Help: Rotary Buffer Use

it doesnt matter how many years he has, you still should tape the car. Also do not use qd, learn with the product that you are going to use with the rotary this way you will get the feel of it and how it reacts to your technique.
 
justin30513 said:
Like I said in my post.......he has 12 years EXPERIENCE and does not TAPE.

Never said that a newbie to the rotary should.

I highly recommend getting some test panels and just using some QD on the pads first to just get a feel for this tool. I know it was hard to get the motions down at first after using the PC for so long.
Click to expand...

Last time I checked this was a thread for new rotary users, not ones with years of experience. Either way, taping is an important safety precaution everyone should practice. If you have years of experience with guns, would you still walk around with it with the safety off? No you wouldnt, safety precautions like taping should be used by rotary users at any level. Lets not forget you're dealing with someone elses car here. Not taping is just taking a short cut which could cost you big time. Better safe then sorry right? To me it seems like he (well mostly YOU) is bragging that he doesnt use tape. Thats someone who is new to detailing would do, not someone with experience.

As for QD, I dont use it, never have. Polish goes right on the paint, then spread it, then work it. A QD will just dilute your polish, no point in using it IMO. If you need a QD to work the polish, then either something is wrong with your polish, pad, machine, paint, or your technique.

Just because someone has years of experience, doesnt mean everything they say is necessarily correct or good practice.
 
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Somehow you have made this thread out to be about me...... oh well.

Good luck, poster, with your rotary practice!
It's a tool well worth learning.
 
D&D Auto Detailing said:
If you have years of experience with guns, would you still walk around with it with the safety off? No you wouldnt, safety precautions like taping should be used by rotary users at any level.
Click to expand...

Last time I checked police officers don't have safety's ...

Back on topic- Using a rotary there is a definite learning process. Practice makes perfect and the best way to learn a rotary is to pick one up and practice on spare car parts. Once you get the feel of it, reading and watching tips online will be a lot easier to comprehend. I have been using a rotary polisher on and off for 1 1/2 years and I'm still learning. Practice makes perfect. I have yet to unintentionally burn paint but keeping the pad moving at all times will lessen the chances of a burn. I have used 4" up to 7.5" pads and am still not sure what I like better or maybe its just that I don't find much differences between sizes. The learning curve may be steep but the results and time savings are worth it. Just make sure that you can give 100% concentration when using a rotary, one bad judgement and you may burn the paint or some type of molding.
 
I've even using the rotary with my one-steppers now to even get more practice. Man it really makes them cut too!
 
Your first advice from me would be to RELAX......... don't forget to breath, don't place a death grip on the rotary handle. That handle is not there for you to steer the rotary with either. Proper rotary work should look as if it's an extension of your upper body. It shouldn't be tense, jerky nor robotic but rather more flowing. You'll get fatigue from rotary work but it shouldn't be right away. If you are getting tired quickly while doing rotary work this means you're not breathing and you're very tense. Just relax, breath and enjoy it.

You steer or guide the rotary with as much of your upper body as possible, meaning you don't want to over reach or allow the buffer to get to far from outside of your shoulder area. This can cause the buffer to hop and skip and potentially lose control of it.

I also have no idea where the idea came from to "prime" your pad with water or a QD?? Place your product on the panel or area to be buffed (you should always mentally mark out an area to be buffed, no larger than 3ft. x 3ft.) and then place your pad on top of that, begin to buff with even pressured passes, not too fast or too slow.....experience will dictate your speed. You want to buff a panel until it's warm, "toasty warm", I always say.

Go to Radio Shack and buy an infrared thermometer, try to keep your buffed panels under 120 degrees.

Also, you DO NOT need to keep your pads flat when buffing. In fact most of the times you'll get less hop and vibration if you buff with your pad face slightly open. I do about 90% of my rotary work with a tilted pad. A tilted pad DOES NOT introduce swirls marks as commonly suggested. Swirl marks, or buffer trials, are caused from the operator not finishing out his or her rotary work properly. Swirl marks are micro scratches which can be eliminated when one finishes down with a fine pad and finishing polish.

I always state....the finer the pad and product the fewer the swirls.

Good luck and remember to RELAX...

Anthony
 
So I just got a metabo and I am new to the rotary as well. Great info in this tread and I just want to expand on the taping issue.

To properly tape off the car what should I tape?

Sorry never taped off a car before when using the PC

Thanks
 
Very good advice Anthony-relax and yes the pad will be at an angle when polishing.
I would tape emblems, marker lights, crevices that you dont want polish to get into, trim/moldings. Also if you do a search several people posted type cars so you can get an idea at what it might look like.
 
Grills, door handles, any plastics.
 
