Wool vs. Foam pads. What's better?

LikeaRock

LikeaRock

...Dreaming on an E92....
My Presta kit cme with two wool pads and a foam pad. The cutting and polishing pads are both wool, the finishing pad is foam. Are there any advantages/disadvantages with the wool pads over the foam? I see most people use foam but I really like the wool pads too, I've noticed it's a lot easier to run the whole pad over the surface of the car, they don't seem to "grab" as much as the foam pads.

Just thought I'd get everyones take on this :)
 
LikeaRock said:
My Presta kit cme with two wool pads and a foam pad. The cutting and polishing pads are both wool, the finishing pad is foam. Are there any advantages/disadvantages with the wool pads over the foam? I see most people use foam but I really like the wool pads too, I've noticed it's a lot easier to run the whole pad over the surface of the car, they don't seem to "grab" as much as the foam pads.

Just thought I'd get everyones take on this :)
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Foam pads are much more forgiving IMO. Most wool pads are VERY aggressive, and really aren't necessary on clear coat finishes. On single stage paint, wool holds more dead/oxidized paint vs. foam. On clear coats, wool tends to introduce swirls to the paint if used improperly (even sometimes if you use them properly). If you lift up on a wool pad, as you approach edges, you'll likely introduce swirls.

If your foam pad is 'grabbing' you might not be using enough product to 'prime' the pad. I use wool spot pads on occassion to level scratches, but stick with foam for everything else.

You can accomplish 95%+ with foam pads. Wool on clear coat is an exception, for very neglected or abused finishes.
 
Well the only details I've done with my wool pads and rotary thus far were my neighbors Acura Legend, the hood was covered in oxidation and the Presta Cutting Creme and wool pad took it right out. The other one was on a single stage Mercedes SL450 with crazy acid rain damage. I've had very good luck with my rotary, I'll admit I do get a few swirls in the harder areas but the PC takes them right out. I don't use much pressure at all with the rotary, and I tend to use one side of the pad more than the whole thing when I'm working on areas with a lot of curveture, so I'm quite suprised that I had very few swirls on both cars.

Could my technique (or lack of experience?) w/ the rotary be the reason I'm digging these things? The foam pad is supposed to be used with their Swirl Remover polish, and I don't go easy when I apply it either, so I'm suprised the pad grabs sometimes. Do I need to "prime" the pad, and does that mean misting it with water or a QD? Because I know the Cutting Creme works wonders with my PC when I mist the pad with water, breaks down much faster and easier.
 
I started on the rotary with wool only too, and agree that wool is MUCH easier to work with, but not necessarily better for your paint. What type of lighting are you using to check your work?

Foam pad 'grabbing' on the rotary can be caused by a few things:

-you are 'dry' buffing. In other words you don't have a barrier of polish between the pad and paint. Dry buffing can also be caused by working too large of an area.

-You are trying to steer the rotary like it's a pc. You have to be the driver on a PC, on a rotary you let the machine do the work, and you only need to guide it over the paint, with the pad flat. That said, you need to remain balanced on center, over the rotary.

-I generally avoid misting my pad with QD or water, especially on the rotary. Priming the pad is easy on a flat.

-Lay down a pencil thick bead about a foot long

-Set your rotary to the lowest setting. (or use your trigger on a low setting)

-Working from left to right pick up the bead with your pad, on center, with the top of the pad tilted slightly upwards to 'cup' the polish. Lake Country VC 7.5" pads work like magic.

-You want to avoid picking up polish on the pad edges because it will sling all over the place.
 
I like working with wool pads but I won't use one on the paint unless I've clayed and it still feels like I haven't. It cuts pretty deep when used with most any polish and while effective it takes at least one more step, usually two more, to finish up. I like their ease of use but they're not an everyday thing.
 
Sunlight is the only lighting I've got. Whenever I'm done the paint seems to look good, I haven't left any burns or heavy swirls anywhere, so I guess I'm not doing too bad with it.

