Moving up to a rotary

ShaneB

ShaneB

New member
After a lot of thought and back and forth, I've decided to take the plunge and buy a rotary polisher. Just ordered a new makita and it'll be on its way soon! Now I've used a rotary before in my body shop classes back in college and am positive I can handle one safely. I've just never used one with a detailers mindset if you know what I mean. I'm coming from just a PC since getting into detailing seriously.

Whats a good starting point to have in terms of pads/size of backing plate? Please keep it simple and remember I'm just looking for a starting point. I learn best by diving in and getting hands on experience. What would you guys recommend for cutting/polishing/finishing and how many of each? There are just so many to choose from. While I want to spend $100s and $100s to just get everything I could possibly need, that's just not realistic at this time. But I can get experience, learn what I need, and piece it all together.
 
I learned on a rotary and the shop used 8 inch pads. Now, my own set up I use 4 and 5.5 inch pads simply because they're what I use rupes 15 and my gg3 with a 3 inch bp. Any bigger seems over kill to me. It probably doesn't hurt to go bigger and I've heard somewhere that smaller pads increase the chances of leaving trails, but with proper technique, that won't really matter.
 
I bought the complete set of 5.5" Buff and Shine Pads times 2 and the 4 3/4 backing plate
4 Inch Rotary Backing Plate.

I still have a good assortment of wool pads 6" and 8". Just remember to go slow on the speed especially with foam pads as the heat build up can be intense if you are not moving fast enough.

Dave
 
As with any machine, the smaller pad will always be easier to handle and will get into more places because it is smaller..
For my Makita 9227C for years, I have used nothing but a 5" backing plate and appropriate sized pads..

Think of it this way - how much pressure can you put equally on a big honking 6"+ pad vs a 5"+ pad, and which size would probably have the most equal pressure across it and correct probably easier and faster ?

And Im with davidc regarding speed.. The days of high speeds are not really needed, thanks to better compounds and polishes.. I rarely correct even really bad finishes with more than 1000rpm. I just use more pressure if needed and keep the product and pad just moist enough and finish all of the product on that spot until it is gone completely from the surface...
Good luck !
Dan F
 
After years of using my 6" foam pads on the Rotary, I actually haven't removed the wool pad in 6 months... if it's serious enough that I need to use the rotary, it's serious enough I might as well use a wool pad :) Other pluses are the wool pad doesn't gum up (ever) and is easier to control than foam.

Drawbacks are it doesn't finish down very nice because my pad is just for compounding with heavy compounds, if I had a separate wool pad (apparently they make different levels of aggressive with wool) for finishing polishing I think it would finish down nicer.

Nothing buffs old faded oxidized laquer paint easier than a rotary with wool :)
 
Yeah, while I never use my rotaries any more, I agree about the use of wool pads on them being the way to go (especially for safety). I have a scad of different levels of wool, and some of the most gentle ones are really, *REALLY* mild and finish out great even in my hands.
 
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