How the heck do you polish an edge with a rotary?

B

BluBrett

New member
I have searched all over Autopia but can't find a clear answer. I have used a rotary before on a car that didn't need too much correction, but my Acura has oxidation on the hood, fenders, trunk, roof, and bumpers. If I tape up the edges then the oxidation will still be in the taped areas. So my question is how do I use a rotary to get rid of the oxidation on the edges? Quick movements at low speeds with finishing pads and a finishing polish?
 
BluBrett said:
I have searched all over Autopia but can't find a clear answer. I have used a rotary before on a car that didn't need too much correction, but my Acura has oxidation on the hood, fenders, trunk, roof, and bumpers. If I tape up the edges then the oxidation will still be in the taped areas. So my question is how do I use a rotary to get rid of the oxidation on the edges? Quick movements at low speeds with finishing pads and a finishing polish?
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I have never taped edges ever. You just use slower rpms until you gety enough practice. A paint thickness gauge comes in handy as well.



When you say oxidation, is the paint actually single stage?
 
tdekany said:
I have never taped edges ever. You just use slower rpms until you gety enough practice. A paint thickness gauge comes in handy as well.



When you say oxidation, is the paint actually single stage?
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No it's clearcoated. Maybe that's not called oxidation? It looks cloudy. So just go over edges at slow RPMs and I should be okay?
 
I recommend to not go over the edges to get rid of the oxidation. We use the curved CCS pads in our shop, and you can put them on edge a little to cut the oxidation, then go over the area flat to make sure no deep swirls are left behind.





John
 
Impeccable said:
Do you have a PC and some small pads you can use on the edges?
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Be careful, using a pc on edges it is not fool proof. Someone just burned through using a pc.
 
I'm scared of edges due to what I've seen on amateur details around here. I personally used to have a few spare body parts laying around, and I learned how easy it is to burn the paint. Good thing it was practice though!
 
If you're going to use the outer edge of a pad just be sure to prime that portion of the pad the same way you would the face. And work slower.



It's the heat caused from dry buffing that does most of the damage on edges.
 
Mike Pennington had a great video on polishing edges with a rotary, but I cannot find it. It might be floating around on youtube?



When you polish an edge (with a rotary) you want to tilt the machine to that the pad is flowing off of the edge instead of running into, if that makes sense.



From the holders point of view the rotary is spinning clockwise. If you are polishing the edge of a hood and the hood is on your right, you want to tilt the handle of the rotary slightly down.



This is because the top of the pad (furthest away from you) is running into the edge and the bottom of the pad( nearest you) is running off the paint. You may also want to slightly tilt the machine towards the center of the hood (so handle down and slightly to the right) to reduce the total pressure on the edge.



Keep in mind that you really don't want to buff an edge per say, you want to stay even with the body panel and polish over the edge. I hope this is even understandable, because I am not sure I can even visualize what I am trying to say :(
 
TH0001 said:
Mike Pennington had a great video on polishing edges with a rotary, but I cannot find it. It might be floating around on youtube?



When you polish an edge (with a rotary) you want to tilt the machine to that the pad is flowing off of the edge instead of running into, if that makes sense.



From the holders point of view the rotary is spinning clockwise. If you are polishing the edge of a hood and the hood is on your right, you want to tilt the handle of the rotary slightly down.



This is because the top of the pad (furthest away from you) is running into the edge and the bottom of the pad( nearest you) is running off the paint. You may also want to slightly tilt the machine towards the center of the hood (so handle down and slightly to the right) to reduce the total pressure on the edge.



Keep in mind that you really don't want to buff an edge per say, you want to stay even with the body panel and polish over the edge. I hope this is even understandable, because I am not sure I can even visualize what I am trying to say :(
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But when you tilt a pad like that you are almost effectively using it like an angle grinder (maybe not quite to that degree of tilt, but you get the idea), which is limiting the surface area of the pad contacting the edge but all the same you are concentrating your pressure on a smaller area on the pad/edge which I'd *THINK* would lead to burning through easier.



