Moving onto machine polishing

L

LukeV8

New member
Hi All,



Looking at taking the step from detailing by hand to machine...



I have enough products for basic light scratch / swirl removal



Mothers clay bar

scratch x 2.0

meguires ultimate polish

nxt gen tech wax 2.0

etc etc etc etc...



I'm looking at this: RYOBI 750W Random Orbital Sander - Bunnings Warehouse





can anyone suggest what pads would be required .. i'm looking at removing light swirling from the car.



I plan on washing and then claying. Followed by using scratch x with the RO(what pads) then polish with the RO (what pad) and then finish the tech wax by hand...



Thoughts?

:biggrin:
 
What car and color?



For the polisher this:

Amazon.com: Griot's Garage 11605STDCRD 6" Machine Polish and Wax Kit: Automotive

Amazon.com: Griot's Garage 10765STDCRD 6" Random Orbital with 10' Cord: Automotive



Or this:

Meguiars Dual Action Polisher G110, meguiars g110 polisher, meguiars polisher,



Or this:

Flex XC 3401, FLEX Orbital Polisher,flex XC 3401 VRG dual-action polisher,flex XC3401VRG,Dual Action polisher,FLEX buffer







For pads if you buy separate, maybe this. Reviews are excellent:

Meguiars DA Microfiber Correction System 6 Inch Starter Kit, dual action polishing kit, paint correction kit



Or lake country hydrotech pads:

Lake Country Hydro Tech Tangerine Ultra Fine Polishing Pad - 5.5 inch | Detailed Image



My suggestion as still quite a newb to the whole game who has done a few cars is to buy a purpose built polisher like the griot's or the flex. You eliminate the need to buy twice, I think you'll have a hard time with the ryobi. Griot's has a lifetime warranty on their machines which is pretty nice.



For light swirling I would suggest Griot's, 6.5" tangerine (light cut) or crimson (no cut) pads, and m205. Do this after washing and claying. Depending on the clear coat and how bad the swirls are this might be as aggressive as you need to get. Wash well after polishing to remove polishing oils that may hide defects. Then dry very very carefully as to not scratch or mar your newly polished surface. Hand apply wax or sealant.



I use/learned on Griots garage 6" polisher with both 6" and 4" pads. M105/M205 with Lake country hydrotech pads. Cyan for m105 then tangerine for M205. Was recommended to me and I think the learning went pretty easily with these.
 
Mike777G said:
Look at the cyclo as well...
Click to expand...



The Cyclo is still my all-time fave for being user-friendly and buit to last. BUT...I'd sure ascertain that it'll work on the contours of the vehicle in question before buying one. I simply couldn't/can't do certain areas of my XJS with the Cyclo.
 
Accumulator said:
The Cyclo is still my all-time fave for being user-friendly and buit to last. BUT...I'd sure ascertain that it'll work on the contours of the vehicle in question before buying one. I simply couldn't/can't do certain areas of my XJS with the Cyclo.
Click to expand...



I agree with that I end up doing alot of the car by hand which takes time. If I were to add onto my arsenal another machine what would you recommended.

I like the looks of the flex 3401 or the GG. I have also debated taking on the rotary and enduring the long process of learning its ways but I don't think I am there yet. I would love to get your wise opinion. :)
 
Mike777G said:
I... If I were to add onto my arsenal another machine what would you recommended.

I like the looks of the flex 3401 or the GG. I have also debated taking on the rotary and enduring the long process of learning its ways but I don't think I am there yet. I would love to get your wise opinion. :)
Click to expand...



Heh heh, not sure how wise my opinion is on this one as I've never mastered the rotary well enough to finish out 100% hologram free. Plus, well...I just don't like using either of my rotaries (Makita and Metabo) all that much.



So...Flex 3401 or GG 6". I like the former for aggressive work and the latter for milder and finishing work. Overall, I think the GG is the best bet if only because it's more versatile.
 
Accumulator said:
Heh heh, not sure how wise my opinion is on this one as I've never mastered the rotary well enough to finish out 100% hologram free. Plus, well...I just don't like using either of my rotaries (Makita and Metabo) all that much.



So...Flex 3401 or GG 6". I like the former for aggressive work and the latter for milder and finishing work. Overall, I think the GG is the best bet if only because it's more versatile.
Click to expand...



I'm guessing you use your cyclo final polishing now, how does the correcting power of the cyclo compare to the GG or flex. Would I ever want to use the cyclo for compounding again if I get the GG.

Also what would you think of the 3" GG to use alongside the cyclo and get what ever is missed.

Much appreciated
 
Mike777G said:
I'm guessing you use your cyclo final polishing now, how does the correcting power of the cyclo compare to the GG or flex. Would I ever want to use the cyclo for compounding again if I get the GG.

Also what would you think of the 3" GG to use alongside the cyclo and get what ever is missed.

Much appreciated
Click to expand...



These days I only use the Cyclo for finish polishing/burnishing and LSPing.



It never did really aggressive correction that well for me, but then I never tried it with M105 on SurBuf pads either. In fact, in direct, side-by-side comparisons I got better correction from the PC with 4" pads, which utterly astounded me. But again, that was with old-tech products and it might be a different story with the latest stuff. Barry Theal raves about how it works with M105/SurBuf. It might also be the [stuff] with very mild sandpaper such as 8-12K, but man-oh-man would I check that the contours involved were Cyclo-friendly before I tried that.



These days I use the Flex for aggressive work, the GG for less serious work, and the Cyclo when it seems like a feasible alternative to the GG.
 
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