Learning curve with a rotary, how long?

C

Changeling

New member
This is a weird question I know because everyone is different. But, in my mind it does have merit. The question is aimed toward persons that feel comfortable with a rotary polisher like the Makita, Metabo, etc.



Question: How long did it take you to feel comfortable using a rotary polisher? Please give some thought to the question before answering. I don't mean to become completely proficient with the rotary and confident in all situations. I mean till you actually were fairly positive that you were not going into a typical polishing job without feeling like you were a little lost inside and confused about what you were doing.

This is a hard thing, I know, to envision. Just try to be objective as possible.

Thanks guys, this question means quite a bit to me.

Changeling
 
is this for your car or do you plan to do a lot of cars?



because if you use a rotary sooner or later you WILL BURN THE PAINT!
 
i think he's saying how long before you felt fairly comfortable, not how long before you screw up. i kind of need the same info too, the rotary still kind of scares me, i need scrap panels
 
kelso said:
i think he's saying how long before you felt fairly comfortable, not how long before you screw up. i kind of need the same info too, the rotary still kind of scares me, i need scrap panels
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I know what he is asking

and it's not a question that can be answered

I am just trying to give him a fair warning... that all



p.s. go to you local body shop and they will give you some panels to play around on!
 
Changeling said:
Question: How long did it take you to feel comfortable using a rotary polisher?
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I'll give you a couple of examples.



**Once or twice a year, I would have a group of my friends come over to my shop and detail their own vehicles. I gave them a crash course on buffing by giving them a rotary with a final finishing foam pad and some mild polish. I gave them a quick demonstration and watched them as they initially buffed their cars. I critiqued them for about 5-10 minutes and after that they knew the basics. I told them to keep the speed around 1200 rpms, keep the pad flat, use a good amount of product and stay away from breakable/soft trim. I never had one of them screw their car up! They were'nt experts in any way, but they were proficient enough to do it unsupervised in the future. They didn't do any scratch removal or heavy rubbing, just a simple glaze on their already nicely conditioned vehicle.



**Also, I did the same thing when I hired new Zero experienced detailers. They gradually did basic buffing and probably after a couple of weeks, I graduated them into wool pads and scratch removal. After buffing 100 cars(the learning curve), they could do anything.



Next time your down in South Florida, look me up and I'll teach you everything you need to know.
 
David Fermani said:
I'll give you a couple of examples.



**Once or twice a year, I would have a group of my friends come over to my shop and detail their own vehicles. I gave them a crash course on buffing by giving them a rotary with a final finishing foam pad and some mild polish. I gave them a quick demonstration and watched them as they initially buffed their cars. I critiqued them for about 5-10 minutes and after that they knew the basics. I told them to keep the speed around 1200 rpms, keep the pad flat, use a good amount of product and stay away from breakable/soft trim. I never had one of them screw their car up! They were'nt experts in any way, but they were proficient enough to do it unsupervised in the future. They didn't do any scratch removal or heavy rubbing, just a simple glaze on their already nicely conditioned vehicle.



**Also, I did the same thing when I hired new Zero experienced detailers. They gradually did basic buffing and probably after a couple of weeks, I graduated them into wool pads and scratch removal. After buffing 100 cars(the learning curve), they could do anything.



Next time your down in South Florida, look me up and I'll teach you everything you need to know.
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I wish I could find someone like you, to teach me in Puerto Rico. I still don't have the guts to try by myself on my wife's SUV.
 
I feel the same way as Rafa. I recently bought a rotary and pads etc, but am too scared to use it. I am gonna get a hood from a body shop to practice on, but I am still scared! I wish I had the correct technique. The last thing I need is to ruin a friends car!
 
BigJimZ28 said:
go to you local body shop and they will give you some panels to play around on!
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just a matter of doing it, eventually ill make the time to go get the panels(just dunno how im getting them home in my car)
 
Best way to get the first idea is to watch somebody that knows what they're doing and try to copy it.



After you catch the idea of how it's done, you can go try it for yourself and realize it's not as easy as it looks, but say after about 20-30 cars, you should be starting to get comfortable with your pads and polish and know what their capabilities are.



I'm very comfortable using cutting pads and heavy compound, but I'm still a wimp when it comes to trying a wool pad...I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll do some cooking with it.
 
BigJimZ28 said:
is this for your car or do you plan to do a lot of cars?



because if you use a rotary sooner or later you WILL BURN THE PAINT!
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When I started the was nothing but the rotary. And I will not say never but since '79 till this date I have not burned any paint.
 
