rotary before but I have a hood to practice on. I thought maybe start out with the AIO and the white pad until I get a feel for the CE. Then work up to SSR1 and more aggressive pads until I feel comfortable enough to use the 2.5.



Does this sound like a good plan of action? I've read as much as I could about techniques for anti-splatter, movement etc and feel good about starting my learning. I watched the Edge pad video but in that they are moving the rotary WAY fast. I figure that is just for final polishing and I should go slower with cutting pads/compunds but not to the point of heating too much. I read somewhere around 4" a sec is good, sound right?

Anyone have more videos of a detail I can use for reference?



I know there is a substantial learning curve but I feel confident enough to dive right in

:nervous2: :)
 
Ok, I picked up my CE rotary yesterday and placed an order with Autogeek. I am getting the Edge 2000 kit with 4 of the 6" pads, SSR2.5 & 1 and Klasse AIO.



I've never used a rotary before but I have a hood to practice on. I thought maybe start out with the AIO and the white pad until I get a feel for the CE. Then work up to SSR1 and more aggressive pads until I feel comfortable enough to use the 2.5.



Does this sound like a good plan of action? I've read as much as I could about techniques for anti-splatter, movement etc and feel good about starting my learning. I watched the Edge pad video but in that they are moving the rotary WAY fast. I figure that is just for final polishing and I should go slower with cutting pads/compunds but not to the point of heating too much. I read somewhere around 4" a sec is good, sound right?

Anyone have more videos of a detail I can use for reference?



I know there is a substantial learning curve but I feel confident enough to dive right in

:nervous2: :)
 
I'd use a product that you're used to that has some decent cut to it, probably the SSR 2.5. In my case, I first used PI-III MG (05937), a fairly mild polish sorta similar (IIRC) to SSR 2, that can still do some work when used with the rotary. I quickly started using PI-III RC (05933) instead. Used with a polishing pad, this was a nice mild combo that still did the work. Since I'd used these products by PC/Cyclo/hand, I had a familiarity with them that I believe made that rotary learing curve a lot steeper than it would've been with unfamiliar products.



While I *had* used a rotary back in the day, I hadn't touched one in over 20 years, yet I was able to take my Makita right out of the box and use it on my 5K mile S8 without any problems. No way I could've done that without having used the two abrasive products I was familiar with. The AIO won't really teach you much about how abrasives work with the rotary, and I dunno if the SSR 1 would be much better for this.
 
I'd use a product that you're used to that has some decent cut to it, probably the SSR 2.5. In my case, I first used PI-III MG (05937), a fairly mild polish sorta similar (IIRC) to SSR 2, that can still do some work when used with the rotary. I quickly started using PI-III RC (05933) instead. Used with a polishing pad, this was a nice mild combo that still did the work. Since I'd used these products by PC/Cyclo/hand, I had a familiarity with them that I believe made that rotary learing curve a lot steeper than it would've been with unfamiliar products.



While I *had* used a rotary back in the day, I hadn't touched one in over 20 years, yet I was able to take my Makita right out of the box and use it on my 5K mile S8 without any problems. No way I could've done that without having used the two abrasive products I was familiar with. The AIO won't really teach you much about how abrasives work with the rotary, and I dunno if the SSR 1 would be much better for this.
 
I agree with Accumulator on the AIO, I don't know if it will teach you much. It might even frustrate you alot. Sometimes AIO will gum up and can be a real pain to remove when applied by Cyclo. It seems like the Cyclo causes the AIO to gum up due to the heat the Cyclo generates and your rotary will defiantly generate more heat then the Cyclo.



Is the hood a scrap hood? The SSR 1 is pretty mild it might not remove anything other then mild defects with out a lot of work. Be patient and remember to buff off of the edges.

Good luck.
 
I agree with Accumulator on the AIO, I don't know if it will teach you much. It might even frustrate you alot. Sometimes AIO will gum up and can be a real pain to remove when applied by Cyclo. It seems like the Cyclo causes the AIO to gum up due to the heat the Cyclo generates and your rotary will defiantly generate more heat then the Cyclo.



Is the hood a scrap hood? The SSR 1 is pretty mild it might not remove anything other then mild defects with out a lot of work. Be patient and remember to buff off of the edges.

Good luck.
 
The rotary is made for defect removal. If you have a scrap hood induce some marring with 2000 grit sandpaper or a brush or a heavy compound. Then try to remove it in the proper steps. ie fine cut , MG then maybe a final polish with something like FP. I think most people using the rotary for the first time will be scared to apply any pressure, and lift up a little. Most of the time the weight of the machine is enough, but on sanding scratches you might want a little more pressure.
 
The rotary is made for defect removal. If you have a scrap hood induce some marring with 2000 grit sandpaper or a brush or a heavy compound. Then try to remove it in the proper steps. ie fine cut , MG then maybe a final polish with something like FP. I think most people using the rotary for the first time will be scared to apply any pressure, and lift up a little. Most of the time the weight of the machine is enough, but on sanding scratches you might want a little more pressure.
 
The best to learn with, IMHO, is Optimum hands down. You can work it all day and it finishes down very nicely. Based on what you've got, I'd suggest starting with SSR2.5/polishing pad. Be forewarned that it'll work pretty quickly with a rotary, its a slightly more PC friendly product. Don't be afraid to move the rotary too slowly or use too aggressive of a combo on a scrap panel - that's how you learn your limits. Even with SSR3 and a wool pad, I've never burned through a clearcoat, and oftentimes I'll move a machine as slow as 1.5"/second when using Meznerna IP.
 