Anthony did indeed nail it! Best advice I've read and I read a lot before picking up a Makita and buffing away.Recently, I had the opportunity to be coached by a friend that owns a bodyshop - only things I do different now are - I switched to 3M and I'm not scared to put some pressure on the compounding step. But, I don't use the 3M Swirl remover - I use Menzerna IP instead, but 3M Ultrafina SE and their blue pad is fantastic!
 
Anthony Orosco said:
Your first advice from me would be to RELAX......... don't forget to breath, don't place a death grip on the rotary handle. That handle is not there for you to steer the rotary with either. Proper rotary work should look as if it's an extension of your upper body. It shouldn't be tense, jerky nor robotic but rather more flowing. You'll get fatigue from rotary work but it shouldn't be right away. If you are getting tired quickly while doing rotary work this means you're not breathing and you're very tense. Just relax, breath and enjoy it.

You steer or guide the rotary with as much of your upper body as possible, meaning you don't want to over reach or allow the buffer to get to far from outside of your shoulder area. This can cause the buffer to hop and skip and potentially lose control of it.

I also have no idea where the idea came from to "prime" your pad with water or a QD?? Place your product on the panel or area to be buffed (you should always mentally mark out an area to be buffed, no larger than 3ft. x 3ft.) and then place your pad on top of that, begin to buff with even pressured passes, not too fast or too slow.....experience will dictate your speed. You want to buff a panel until it's warm, "toasty warm", I always say.

Go to Radio Shack and buy an infrared thermometer, try to keep your buffed panels under 120 degrees.

Also, you DO NOT need to keep your pads flat when buffing. In fact most of the times you'll get less hop and vibration if you buff with your pad face slightly open. I do about 90% of my rotary work with a tilted pad. A tilted pad DOES NOT introduce swirls marks as commonly suggested. Swirl marks, or buffer trials, are caused from the operator not finishing out his or her rotary work properly. Swirl marks are micro scratches which can be eliminated when one finishes down with a fine pad and finishing polish.

I always state....the finer the pad and product the fewer the swirls.

Good luck and remember to RELAX...

Anthony
Click to expand...

Can`t agree more! :cheers:
 
As AnthonyO eluded to; the temperature of a paint surface should be monitored when using a high-speed polisher, friction heat can cause a rapid temperature rise (i.e. initial surface temp 80oF, heat attained by applying a cutting foam pad machine polish at 1,100 RPM for approx. ten seconds, 104oF) the paint temperature should be limited to 100oF (115oF <) in accordance with the Society of Automotive Engineers. Temperature at this level cause the urethane clear coat to soften and the foam pad will cause scratching that is forced deep into the clear coat
 
I've just recieved the rotary and managed to pick up two hoods and a bumper from local body shops. I would like to thank everyone again for their valuable input. I've spent the better part of an hour re-reviewing posts. I realize how much effort everyone has put forth to help me out and hope I can return the favor at some point. Please continue to add any additional information which comes to mind; I'll continue checking this post.
 
budman3;156802[B said:
]Last time I checked police officers don't have safety's [/B]...

Back on topic- Using a rotary there is a definite learning process. Practice makes perfect and the best way to learn a rotary is to pick one up and practice on spare car parts. Once you get the feel of it, reading and watching tips online will be a lot easier to comprehend. I have been using a rotary polisher on and off for 1 1/2 years and I'm still learning. Practice makes perfect. I have yet to unintentionally burn paint but keeping the pad moving at all times will lessen the chances of a burn. I have used 4" up to 7.5" pads and am still not sure what I like better or maybe its just that I don't find much differences between sizes. The learning curve may be steep but the results and time savings are worth it. Just make sure that you can give 100% concentration when using a rotary, one bad judgement and you may burn the paint or some type of molding.
Click to expand...

Actually..ours have a magazine release safety!!
 
milabfocker said:
I've just recieved the rotary and managed to pick up two hoods and a bumper from local body shops. I would like to thank everyone again for their valuable input. I've spent the better part of an hour re-reviewing posts. I realize how much effort everyone has put forth to help me out and hope I can return the favor at some point. Please continue to add any additional information which comes to mind; I'll continue checking this post.
Click to expand...

Glad you're getting started!
I've used the rotary now for a week straight and love it. It does so much so much faster than the PC would ever think of. Not only that, the finish the rotary leaves is amazing. The best thing is too is that you do not have to go aggressive in your pad/chemical. Less is better with the rotary due to how much stronger it is. Be careful but it's not as scary as it seems. You do have to pay full attention to what you are doing.

Enjoy this machine. The time it saves you is amazing.
 
I got some practice with the rotary on two hoods provided by a local body shop. They didn't come out perfect; however, these hoods were in terrible shape and this is the first time I've ever operated a rotary. I thought I'd share some pics of the results. Thanks again for the input.

Brandon
 
Man that is some good work. I see you got the 9227 (Makita).......it's an awesome machine.

I bet you were amazed in the time it took to do the correction. I was!
 
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