Caring for Closed Cell Foam Pads (Cyan, Tangerine, Meguiars Maroon)

Dave N

Dave N

My PC goes to 7...
My truck is about 4 months old and sits out 24/7. Right now I have AIO/SG (2/2) on it, but I put these coats on in one afternoon with no curing, so make your own judgements. I was QDing tonight and noticed some dried spider webs on the paint. I got the AIO out to get them off, and in the process noticed some other blemishes (little black specs) in the paint. Basically, I have some crud on my paint from sitting outside.

Here's the point -- rubbing the blemishes with the AIO didn't seem to be taking them off very well. I was using a fluorescent light, and I could see them coming off slowly, with the area around them becoming discolored as I rubbed back and forth. Keep in mind that these are VERY small specs, less than 1mm in diameter. <strong class='bbc'>I've decided to redo my truck, and am wondering if it would be adequate to clay, or should I get some Pinnacle?[/b]

Thanks.
 
I would (and have attempted to remove such contaminants if hard) with my fingernail and Meguiars QD. If this is a tar/sap I have used Stoners Tarminator in the past with success. I haven't tried any Pinnacle products to date, but I am ready and willing. I will say that I clayed my 1997 Infiniti I30 (black) prior to selling this year and with the clay I was able to removed all (tar,paint)road overspray around the wheel wells I was battling with.
 
I would clay as forrest and Clean Dean said. It makes the finish so darn smooth. I have used Pinnacle Paintwork cleansing lotion. Left the finish of the car (2000 MB C43) I was working on squeaky clean. Like a fresh dinner plate. The is only for lightly oxidized surfaces though, I had to make two, sometimes 3 passes (hood) to make it really smooth. It was a fairly new car, about 3 months on the road, but darn I went through two terry pads with all the gunk it took off the paint. It is kinda hrd to work with in the way it tires you out with all the rubbing/working into finish. I like it for the work out. Klasse AIo has cleaners in it, but on more sutbborn spots I go to Pinnacle PCL.



Hope this helps

Jason
 
OK, I'll go with the clay first. At the rate the AIO was taking these spots off, I would have been all day just on the hood!



Thanks for the quick replies.
 
Keep in mind that Clay and Paint Cleansers (and swirl removers) each do a different job. If the surface calls for it I often clay AND use an abrasive.
 
Can I buy a clay product at a place like AutoZone? Just curious, I can call around and check but would they even have a clue what this stuff is? I know I can order some from Zaino but if I have already placed an order and didn't order it. I now want to clay my two older cars and use my soon-to-arrive Zaino on them. Neither car is badly oxidized as far as I can tell, but I know that the paint has stuff on it. Always park them inside.
 
You can purchase a Meguiar's Clay Kit at Pep Boys, Murray's Discount Auto and most likely Auto Zone. Should run you about $20. Comes with the clay and their QD as lubricant.



Also, if you want call Sal or email him and find a local dist in your area if you want to get your hands on the Z clay. I have used it and like it alot. I was lucky enough to have a Z dist 20 min away from me.
 
recommend Mother's clay that is available locally.



Meguiars clay IMMHO is not good. Sure it makes the surface all slick and smooth but it does tend to leave white residue which makes me do some extra buffing. Mother's doesn't do this.



Hopefully if Barry Meguiar is listening, get better clay!



Jason
 
Thanks for the info. Sal Zaino emailed me back and there isn't a dealer close to me. As a matter of fact, there isn't anything close to me. Wait, I think I see a car! No, I was wrong - it was a big beetle crawling on my window sill.



Maybe I'll be a Zaino distributor if the stuff is as great as everyone says here.
 
I have a dist here in INDY, looks like it may take a couple of days via UPS ground versus coming from NJ. Let me know if you want more information.
 
Closed cell pads such as the Lake Country Cyan and Tangerine H20 pads as well as the Meguiar's Softbuff 2.0 Foam Cutting Pad will hold more water and take longer to dry then comparable open cell foam pads. These pads need to be perfectly dry when used on any type of orbital polisher. It isn't really a problem on a rotary.