Rotary isnt something that needs to be feared. I have no problems using a rotary. I will typically not use it when I can get by with just a PC, but it certainly isnt because I'm scared of it. I would rather use my rotary than my PC (my hands thank me for it). Just keep the RPM's low when you start out and keep the machine moving. You dont have to move fast as heck or anything, but dont make a habit of stopping in one place for an extended period of time. Check out the polishing vids that Anthony Orosco posted.
 
I started using a rotary about 6 months ago. The BMW dealer showed me how to use it safely and it's getting better with every car. I was intimidated learning to use a rotary on $30-$60 "used" cars.



I've managed to get a few boo-boo's in the process. And every one of them involved the compound pad hitting a plastic piece of trim and burning it. The burns were small and fixable, but I felt like Krap about it....the dealer said not to worry. I'd say with flat surfaces and the right pad/product, it's not too difficult to learn. It's the trim areas and paying attention to your rotary location that makes the difference.



BTW: I still haven't tried a wool pad and the dealer doesn't feel the need to use one. All the Bimmers are 2-4 year's old and foam + compound works the best for us.



Totoland Mach
 
I think learning with a wool pad is easier and safer than a foam. It creates less heat and is easier to control. The down side is that it leaves more micro marring than foam generally.
 
David Fermani said:
I think learning with a wool pad is easier and safer than a foam. It creates less heat and is easier to control. The down side is that it leaves more micro marring than foam generally.
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I might have to try one. We've got 2 brand new wool pads at the shop and I have a very nasty 745Li in metallic black to do. It's gonna need a lot of compounding and scratch removal.



Thanks for the info. My feeble brain was thinking wool is more difficult than foam.



Totoland Mach
 
Totoland Mach said:
I might have to try one. We've got 2 brand new wool pads at the shop and I have a very nasty 745Li in metallic black to do. It's gonna need a lot of compounding and scratch removal.



Thanks for the info. My feeble brain was thinking wool is more difficult than foam.



Totoland Mach
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That might not be the right car you wanna practice on? :nono
 
Totoland Mach said:
I might have to try one. We've got 2 brand new wool pads at the shop and I have a very nasty 745Li in metallic black to do. It's gonna need a lot of compounding and scratch removal.



Thanks for the info. My feeble brain was thinking wool is more difficult than foam.



Totoland Mach
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And remember also that just like foam, there are different grades of wool pads.
 
You're right David: I'll probably wait until we get something on trade-in that's gonna go to the auction...



Like I said, practicing on expensive Bimmers is sometimes more than a little daunting!



We also have a shop van (old Dodge commercial white). Maybe I'll spiff it up this spring as it's chaulky white not LOL.



Toto
 
For me, learning the rules of the rotary wasn't hard. First, keep your speed to 1100 max, move the pad at all times, use enough product so you're not buffing dry and relax your upper body and BREATHE! The problem is: you do a few cars and you like the result so you feel like you've got it and then, that's when you have that first "oh my God!" moment. And like someone said, usually involves a trim piece. Hey, been there-done that, get some 3M painters tape and tape up everything that you are getting close to that you care about. I've since started doing the "zenith" method of running 600-900-1200-900-600 speeds when I do a panel. Just go really, really easy on plastic parts like bumpers IF you do it at all. Those are PC only for me, unless it's my car and I'm trying to get another frigin cat scratch off!!
 
From my experience, I never got comfortable with the PC I had. Tried few different pad setups and still the same. I finally gave in with the confidence I had from autopia members and got a rotary. Ended up purchasing a DeWalt 849, using Meguiars BP and LC pads. I absolutely love it! I just made sure the pad was perfectly centered and that I kept on moving....



Good Luck



Chris
 
Noting that I do *NOT* consider myself a rotary-meister by any means (I always finish with the PC/Cyclo), but *do* consider myself proficient enough to take one to most any vehicle that needs it....



IMHO if you think the whole thing through and pay attention to what you're doing you shouldn't have any problems. That's assuming you have the knowledge base to think it through and the temperament to keep thinking the whole time you're doing the work.



As I've posted many times before, I hadn't used a rotary in over 20 years, and had *never* used one on b/c paint..but I took the Makita right out of the box and did my beloved S8 with it (following the deer-incident repairs and resulting marring inflicted by others). No problems, and if I can do it so can somebody else. But "can" and "will" are two very different things ;)



My $0.02: Think. Pay attention. Avoid the "just a little more.." temptation and realize that perfection isn't always in the cards. Tape/avoid anything that might be fragile. Check your work frequently (e.g., inspect your progress, feel for heat). And as everyone keeps saying- keep it moving.
 
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