Pad size selection
- Thread starter mx5
- Start date
Dolphin463
New member
I think the concern that many would have with this is that MF towels are not thick enough to allow dirt and other contaminants to be held away from the finish while wiping. This is where the cotton chenille mits work best. Otherwise, I can see some benefits to using MF.
:bounce Holy clean car WaxMan!
only thing about using a mini-mf is that it takes forever to do, but you're right it does make a visual difference
i take a panel and a lot of foam go over the whole thing ever so lightly with one side to get the surface off
then i rinse the panel and the mf towel (pick out any visible contaminents on the towel)
go over it again with the mf lightly
the turn the mf over and go over the whole thing again putting a little extra scrub where needed
rinse the towel and the panel again
repeat
the PBS works great for this
I will be at a loss this frigid winter where I will have to revert back to the two bucket method for obvious reasons
when it's nice out, it's great way to spend time with your baby, though
Good show
only thing about using a mini-mf is that it takes forever to do, but you're right it does make a visual difference
i take a panel and a lot of foam go over the whole thing ever so lightly with one side to get the surface off
then i rinse the panel and the mf towel (pick out any visible contaminents on the towel)
go over it again with the mf lightly
the turn the mf over and go over the whole thing again putting a little extra scrub where needed
rinse the towel and the panel again
repeat
the PBS works great for this
I will be at a loss this frigid winter where I will have to revert back to the two bucket method for obvious reasons
when it's nice out, it's great way to spend time with your baby, though
Good show
If you think the mf towel is good, try the mf mitt at CMA. Really nice!
It has a foam backing (covered on the inside with a soft fabric), and lets you get a nice even pressure when wiping. The pile is about half way between a Miracle/Magic Towel and a Viper Detailing cloth. If something gets stuck in the pile, you can use a stream of water from your nozzle to clean it off. Typically the agitation in the bucket (whether you use the 1 or 2 bucket method) is enough to clean out the pile.
Give it a shot.
It has a foam backing (covered on the inside with a soft fabric), and lets you get a nice even pressure when wiping. The pile is about half way between a Miracle/Magic Towel and a Viper Detailing cloth. If something gets stuck in the pile, you can use a stream of water from your nozzle to clean it off. Typically the agitation in the bucket (whether you use the 1 or 2 bucket method) is enough to clean out the pile.
Give it a shot.
RED JEWELL SS
New member
I have pretty much decided on the Meguars V2...now moving on to pads..
I have familiarized myself with the colors and the density er aggression if I may use that term.
Now ,obviously a smaller diameter is needed in smaller detail areas,but for instance, if there is curvature and a body crease in the same area,is it best to use a small pad in that area ? I am sure this may sound kinda dumb,but I am trying to cover bases as I look forward.I will go a little farther here,is it not better to try and keep a pad flat on the surface when polishing ? it would seem depending on the coarseness of pad on a radius that could cause cutting when it isnt desirable.
I have familiarized myself with the colors and the density er aggression if I may use that term.
Now ,obviously a smaller diameter is needed in smaller detail areas,but for instance, if there is curvature and a body crease in the same area,is it best to use a small pad in that area ? I am sure this may sound kinda dumb,but I am trying to cover bases as I look forward.I will go a little farther here,is it not better to try and keep a pad flat on the surface when polishing ? it would seem depending on the coarseness of pad on a radius that could cause cutting when it isnt desirable.
Old Pirate
AMG Classic Car Detailing
For me I love using the Meguiar's W66 backing plate with 6.5" CCS or Flat Pads. Works very well in that dept. ( curvature of sheet metal and those body crease's ) Don't get me wrong on the LC Backing Plates, they work also with no problem..............:wizard:
imported_Luster
New member
I have 3 backing plates... 6", 5" and 3.5". Pad sizes are 6.5, 5.5 and 4. These cover a variety of different uses.
I didn't purchase all these at once, but it's nice to have them all.
I keep the 4" on my PC and the 5" on my 7424XP. So I have both machines handy when I'm doing a detail.
For deep body contours I like to put a 6.5" pad on my 5" backing plate. That allows the edge of the pad to bend/curve without risk of the backing plate rubbing against the paint.
G110V2 = Excellent choice!
I didn't purchase all these at once, but it's nice to have them all.
I keep the 4" on my PC and the 5" on my 7424XP. So I have both machines handy when I'm doing a detail.
For deep body contours I like to put a 6.5" pad on my 5" backing plate. That allows the edge of the pad to bend/curve without risk of the backing plate rubbing against the paint.
G110V2 = Excellent choice!
Todd@RUPES
Just a regular guy
Pad size on a DA also effects the amount of power the machine has. A smaller pad is going to be more aggressive and those offer greater potential for correction, all else being equal. However using a smaller pad is in effect like a polishing a larger car, because the surface area you can cover shrinks in proportion. With a 6 inch pad it is possible to cover an 18x18 inch square in 4-5 sweeps (overlapping slightly). With a 4 inch pad you would 6-8 sweeps, which could double the time it takes.
This is the reason that large sized pads (7.5 inch or greater) are generally not used.
I personally like the 6.5 inch pads, although some would argue that the size of them will limit the power significantly. However using a properly sized backing plate will mitigate much of the power loss.
The 5.5 inch pads are extremely popular because they offer an increase in power potential over the 6.5 inch pads and are great compromise between the cutting power of the 4 inch pad and the speed of coverage offered by the 6.5 inch pad.
The 4 inch 'spot' pads are used for getting into tight areas as well as offering dramatic increases in power (vs. the 6.5 inch pad) which may be needed if heavy correction is required.
If you are going to only get one size I would get the 5.5 inch pads, because they can fit just about anywhere and are very versatile.
However I personally prefer to have 6.5 inch pads for most work and 4 inch pads for spot areas.
