Newbie w/Garage Sale find

K

kdlp

New member
First things first, I'm a "Grade A" newbie. I own 3 cars and a bike have done body-off restos (Vette) but I don't know squat about paint restoration.



2nd, I hate garage saling but every now and again I'll get pressured into tagging along and it may have paid off this time. Problem is, I don't know what I'm looking at. The PC was obvious and it was still in the original box with the instructions, wrench, etc.



The other stuff... well let's just say I don't know which pad is which and what it's intended use is.... the pics: This is a backing plate and it is sized to work with the pads.



P1010024.jpg




These are the pads... which color does what?



P1010025.jpg




P1010026.jpg




P1010027.jpg




P1010028.jpg




The red and blue pads are about the same softness, the orange pad is hardest and the white pad is in the middle. I'm guessing the white pad is for light scratch removal and the red/blue pads are for finishing... but why the pockets in the blue pad and not the red.



Also I can't see any manufacturers names, etc on anything except the PC. I got all this for $45 and figured the PC (it runs) was worth that alone.



Sorry for the long post. Thanks for any/all help.



kdlp
 
kdlp- Welcome to Autopia (you too, 04Si & jeffduster)!



Good find! Well, assuming it works OK ;)



I bet one reason it was for sale is the pad size; those 6"/6.5" pads are too big for effective correction (OK for lesser tasks though, with the blue and red pads) and I bet the owner said "this thing doesn't work!". So, to avoid similar dissatisfaction, I'd plan on getting a smaller plate and some small pads for when you want to polish/compound out flaws.



You might find that the white pad works OK for very gentle polishing with the right product(s) (perhaps M205, hint hint).



The red pad doesn't have those dimple in it because it's just a different type of pad. Looks like a red Griot's Garage waxing pad to me (very good, it'll last forever).



Summary of your pads (just guesses, but I bet I'm not wrong):



Orange- mild cutting pad, but too big for that machine to use effectively.

White- "regular" polishing pad, *maybe* too big also, but maybe OK for gentle work.

Blue- gentle final polishing pad. OK for very gentle final buffing with very mild products, just to bring up the gloss but *NOT* to do correction.

Red- wax/etc. application pad.
 
Hey, my thanks to all three of you....



I was reading other posts on this forum and saw a note about over-sized backing plates on PC's.



So Accumulator, if I'm reading you right I should get myself a 4" backing plate and a few 4" orange pads if I have anything other than basic wax on/off to do.



My old Vette is just repainted and my pickup is brand new (and I'd like to keep them that way), but my wife has a 2001 Subaru Forester that will probably need the orange pad treatment after a visit with a clay bar.



A couple nights of reading through posts here will give you a quick education. Am going to try and find some Meg products 105/205 at local retailers tomorrow. They carry the basic stuff but I don't ever remember seeing those two numbers on anything.



Thanks again....



kdlp
 
My local suppliers charge $80 for 32oz of Meg's 105, I get a gallon of it from Autogeek for $70.



Also, I use 5.5" pads on my PC for correction, and 6.5" pads for wax, sealants, and glazes. I think using 3 or 4 inch pads is a lot more difficult because the PC is so heavy it makes it want to tip over.



I also have a Griot's 3" for smaller areas, and a Makita 9227C for flat panel correction.



kdlp said:
Hey, my thanks to all three of you....



I was reading other posts on this forum and saw a note about over-sized backing plates on PC's.



So Accumulator, if I'm reading you right I should get myself a 4" backing plate and a few 4" orange pads if I have anything other than basic wax on/off to do.



My old Vette is just repainted and my pickup is brand new (and I'd like to keep them that way), but my wife has a 2001 Subaru Forester that will probably need the orange pad treatment after a visit with a clay bar.



A couple nights of reading through posts here will give you a quick education. Am going to try and find some Meg products 105/205 at local retailers tomorrow. They carry the basic stuff but I don't ever remember seeing those two numbers on anything.



Thanks again....



kdlp
Click to expand...
 
kdlp said:
So Accumulator, if I'm reading you right I should get myself a 4" backing plate and a few 4" orange pads if I have anything other than basic wax on/off to do...
Click to expand...



(Note that it's more like a 3.75" plate to go with the 4" pads.)



Yeah, that's what I'd do. Other people seem to like the 5.5" pads but they never worked much better than ~6" ones for me (I started with 5"-5.5" pads when I got my first PC back in the early '90s).



I never found 3.5"-4" pads difficult to use via PC, even with one hand, but that's just me. I do turn it down to speed 4.5-5 with the smaller pads though.
 
Accumulator said:
I never found 3.5"-4" pads difficult to use via PC, even with one hand, but that's just me. I do turn it down to speed 4.5-5 with the smaller pads though.
Click to expand...



I believe one of the biggest reasons to go from a larger pad to a smaller pad is to be able to get more rotation speed out of the machine, and thus more correction, so even with smaller pads I run it at 6 for correction. With 10-20lbs of pressure I bet you can get 100-300RPM of pure rotation, rotary style, which I find helps a lot with correction.



I just found that when going from a 6.5 to a 4 inch pad I found the assembly to be very 'thin' and 'tall', sort of teetering on the pad instead of resting on it like a platform. I never had a boo boo of it slipping out, but in awkward placed I definitely had to concentrate a little more to keep the pad from sliding out from underneath it.
 
jono20 said:
My local suppliers charge $80 for 32oz of Meg's 105, I get a gallon of it from Autogeek for $70.



Also, I use 5.5" pads on my PC for correction, and 6.5" pads for wax, sealants, and glazes. I think using 3 or 4 inch pads is a lot more difficult because the PC is so heavy it makes it want to tip over.
Click to expand...



The problem I have here (Alaska) is that I have to pay a huge fee for freight if I buy any quantity over the i-net. It scares me to think what a gallon of 105 or 205 would cost to get here. And I doubt the stuff ships as hazardous, but if it does you can double the freight fee. (And prepare to wait about 6 weeks.) So I usually end up "local"... still I have my doubts as to whether I'll find any.



On the 5.5" pads, can I use the same backing plate as pictured earler?



kdlp
 
No you will need a 5" backing plate for 5.5" foam pads. And yeah shipping can suck a little. I'm in Canada so I pay at least $30 for shipping from Autogeek no matter what I order. Check for local paint/autobody supply stores instead of car part stores, they can typically get better product in for cheaper.
 
jono20 said:
No you will need a 5" backing plate for 5.5" foam pads. And yeah shipping can suck a little. I'm in Canada so I pay at least $30 for shipping from Autogeek no matter what I order. Check for local paint/autobody supply stores instead of car part stores, they can typically get better product in for cheaper.
Click to expand...



Ya, I answered my own question on the backing plate size when I went back and looked at the picture... the plate is almost 6" so the 5.5" pads weren't going to work.



Just sent Autogeek a $60 order (plate and pads + "Military" shipping because of my zip code/location). And for now I'll see what product I can find locally....



kdlp
 
Well I appreciate the good thoughts, but that might be (a bunch) optomistic. looks like I have the right tools... when they get here. Then I guess we'll find out if I'm smarter than they are.... good thing I have :think2 my wife's car to start on....:laugh:



Thanks for the help!



kdlp
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top