foam pad, terry pad...make up yer mind dangit :)

G

gnahc79

New member
For glaze/polish:

The autopia download says foam for clear coat, terry for non. I've read several threads saying terry pad for glazes, very mild polishes (#7,#9, VM?) and foam for stronger polishes. I think someone also said that foam leaves some more swirls than terry. I know a MF pad is good too, but my buckets of gear are overflowing already :).

Wax:

I'm using foam and buffing with a MF for s100 and #26.





so is there a definitive type of applicator that we should use for #7,#9 and VM? Or is it somewhat subjective?
 
I always wondered about this as well, until I read a post from Scottwax. He suggested when using an abrasive polish buy hand (for removing swirls, etc) to use a foam pad if the swirls are light and to terry cloth folded in 8ths if the swirls are bad. The terry cloth has more of a "bite" than the foam.



See his comments here (about half way down), he explains it better than I ever could. http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19561&highlight=terry+foam



I think for a glaze, it's just your preference.



Michael
 
O.T.:



I know there's a thread here in Autopia about THE RIGHT PADS FOR THE JOB but I just couldn't find it. I don't want to create another thread for this question so I will just post it here (since this is a pad-related thread). Can somebody please post it here (the link or perhaps, the direct ansswer to my question)?



Tnx!
 
I've found that the pads make a huge difference in the final polishing stages. My car is a black lexus IS300, without clearcoat. Here is a list of products and my pad experience:



vanilla moose- best if applied w/ foam. I've used viper microfiber applicators and viking cotton terry apps, which resulted in many microfine scratches / hazing. Once this hazing happens, it requires 3M SMR w/ a white PC pad to remove it. Yellow foam applicators leave no hazing whatsoever.



moose wax: same as vanilla moose.



sepc/gepc: same as vanilla moose, but hazing not as severe.



klasse AIO: same as vanilla moose/sepc. The hazing that results from microfiber apps does not stick right out; it's only apparent at certain angles in direct sun. Hazing is removable with SMR. Using a PC with a white pad w/ AIO seems to result in this hazing too.



klasse SG: applies better with microfiber app. I have no concrete proof of this, but it seemed like SG streaked more and was harder to apply evenly with yellow foam apps.



zaino: I've used both the supplied cotton app and a foam app. No hazing is apparent with either method, although it is easier to apply smaller amounts of product using the cotton app.



S100: either the supplied foam app, or a yellow foam app. I prefer the supplied applicator.



SMRs and other polishes with higher levels of abrasives I use PC pads.
 
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