This is the reason that large sized pads (7.5 inch or greater) are generally not used.
I personally like the 6.5 inch pads, although some would argue that the size of them will limit the power significantly. However using a properly sized backing plate will mitigate much of the power loss.
The 5.5 inch pads are extremely popular because they offer an increase in power potential over the 6.5 inch pads and are great compromise between the cutting power of the 4 inch pad and the speed of coverage offered by the 6.5 inch pad.
The 4 inch 'spot' pads are used for getting into tight areas as well as offering dramatic increases in power (vs. the 6.5 inch pad) which may be needed if heavy correction is required.
If you are going to only get one size I would get the 5.5 inch pads, because they can fit just about anywhere and are very versatile.
However I personally prefer to have 6.5 inch pads for most work and 4 inch pads for spot areas.
imported_Stokdgs
New member
These guys are right.
I also really like the 5.5" pads especially on smaller vehicles with alot of curves, etc., areas. And as already stated, the smaller pads = more power out of the Random Orbital machine, so that is also a good thing too.
I also like the 4" pads for little areas, and on some wheels, they fit perfectly in practically every part of the wheel surface, so that really speeds up a detail; imagine trying to rub by hand the polish that good, into the wheel, and you get the idea.
The bigger size pads are good too, if you have large, flat surfaces forever to polish. I think if I had to do Vans all the time, I would want the biggest pad available - this is what boat and airplane detailers use, the biggest pad available that will do the work.
So in conclusion, I would want the 4" for smaller areas, like under mirrors, on the top of the mirror mount where it is closest to the window, front bumper/rear bumper areas, the area around the license plate, and you get the picture..
And for the rest of the vehicle/s, I would prefer the 5.5" pads now.
And if you really want to splurge, get all 3 sizes, backing plates, and lots of pads for each size.
Good luck, you are going to be fine, some of the best detailers around frequent this site, so you will always have a great place to bounce ideas, etc., off of.
And of course, the Classic Motoring Accessories/ProperAutoCare/Truth in Detailing folks are easily the best all-around bunch ever assembled in one place, and they LOVE to do what we are all doing - detailing and messing around with our vehicles to make them look better = run better, go faster, etc..
Dan F
I also really like the 5.5" pads especially on smaller vehicles with alot of curves, etc., areas. And as already stated, the smaller pads = more power out of the Random Orbital machine, so that is also a good thing too.
I also like the 4" pads for little areas, and on some wheels, they fit perfectly in practically every part of the wheel surface, so that really speeds up a detail; imagine trying to rub by hand the polish that good, into the wheel, and you get the idea.
The bigger size pads are good too, if you have large, flat surfaces forever to polish. I think if I had to do Vans all the time, I would want the biggest pad available - this is what boat and airplane detailers use, the biggest pad available that will do the work.
So in conclusion, I would want the 4" for smaller areas, like under mirrors, on the top of the mirror mount where it is closest to the window, front bumper/rear bumper areas, the area around the license plate, and you get the picture..
And for the rest of the vehicle/s, I would prefer the 5.5" pads now.
And if you really want to splurge, get all 3 sizes, backing plates, and lots of pads for each size.
Good luck, you are going to be fine, some of the best detailers around frequent this site, so you will always have a great place to bounce ideas, etc., off of.
And of course, the Classic Motoring Accessories/ProperAutoCare/Truth in Detailing folks are easily the best all-around bunch ever assembled in one place, and they LOVE to do what we are all doing - detailing and messing around with our vehicles to make them look better = run better, go faster, etc..
Dan F
RED JEWELL SS
New member
These guys are right.
I also really like the 5.5" pads especially on smaller vehicles with alot of curves, etc., areas. And as already stated, the smaller pads = more power out of the Random Orbital machine, so that is also a good thing too.
I also like the 4" pads for little areas, and on some wheels, they fit perfectly in practically every part of the wheel surface, so that really speeds up a detail; imagine trying to rub by hand the polish that good, into the wheel, and you get the idea.
The bigger size pads are good too, if you have large, flat surfaces forever to polish. I think if I had to do Vans all the time, I would want the biggest pad available - this is what boat and airplane detailers use, the biggest pad available that will do the work.
So in conclusion, I would want the 4" for smaller areas, like under mirrors, on the top of the mirror mount where it is closest to the window, front bumper/rear bumper areas, the area around the license plate, and you get the picture..
And for the rest of the vehicle/s, I would prefer the 5.5" pads now.
And if you really want to splurge, get all 3 sizes, backing plates, and lots of pads for each size.
Good luck, you are going to be fine, some of the best detailers around frequent this site, so you will always have a great place to bounce ideas, etc., off of.
And of course, the Classic Motoring Accessories/ProperAutoCare/Truth in Detailing folks are easily the best all-around bunch ever assembled in one place, and they LOVE to do what we are all doing - detailing and messing around with our vehicles to make them look better = run better, go faster, etc..
Dan F
Thanks very much for the reply, yes I want to have the necessary tools.There is nothing worse than to start a project and find myself short on sum thing that could be avoided.
I spoke with Anjelo for quite awhile today , I am sure he was glad to get me off his phone....:rofl: I had a lot of dumb questions , but prolly regular rookie type stuff.
I am already looking for another double door cabinet for the garage...I dont have alot of space and no room to add on to the garage....I think I am opening a new can of worms. :biggrin:
Old Pirate
AMG Classic Car Detailing
It was great to talk to you today RED JEWELL SS, get a craftmans discount card! your going to need it.................
RED JEWELL SS
New member
I used to be a tech for sears, my pretend wife is a sears store mgr....got that base covered.Yeah,it was nice to chat with ya,I enjoyed it ! :Santa Smiley:
needed !