What happens with dual-action (spinning and orbiting) orbital polisher is that the pad is quickly moving and changing directions, like the 'Scrambler' ride at the county fair. This internal flexing, compression, and twisting of the pad is the reason why the pad/backing plate gets warm or hot on an orbital and remains cool on a rotary. (consequently most of the heat with a rotary is transfered to the outer edge of the pad, away from the backing plate).

A closed cell pad is just that. If you look at a foam pad under microscope (or just look very closely) you will see that it is really thousands of little cells or pockets inter-twined. On a closed cell pad these pockets are more solid allowing less air and fluid flow through the pad. When these pads become saturated it will consequently take longer for them to dry).

If a pad is wet the constant addition and subtraction of pressure will cause the moisture to work it's way upwards. As heat is created during the polishing process the water will act to 'steam' upwards, which can soften the adhesive bonding the foam to the backing plate material.

You can wash closed celled pads as you do with open celled pads. After you wash your closed cell pads with water it is imperative that they be completely dry before attempting to polish with them on an orbital polisher. Remember that closed cell pads will take significantly longer to dry, so spin on a rotary polisher if applicable and set them in a place where they will have some level of airflow for several days.
 
Thanks Todd for the tips. I used the tangerine pad for the first time via the KBM this past week. I was using a surbuf pad on a hammered black lexus, I was suprised to find that the surbuf was just not getting it done.

I broke out a tangerine pad that I had used the week before. It was washed, rotary spun and air dried with a fan for 12 hours. This is usually enough drying time for a orange classic flat.

So I primed the complete face of the tangerine pad w/ old M105 and started to polish with my XPPC via the KBM. After approx 60 seconds of polishing a 1'x1' area, I was stunned to see 90-95% of these heavy defects removed. Using the surbuf pad, I was doing 3x and still was only getting 75% or so of the defects out. I also was impressed with the low level of micromarring that the tangerine pad left.

I finished compounding the rear door and also did the rear quarter panel. After two 18"x18" sections, I would brush off the pad with a stiff brush. Then blow compressed air over the pad every 4th section. This was so much faster then the surbuf pad on this lexus paint.

I was working the rear of the car and heard a funny sound when I pulled the pad off of the car. I felt the pad and noticed that the center was very warm. I then found the following:

82397169.jpg


I could also feel that the center of the pad was a bit damp. So Todd is correct. If the pad is damp at all, the steam created by the heat will cause the velcro is seperate.
 
So, if you let them dry completely, when your polishing, the product will saturate the pad. Therefore, there's still a good chance the velcro will give out from the heat of the DA. It's a lose/lose situation?
 
07 z-oh-6 said:
So, if you let them dry completely, when your polishing, the product will saturate the pad. Therefore, there's still a good chance the velcro will give out from the heat of the DA. It's a lose/lose situation?
Click to expand...

Polish will not create a steam like the water does when it gets hot.
 
gmblack3 said:
Polish will not create a steam like the water does when it gets hot.
Click to expand...
So, if you let the hydro's dry *completely*, there shouldn't be any problem with velcro delamination?

The cut and finish of the Cyan pad is awesome. I really think it can save time.
 
gmblack3 said:
I broke out a tangerine pad that I had used the week before. It was washed, rotary spun and air dried with a fan for 12 hours. This is usually enough drying time for a orange classic flat.
Click to expand...

Bryan, do you think the pad wasn't completely dry? Was it damp from polish or residual water from the cleaning?

Todd, thanks for the tips on these pads. I love them but now understand they are a bit different to care for than my other (non hydro) LC pads.
 
07 z-oh-6 said:
So, if you let the hydro's dry *completely*, there shouldn't be any problem with velcro delamination?

The cut and finish of the Cyan pad is awesome. I really think it can save time.
Click to expand...

Yes they just need to completely dry and all will be well. The ability to cut and finish out very well with M105 is really something different from anything else for sure.

Puckman said:
Bryan, do you think the pad wasn't completely dry? Was it damp from polish or residual water from the cleaning?

Todd, thanks for the tips on these pads. I love them but now understand they are a bit different to care for than my other (non hydro) LC pads.
Click to expand...

It was the water for sure, have since polished at least as long with a dry pad and have not had any issues.
 
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