PART 2....
Pads, Polishes and Machine Choice
Enthusiast Arsenal: If you are an Enthusiast this topic is hugely important and my hope here is to alleviate some of your concerns when it comes to pads and machines and second, SAVE YOU SOME MONEY!
I get a lot of emails and PM's from enthusiasts asking about rotary polishing and when its okay to move onto to a rotary from a hand polishing or a DA machine. My response as of late is simply.... You do not NEED a rotary, stick with your current DA or if you dont have one, pick one up! I use both the Griots machine and the Megs G110 V2 which are excellent. The Griots has a little more power for more serious correction jobs but for 90% of the jobs out there the Megs G110 V2 will work beautifully and do so more comfortably thanks to better ergonomics, rubberized grip and balance PLUS it offers a quieter and smoother operation over the Griots machine.
As for "when its okay to buy your first rotary" .... um, how about whenever you want? Your an adult, if you really want a rotary, go buy one. I find it ridiculous that people wait years to buy a machine, its a polisher not a handgun... your never not ready.
Just because you may not know how to use it properly doesnt mean you cant
have one, this isnt the dirtbike debate you had with your dad when you were 8... not knowing how to ride can result in a neck injury or death, not knowing how to rotary is slightly less dramatic.
I bought my first rotary 4 months after my first DA, I didnt know how to use it at all but I just kept practicing on scrap panels until I got the hang of it.... some say it takes years to master, I say practice until your hands hurt and youll be on your way in a month (that is 30 days of practicing at least an hour a day)
As with anything your skills will constantly progress, just because you arent a jedi master of rotary does not mean you cant polish cars with it, just be confident enough in your ability that you will not cause damage (work at slower speeds, keep the pad flat, mind your pressure etc) This is how people get better at anything, keep doing it, pick up the nuances and eventually it will become second nature.
So I have to get a rotary eventually right?
With the latest goodies from Meguiars, Lake country and SurBuf (M105, M205 and the Hydro Tech Pads etc) the DA is has become a serious tool for serious paint correction. With the right pads polishes and technique you will be very surprised at the finish you can achieve with a DA machine. I personally see ZERO need for anyone who doesnt detail for profit or isnt working on various types of cars and paint finishes to need a rotary at all but if you want one go for it.
I personally really enjoy the smoother operation and find on harder paint cars it works better for serious defect removal, again thats my opinion. Doesnt mean you cant replicate those results with a DA machine the process is just very different and for me I often prefer the rotary method.
Pads for Enthusiasts: A lot of DIY and enthusiasts think they need to have every pad on the market to get quality results on their own car. This isnt really the case. Heres how you should approach buying pads if you are a DIY'er.
First polish your own car with what you have and see the results, if you see the foam cutting pad your using leaves a ton of marring maybe you will want to switch to a less coarse foam (IE: LC Yellow down to an LC Orange). Again if you see your polishing pad doesnt quite leave the finish perfectly level and without haze maybe move to a softer foam.
Lake Country makes 3 finishing foam pads... Black, Red and Blue.... just because they MAKE all 3 foams doesnt mean you need to BUY all 3 foams. This concept many people seem unable to grasp:Boxing:
I personally love the Black LC foam, so if that works for you than thats the ONLY foam you need to buy (buy others if you want but thats at your discression).
*Dont buy 1 black, 1 red, 1 blue thinking you just outsmarted anyone and having all 3 makes your arsenal complete, quite the opposite actually. Everyone for the most part works of a budget, I do, I allot certain $ per month to be spent on products. So if your working within a buying 1 of each foam instead of 3 of the same kind puts you at a disadvantage if your an enthusiast, heres how...
Remember your not working on 50 different types of cars and paint finishes! Having
1 of each is a bad idea because if one outperforms the other, well
you still only have 1 of that pad which means it constantly needs to be cleaned and washed, this will take forever if your doing a full paint correction! The idea is to find the best foam for the car or cars your doing and buying several of them, that way you can move through polishing quickly having a stack of clean pads ready to go, one gets dirty, grab another and wash all of them AFTER the car is finished, not during the job itself.
