Help me from looking like a fool when I use my rotary.

P

Preachers Sheets

New member
Whenever I use my DeWalt I get splatter everywhere. I have only been detailing my fathers car and my car so I don't mind but if a customer is watching me and see's splatter flying everywhere he is going to think I'm boot leg.



I try to spread the product with the pad (waffle pad and Meguiars red compounding pad) but I still get splatter.



I know theres a trick to it, what the heck is it? :o
 
Are you starting and stopping the machine with the pad on the surface? Perhaps a bit too much product? You said you are smearing the product with the pad....that is how I do it also. Try starting the machine by feathering the trigger and start at a slow speed. Once the product is worked into the pad you can increase trigger pressure and speed. This has been working for me.



THe first time I turned on the rotary I put two beads of product on the car then placed the pad on the beginning of a bead and squeezed the trigger. Man, talk about splatter :eek: . Luckily it was a gimme car. One that a mechanic friend bought from a customer for peanuts cause the engine is blown and he's letting me us it as a test bed since he's having it painted after he fixes it up.



Natty
 
I am making one thing line around the pad. Looks like I may want to use a fair amount in the middle of the pad and when I feather the rotary I should apply a little pressure to keep the product within the waffles of the pad.



I just don't like the idea of the outside edge of the pad being dry you know....
 
joed,



Splatter schmatter.......it is difficult to totally eliminate buffer sling so don't fret it too much.



Instead of laying down a ribbon of product on the car try placing a blob of it, about the size of a quarter, on the paint and place your pad directly on top of it and feather the trigger and at the same time move your pad in your desired motion.



It's very important to learn how to control the speed of the rotary using the trigger. Don't rely just on what speed you have set but get the feel of controlling the speed with the trigger. One should be able to set their buffer at the maximum speed and never go past the 1500 rpm range based on the sound of the buffer alone. This comes with practice.



If you do prefer to lay down a ribbon of product on the paint or lay a bead around the pad itself then you may be opening up the face of the pad too much. In other words your angle is too high. Lay down a bead of product, say 5 inches, then place the right edge of your pad directly on the far right edge of the bead. Now lift all of the pad off the ribbon, except for the far right edge, just a hair and as you begin to slowly press the trigger move the pad from right to left along the top of the bead and this will darw in the product to the center of the pad.



As you pass over the far left edge of the ribbon then close the face of the pad, or place the rest of the pad flat on the paint, increase your buffer speed and continue buffing. This method should just about eliminate any sling or splatter. It takes some practice though to learn the angle of the pad and working the trigger.



Happy Detailing,



Anthony
 
It is pretty much impossible not to get splatter with a rotary but you can limit some of it so you aren't getting a HUGE amount.



You shouldn't be using too much polish when you do an area. Enough to get a thin, even coat. Apply it to the paint and not the pad especially when using a waffle pad.
 
Here's my $.02 worth.



For the new rotary user, I do recommend applying polish to the pad and smearing it on the panel to be buffed. The reason is that you need to concentrate on buffing and not splatter. If you buy a good rotary, it will have a slow spin-up function which will reduce splatter a lot.



As you begin to learn and feel comfortable, you will find it very easy to put down a stripe of polish 6 - 12" long and work the buffer into the polish. If you're starting with a fresh pad, you should spray the pad with a little water or detailing spray to use as a startup lubricant (just a little). For right-handed people, always put your polish to the left. For lefties, put your polish on the right. To work into your polish (right handed), start the buffer off the polish with the lefthand side of the pad slightly lifted. Work into the polish ( a little bit at a time) from the top third of the polishing pad. This will bring the polish into the pad and under where you can work it.



db
 
Ok, so from what I'm reading it seems like a semi popular trick is to have the left side of the pad a little bit off of the surface. That will allow the pad to "pull" the product into the area of the pad that is making contact with the surface instead of flinging it.



Now once I do that, should I continue to polish the surface with the left side of the pad slightly off the surface to keep anything from flinging off?



Good info, I don't know how I would of discovered that on my own.
 
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