Hacks give rotarys a bad name.

J

JohnKleven

New member
I first learned how to polish on a rotary buffer. I still use a rotary buffer 5-6 days a week. After reading through 1000's of posts on online forums I find that people are very timid or afraid to use a rotary buffer. I know there are great alternatives such as Flex and Porter Cable which can also yield professional results. I do believe that the hacks you see in detail shops using their rotary polishing the side of a door with the edge of their wool pad with Extra Duty rubbing compound burning through paint have honestly given rotary polishers a bad name. Over many years I have hired and trained dozens of employees to use a rotary polisher properly. I think the people here on autopia want to learn proper polishing, and should have more sense than to operate a polisher like those hacks I described. If you do your research, you will see that with a little practice and direction anyone can polish with a rotary.





John
 
+1

I too learned on a rotary. My first solo job was on a big black suburban. I thought I did a great job. Then....... My brother wiped it down and exposed all the holograms I left behind. Sometime after that I again bit off more than I could chew and burned a few edges of another car. After that I vowed I would not touch another car, except my own, with a rotary until I could do it without causing damage and leaving behind holograms and marring. That was 7 years ago.

I can't tell you how many times customers ask me not to use the rotary because of some hack they previously had a bed experience with.
 
JohnKleven said:
I first learned how to polish on a rotary buffer. I still use a rotary buffer 5-6 days a week. After reading through 1000's of posts on online forums I find that people are very timid or afraid to use a rotary buffer. I know there are great alternatives such as Flex and Porter Cable which can also yield professional results. I do believe that the hacks you see in detail shops using their rotary polishing the side of a door with the edge of their wool pad with Extra Duty rubbing compound burning through paint have honestly given rotary polishers a bad name. Over many years I have hired and trained dozens of employees to use a rotary polisher properly. I think the people here on autopia want to learn proper polishing, and should have more sense than to operate a polisher like those hacks I described. If you do your research, you will see that with a little practice and direction anyone can polish with a rotary.





John
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Why don't you post links or do a HOW TO on proper polishing? Would be a good Idea and might be able to give some directions.
 
+3 i learned on a Rotary as well. I agree with you on the hacks giving the people who know how to use the tools properly a bad name. Hacks just run it for everyone. We all start some place and usually its on the bottom but the point is to learn and better yourself . . . . . changing the bad habits to good ones.
 
Why grab a tool with the ability to do damage when tools widely available do almost as good a job without as much risk? I'm not saying rotaries are always bad. I own and use one when needed. But I'll grab a DA before hand. The mantra "start with the least agressive route" applies for hardware too and not just pads/products used.
 
I practiced on junk yard hoods that I picked up. I'd turn around and sell them

for more than I paid. I did that for a few months before I had the guts to

do my first car.
 
I hear you. I see so many newer, large black Mercedes' luxury cruisers and black Audis around my parts that have the infamous buffer trails. Funny thing, apparently the customers think their rotary-using car care specialists are doing a great job! :cry::rofl.



I think these rotary people should switch to DA work if they cannot do a job without the trails...
 
WaxManRonnie said:
I practiced on junk yard hoods that I picked up. I'd turn around and sell them

for more than I paid. I did that for a few months before I had the guts to

do my first car.
Click to expand...



Lol that's a pretty good idea... i wish i thought of that when i was in high school. would haved paid off my rotary too.
 
Car Max used cars is horrible with black cars and buffer trails. They need to switch da's. Go to their lot and you'll see what I mean.
 
MichaelSpoots said:
I hear you. I see so many newer, large black Mercedes' luxury cruisers and black Audis around my parts that have the infamous buffer trails. Funny thing, apparently the customers think their rotary-using car care specialists are doing a great job! :cry::rofl.



I think these rotary people should switch to DA work if they cannot do a job without the trails...
Click to expand...





ain't going to happen. a da takes longer than a rotary. most hacks are volume in, volume out, so there's no way a da will fly for them.





and in the end, why would they change - 99% of customers don't notice/care
 
I recently did a black Honda Civic that Car Max had hacked, I used M105 and a PCXP, I spent a good 3.5 hours on it - but it looked great, and the owner was very happy. I use to have a rotary, and I don't think I could have done it any faster, I'm pretty sure it would have been at least a 2 step process, maybe 105 then 85rd or Ultrafina.
 
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