Pro pad choice: I think by far my biggest expense with regard to products are pads, I spend more money on pads than anything else in my arsenal. Why? Because pads make or break a correction! If your a professional detailer who does high level correction, you need to have lots of pads and know which ones will work best for certain paint finishes.
Example, tomorrow I will be polishing an Audi R8 in metallic gray... I know that this is a very hard clear coat and therefore my pad choice will be specific. For defect removal on such a car I would opt for one of the hydrotech pads from LC, probably tangerine or cyan because it works beautifully on harder paint finishes and does not "soften up" like the standard LC orange foam after extended use. If your trying to cut out defects from a very hard clear coat than using foam that softens up after the initial 30 seconds of polishing will make your job much harder, however on a soften finish this is actually beneficial I found. Think specifically about the type of finish your working on and choose pads that reflect it.
Working on more delicate finishes such a soft clear coats makes pad choice even more crucial. When 106FA and a white polishing pad leaves hazing on a black car, you know your working with a soft clear coat. This is where having multiple types of foam pads pays off. You may find that the LC red pad finishes down better than the Blue on a particular car, now if you only had 1 type of finishing foam and THAT foam did not finish down 100%... you have no other options to try, as a professional this is what I call, a NIGHTMARE! (Note about nightmares in detailing: Avoid them.)
I am at the point now where I have enough different types of pads in enough sizes to handle pretty much any job, I think
ut:l. If a certain cutting pad doesnt work I have 2 or 3 others to try, all my bases are covered.
Also for the professional its very important to have a lot of pads, especially those pads which you constantly use. Pads break, tear, get contaminated, fall on the floor etc.... if you only have 2 of a certain pad and 1 breaks in the middle of a job your in deep you know what. Order enough to get you through any situation, very important.
Also if your a pro and working on different cars you need to have various size pads and backing plates to accompany them. If you tend to work on SUV's and family sedans than large pads and backing plates should make up the bulk of your arsenal, if you work on smaller cars or sports cars with tight spaces and curvy shapes, smaller pads and smaller BP's, simple enough.
Pro machines: 1 major rule, have more than 1 machine. If your a pro using only a DA to polish cars thats fine, I highly suggest however you have a second machine on hand. Machines cut out all the time, cords bend, brushes fail etc. if this happens and you have only 1 machine your job is not getting done, and remember someone is paying you to have that job done! Yes machines are a big ticket expense when it comes to detailing but they also make up the bulk of the work you do, take the hit and spend the money if your a pro.
Pro Polish Choice: I am going to say something right now, I may get flamed, I may be wrong but I really do not care. Here are the products that I feel should be in EVERY professional detailers polish cabinet
M105, M205, Menzerna Powerfinish, Menzerna 106FA ... ladies and gentlemen that is the core of a solid polish arsenal. I say CORE because there are many other products which are excellent but at the same time, ancillary. Products like PO85rd is not absolutely needed, but its damn good to have!
Enthusiast Polish choice: Keep your polishes to a bare minimum, the less you have the less you have to worry about. If you find you can get all the correction you need from 2 polishes than fantastic, just buy those and use them often.
Remember, especially if your an enthusiast, keeping your product selection to a bare minimum means that you are constantly using the same products thus furthering your ability to use them most effectively and most efficiently.
If you buy Menzerna powerfinish and use it everytime you polish your car, you inevitably will know its working time, breakdown phases, how much heat your generating with it granted the pads are the same etc. There if something to be said for the
comfort factor when it comes to polishes. If you have 5 or 6 different polishes similar to Powerfinish you probably wont have the time to really master all of their abilities... this is why keeping selection to a minimum is helpful for a enthusiast.
... more to come. Part 3 sometime this week.
