First time rotary use....confused

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Dmurdock101

New member
I got a makita polisher today...after useina a PC for a while i felt it was time to upgrade to a rotary. After getting home i washed and preped my car for polishing....put my backin plate on....then pad then put the polish down....and i was shocked at how hard this thing was to control at only speed 2.5ish....it felt like it wanted to bite into the paint and run...and I felt like I had no control





TIPS PLEASE !!
 
Slow it down and try it on setting 1. It just takes time and a lot of practice. Watch some instructional videos and just do a lot of experimenting with your own technique. Before you know it you'll be picking up lines and polishing like a pro! Also, maybe start with a softer polishing pad like LC blue so you can learn how to control the machine with a forgiving pad which likes to stay flat on the panel. Centering the pad as close to 100% and preping the pads make it easier to control.
 
yeah I was just a LC white with poor boys white diamond polish.....i was just so shocked to how much it wanted to like get away from me
 
What type of car are you polishing? Some cars have "sticky" paint, and are difficult to polish with rotary, example black Porsche or Subaru. You may need to use a polishing aid like Gloss-It's to help lubricate while polishing, and it should keep the chattering and hopping down a bit. Let us know what type of car you're polishing and we can lead you in the right direction. Best of luck.
 
I don't know what pads/polishes you own, but I can tell you how i got started ...



85rd on a polishing pad (uber blue) at low speeds. I had the same issue that you experienced and my problem was that I didn't have enough polish on the pad. After a few tries I was good to go.
 
I've just been suing my PC for detailing jobs lately because everyone who's car i've been doing is newer so the paint doesn't need any major work and the PC was enough....but today I did a ( yr ranged from a 80 - 86 ) F 150....really sweet truck by the way....but it was repainted...so I just used my PC....then later I did a 08 I believe mercury mariner



and heres what I've using for whoever asked...pad polish wish



LC white, I have the oragne as well but dont ever need to break it out but nothing softer than white pad



and i'm using poorboys white diamond polish on a makita rotary.....thats it
 
I plan on practicing tommarow on my dads old truck so we'll go from there....I just watch a video to on youtube of a meguairs shop...and he said you need to be really loose and GUIDE the polsiher not FIGHT it....and I was deffinaltey fighting it today
 
I found its best to learn with a wool pad that you tilt slightly. Then once you have mastered that everything else you understand a lot faster.



Also, if your using a foam pad, you need to spray it with water (or QD) to make it damp (not wet) before you start.
 
That's why I got a fender from a body shop to practice on. Once you get the hang of the way a rotary wants to pull, your muscles will automatically compensate, sort of like getting your balance on a bicycle.
 
Technique! I watched a guy use a floor buffer (giant industrial thing) in the lab I use to work in. It was second shift and our boss let us goof around as long as the work got done so I asked to use the buffer. The old man smiled and said ok son, just let the machine work and don't try to "run" it. Damn thing almost whipped my butt - then I relaxed and learned that if you keep the pad flat, lift up slightly on the opposite side you want to go, then you can buff like crazy. Practice, and do not tense up, you'll give yourself a hemroid.
 
AeroCleanse said:
I found its best to learn with a wool pad that you tilt slightly. Then once you have mastered that everything else you understand a lot faster.



Also, if your using a foam pad, you need to spray it with water (or QD) to make it damp (not wet) before you start.
Click to expand...





that was great advise....i used a foam pad today with some cheap crap i got at the dollar store on a old hood just to get the fell for it and then I went to a good polishing flat pad with polish and it was A LOT easier just from useing the wool





I felt confident enough today to remove sanding marks from my autocross car and everything came out great ! I starte with a wool pad and meguairs 105...then wool with 205...then it was still a little hazy so I used a LC orange with 205 then a LC white with 205 then finished up with poor boys white diamond and you could never tell the scratches ever were there !



then i tried to do the hood of my car and finsihed it up...what a great shine it has now ! very happy with the results...I think though I have a buffer trail however in some spots....how do I prevent that ?
 
The way I prevent buffer trails is to use speed 2 on my Makita, use a foam pad and keep it flat. I also found over time that I tend to better results with textured pads like the CCS pads rather than the flat ones.
 
Congrats on your purchase....your on your way to real polishing and real paint correction. The Makita is tops along with its partner the Hitachi, I have four of them and they all take a pounding! Follow the advice above....you will get the hang of it. After a while your orbital will get dusty because you will thirst for the accomplishments of the true lightweight rotary and what it can do in SKILLED hands. By the way whom ever is telling me not to use my domain name ...I dont. Paintxpert is NOT my DOMAIN NAME. It is my user name, so have a great day. I know using a domain name is against the rules and I checked with the mediator.
 
When I started with asking my local body shop for scrap panals.

I sctatched them Scuffed them, just to get practice and adjust to different pads and products. Start at a low speed, go over the whole panal on that speed and slowly increase until polish has been broken down.

hopes this helps
 
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