I usually lay the polish down on the paint first and spread it, but the pad still seems to grab. Maybe I'm still not using enough polish and thats why? I try not to work in large sections with the rotary, so I don't think that could be what's causing it. As for "steering" the rotary, I realized I do that on occasion, mainly on the harder areas. I'm new to using it, so I try to be cautious with my work, I'd hate to burn the paint or make the car look like swirl city. I'm going to detail my brother-in-laws black Jetta relatively soon, and oh man does it have some harsh marring/webbing. He needs new bumpers (Dogs chewed on the corners, can you beliebe that?), and that's going to require new paint, so he's going to let me tackle it with the rotary and see what I can do. I'll have to try some of your tips. Maybe when my wool pads are shot I'll go ahead and order some LC pads :)

Thanks again
 
I started on wool with a rotary. A lot more potential for damage, but necessary with heavy oxidization.
I start with the finest pad possible and go to grittiest. Your wool pads should last you some time. You'll burn through your foam pad quicker.
With wool, I mist with water. With foam I prime the pad, then make sure I have enough product and don't mist at all.
 
I never understood how a wool pad can cause more damage than a foam pad, but i think I'm sarting to figure it out. Can someone explain why this is true though?

I went and grabbed my practice hood from my grandpas barn and did some work with it. It was covered with dust and mud, cobwebs, etc. I went ahead and cleaned it off with some Brake Parts Cleaner (I know it's NOT a good thing, but I wanted to remove as much as possible without washing it and I thought it'd be fun removing the small amount of oxidation it left behind). I hit it with the cutting creme, 1500 polish, swirl remover and P&S UltraCoat polish for the final polish. I laid down a thicker bead and spread it aroun at the lowest speed (like mgm said to do), then worked up to 1500 RPM's. The pad didn't grab NEARLY as much, which pleased me. I used my PC and finishing pad to apply a coat of #21 and it looked really good. It's a white hood, and all I had to work with was a 500 Watt Halogen light and the flourescents hanging in the garage, but there was a dramatic improvement!

Thanks again for the tips everyone. And if you have anymore, please share!
 
LikeaRock said:
I never understood how a wool pad can cause more damage than a foam pad, but i think I'm sarting to figure it out. Can someone explain why this is true though?
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Heat. At some point, anything will burn something else. A finishing foam pad will burn through older acrylic paint on edges and contours if held there for more than a couple of seconds, or at bad angles. A wool pad does not distribute heat well, and the fibres generate a tremendous amount of heat. Keep lots of polish or misting is helpful, but edges can grab, and contours can be tricky.
A foam pad generates less heat, and distributes that heat away from the surface quite well.
 
PEI Detail said:
Heat. At some point, anything will burn something else. A finishing foam pad will burn through older acrylic paint on edges and contours if held there for more than a couple of seconds, or at bad angles. A wool pad does not distribute heat well, and the fibres generate a tremendous amount of heat. Keep lots of polish or misting is helpful, but edges can grab, and contours can be tricky.
A foam pad generates less heat, and distributes that heat away from the surface quite well.
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Ok, it's totally clear now. I didn't understand how a wool pad could do more damage since I didn't see how it could heat up as much as a foam pad, but the way you described it makes perfect sense now :punk:
 
tdekany said:
I always pick it up from right to left :ohmy:
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If you want the product to go away from you--right to left. If you want the product to come toward you--left to right. On the left to right, tilting the pad slightly toward your movement on the first pass will keep sling down.
 
tdekany said:
I always pick it up from right to left :ohmy:
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The only thing I have ever learnt face to face by a rotary master is to go from right to left with the pad on a slight angle, then flatten at the end of the line of product

Works great, especially since my 9227 makita starts at 600 rpm
Pads - I love foam and will never use a wool pad on clearcoat paints
Yes wool cuts quicker but causes new swirl and scratch marks sometimes

I try an edge green or 3M perfect it black foam first as in most cases, the paintwork will respond well to them (thanks to anthony orosco for the tip)
If that doesn't work, the edge yellow comes out and edge black if absolutely necessary. The black one has a very rough texture and removed scratches and swirls on a new mazda vehicle as quick as a wool pad but without the marks, holograms etc and absolutely left no new marks
 
tdekany said:
I always pick it up from right to left :ohmy:
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.

I wonder if it's b/c I'm left handed ???? Left to Right just feel natural to me, and I don't have a sling issue.
 
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