:doh
 
Mindflux said:
But when you tilt a pad like that you are almost effectively using it like an angle grinder (maybe not quite to that degree of tilt, but you get the idea), which is limiting the surface area of the pad contacting the edge but all the same you are concentrating your pressure on a smaller area on the pad/edge which I'd *THINK* would lead to burning through easier.



:doh
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TRUE. This is what seperates the men from the boys.
 
Personally, I use my makita 9227 to do all of the big flat parts of the car, then run around with a griots 3" to do pillars, nooks, crannies, and corners. Gets it done fast with no danger of burn through.



Think of it like mowing your lawn with the ride on, then running and around with the weed-wacker to do the edges! Sure you COULD maneuver the ride on around the edges and it might be a little faster, but chances are youre going to run over the edge and chop off a big hunk of your grass.
 
Mindflux said:
But when you tilt a pad like that you are almost effectively using it like an angle grinder (maybe not quite to that degree of tilt, but you get the idea), which is limiting the surface area of the pad contacting the edge but all the same you are concentrating your pressure on a smaller area on the pad/edge which I'd *THINK* would lead to burning through easier.



:doh
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No. I don't mean tilting the pad so that you are lifting any section of the pad off the paint! You are tilting the polisher slightly so that you are not driving the pad onto the edge, but letting it flow off of the paint. The pad (or atleast the area of the pad that is on the paint) is completely flat against the paint.



Here is a quick graphic I drew up that hopefully better explains what I was trying to say. The red is the paint, and we are buffing over the edge (not up to the edge which will never fully correct the paint).



We tilt the machine slightly down and slightly to the right in order to focus the polishing action on the orange area. (again slight tilts). When you polish over an edge (such as a popped hood) you don't want to run the pad into the hood but it is okay to run the pad off of the hood. Again I don't know how good of a job I am describing this, but if you are using your rotary like an angle grinder then or that is what it sounds like I am advocating them I'm just not doing a good job with my explanation.



xxxx.jpg
 
Mindflux said:
You're essentially talking about 'lifting' the buffer off the hard edge (via tilting) when you are coming off the hood, I get it.
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but just slightly, so that you are not putting any additional pressure on the more dangerous area (where the pad is coming into the paint)...



This is how we where taught to do it at a body shop years and years ago (one of the few things I remember in that failed experiment!) but Mike Pennington's (from Meguiar's) video does such a good job of explaining it.



I have always polished over edges instead of up to them using this practice, and have polished original paint cars from the 1960's that have very thin paint (and a burnt edge would be a catastrophic loss in value) and have never had a problem, fwiw.
 
Mindflux said:
You're essentially talking about 'lifting' the buffer off the hard edge (via tilting) when you are coming off the hood, I get it.
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PS you just explained a million times better then I did
 
TH0001 said:
No. I don't mean tilting the pad so that you are lifting any section of the pad off the paint! You are tilting the polisher slightly so that you are not driving the pad onto the edge, but letting it flow off of the paint. The pad (or atleast the area of the pad that is on the paint) is completely flat against the paint.



Here is a quick graphic I drew up that hopefully better explains what I was trying to say. The red is the paint, and we are buffing over the edge (not up to the edge which will never fully correct the paint).



We tilt the machine slightly down and slightly to the right in order to focus the polishing action on the orange area. (again slight tilts). When you polish over an edge (such as a popped hood) you don't want to run the pad into the hood but it is okay to run the pad off of the hood. Again I don't know how good of a job I am describing this, but if you are using your rotary like an angle grinder then or that is what it sounds like I am advocating them I'm just not doing a good job with my explanation.



xxxx.jpg
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This picture helps a lot. so I focus the point of contact of the rotary on the orange spot as I move the rotary towards and away from the edge, without applying any extra pressure? And another question: Is there any way possible to run the pad along the edge without burning it?
 
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