The best to learn with, IMHO, is Optimum hands down. You can work it all day and it finishes down very nicely. Based on what you've got, I'd suggest starting with SSR2.5/polishing pad. Be forewarned that it'll work pretty quickly with a rotary, its a slightly more PC friendly product. Don't be afraid to move the rotary too slowly or use too aggressive of a combo on a scrap panel - that's how you learn your limits. Even with SSR3 and a wool pad, I've never burned through a clearcoat, and oftentimes I'll move a machine as slow as 1.5"/second when using Meznerna IP.
 
Actually, it is the stock hood from my Eclipse (I switched to CF). It has bad swirl marks that I was going to practice polishing out. I don't want to ruin it though because other than that it is fine. Maybe I should look for a scrap hood to practice on first. Where do you find them, junkyards?
 
Actually, it is the stock hood from my Eclipse (I switched to CF). It has bad swirl marks that I was going to practice polishing out. I don't want to ruin it though because other than that it is fine. Maybe I should look for a scrap hood to practice on first. Where do you find them, junkyards?
 
SpaceCoyote said:
Maybe I should look for a scrap hood to practice on first. Where do you find them, junkyards?
Click to expand...



Yeah, or from a friendly paint/body shop that's just throwing them out anyhow.



Using a scrap piece can be good as you can intentionally mess it up, thus finding out what it takes to do damage. But IMO if you take it easy and *really* work carefully, you won't have any problems working on your spare hood. Just use common sense, keep it moving, and pay attention to what you're doing (every second) and you'll be fine. Worst that oughta happen is that you'll get some holograms, and the PC will take care of them.
 
SpaceCoyote said:
Maybe I should look for a scrap hood to practice on first. Where do you find them, junkyards?
Click to expand...



Yeah, or from a friendly paint/body shop that's just throwing them out anyhow.



Using a scrap piece can be good as you can intentionally mess it up, thus finding out what it takes to do damage. But IMO if you take it easy and *really* work carefully, you won't have any problems working on your spare hood. Just use common sense, keep it moving, and pay attention to what you're doing (every second) and you'll be fine. Worst that oughta happen is that you'll get some holograms, and the PC will take care of them.
 
themightytimmah said:
The best to learn with, IMHO, is Optimum hands down. You can work it all day and it finishes down very nicely. Based on what you've got, I'd suggest starting with SSR2.5/polishing pad. Be forewarned that it'll work pretty quickly with a rotary, its a slightly more PC friendly product. Don't be afraid to move the rotary too slowly or use too aggressive of a combo on a scrap panel - that's how you learn your limits. Even with SSR3 and a wool pad, I've never burned through a clearcoat, and oftentimes I'll move a machine as slow as 1.5"/second when using Meznerna IP.
Click to expand...



I couldn't have said better! I tried my Makita for the first time yesterday and started with a Propel Blue Polishing Pad and Optimum....I started working at about 4" a second because I was paranoid from all the horror stories I read about moving too slow and burning paint...I eventually started moving at a crawl of 1"/second after gaining some confidence. I about 4 hours, I removed 2X as many dafects as I did last time on the same car with a PC...and it took 9 with the PC(using the toughest pads and SSR3 and SSR2.5). After this experience with Optimum, I now know why everyone calls it the all purpose polish...with different pads, it became a different animal. I could cut with hard pads and clean with light pads...gotta LOVE THIS MACHINE!
 
themightytimmah said:
The best to learn with, IMHO, is Optimum hands down. You can work it all day and it finishes down very nicely. Based on what you've got, I'd suggest starting with SSR2.5/polishing pad. Be forewarned that it'll work pretty quickly with a rotary, its a slightly more PC friendly product. Don't be afraid to move the rotary too slowly or use too aggressive of a combo on a scrap panel - that's how you learn your limits. Even with SSR3 and a wool pad, I've never burned through a clearcoat, and oftentimes I'll move a machine as slow as 1.5"/second when using Meznerna IP.
Click to expand...



I couldn't have said better! I tried my Makita for the first time yesterday and started with a Propel Blue Polishing Pad and Optimum....I started working at about 4" a second because I was paranoid from all the horror stories I read about moving too slow and burning paint...I eventually started moving at a crawl of 1"/second after gaining some confidence. I about 4 hours, I removed 2X as many dafects as I did last time on the same car with a PC...and it took 9 with the PC(using the toughest pads and SSR3 and SSR2.5). After this experience with Optimum, I now know why everyone calls it the all purpose polish...with different pads, it became a different animal. I could cut with hard pads and clean with light pads...gotta LOVE THIS MACHINE!
 
i took a buffing class this morning and we had a s10 black hood and dragged a 5 gallon bucket full of a chemical that was sitting on a concrete floor across the hood and made nice big white scratches.

so we wetsanded with 2000 then removed the wet sanding haze with diamond cut 2 passes with a 50/50 wool pad and the hood look amazing then glazed with #3 then 476ss collinte and the hood looked awesome and took about 5 minutes

we also practiced on the company van hood with a wool pad and they most agressive compound (dont remember then name) and noone burned the paint at 1500 rpms evenb when buffing the same spot in the middle of the hood for about 5 seconds, edges will burn easier tho
 
i took a buffing class this morning and we had a s10 black hood and dragged a 5 gallon bucket full of a chemical that was sitting on a concrete floor across the hood and made nice big white scratches.

so we wetsanded with 2000 then removed the wet sanding haze with diamond cut 2 passes with a 50/50 wool pad and the hood look amazing then glazed with #3 then 476ss collinte and the hood looked awesome and took about 5 minutes

we also practiced on the company van hood with a wool pad and they most agressive compound (dont remember then name) and noone burned the paint at 1500 rpms evenb when buffing the same spot in the middle of the hood for about 5 seconds, edges will burn easier tho
 
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