Alright rotary users, I need some advice

wolfpacker92

wolfpacker92

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OK I just purchased a rotary and I am going to order Menzerna polishs with my next order. Now I will need pads and backing plate for the rotary and I am looking for advice/reccomendations. This is my first venture with the rotary and I have a vehicle to practice on that can only look better regardless what I do to it.;)

I need to know what pads I need and what each pad is for such as light cut,polish, etc. I have only used LC pads with my PC so if you recommend another manufacturer please let me know what colors correspond to cutting ablility. Also really confused about wool so any help/advice will be greatly appreciated.

OK all rotary users step up to the plate and teach me. I'm listening and paying attention. Thanks in advance.
 
I would used use the same pads you are jusing on the PC, and they will do the same work ;) Oh, and get the yellow flexible backing plate for rotary, its great! Nothing more to say. Just have fun, and don`t be to scared the first time :)
 
pirex said:
I would used use the same pads you are jusing on the PC, and they will do the same work ;) Oh, and get the yellow flexible backing plate for rotary, its great! Nothing more to say. Just have fun, and don`t be to scared the first time :)
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OK will I just need 7.5" pads instead of 6.5"? And you know its kind of hard not to be nervous your "first time";) , but I'm sure it'll be fun!
 
Hi wolfpacker92,

My appoligies for not getting back to you :( my bad. I agree with pirex, you can simply use the pads you are currently using on the PC. You just need to get the right backing plate. I personal prefer to use 6.5 to 5inch foam pads on my rotary. I feel I get better control, but that's just me. I do have some 7.5inch pads too but I hardly ever use them, just have them just in case. So backing plates, well if you use a 6.5inch backing plate you can use a 5.5inch backing plate or a 6inch backing plate. It's all a personal preference. The advantage of having a smaller backing plate is that you have more foam around the edge of the backing plate, so the chances of you hitting the backing plate on the surface of the paint are some what rare.

Now there are lots of backing plates, I agree with pirex the felxible baking plates work nice. I only once used a very firm backing plate and I didn't like the feel of it, I personally use a 3M backing plate. Not sure if you have seen it before but on any of my postings but it has the velco and then it has foam in the middle and then it attaches to the 5/8 thread. I really like it the 3M backing plate.

As for foam pads. Well I have the Lake Country, the Edge pads, Meg's pads, Menzerna pads, Edge wool pads, Meg's wool pad and last but not least 3M wool pads. I use different types of pads with different types of polishing products. For example, I use Menzerna foam pads with the Menzerna polish. However, last vehicle I detailed I used Meg's polishing pad with Menzerna polish and it worked great. The more I use the Meg's foam pads the more I like them, I find though with the rotary I hardly need to use Meg's cutting foam pad. Just the Polishing pad will remove a great deal, also depend on the polish you are using...I favor Menzerna polish as you can tell ;).

As for wool pads, I like the Edge wool pads but I don't mind the Meg's wool pad. I've only used the 3M wool pads I have only once and they are complitely different compared to all the other pads I have, lets just say you pay for what you get.

Well I hope this helps a little, again this is only my opinion and my experiance with pads and backing plate.
 
I love using the edge foam and wool pads. I can go from wool to foam in a snap...quite literally.
 
Nica said:
Hi wolfpacker92,

My appoligies for not getting back to you :( my bad. I agree with pirex, you can simply use the pads you are currently using on the PC. You just need to get the right backing plate. I personal prefer to use 6.5 to 5inch foam pads on my rotary. I feel I get better control, but that's just me. I do have some 7.5inch pads too but I hardly ever use them, just have them just in case. So backing plates, well if you use a 6.5inch backing plate you can use a 5.5inch backing plate or a 6inch backing plate. It's all a personal preference. The advantage of having a smaller backing plate is that you have more foam around the edge of the backing plate, so the chances of you hitting the backing plate on the surface of the paint are some what rare.

Now there are lots of backing plates, I agree with pirex the felxible baking plates work nice. I only once used a very firm backing plate and I didn't like the feel of it, I personally use a 3M backing plate. Not sure if you have seen it before but on any of my postings but it has the velco and then it has foam in the middle and then it attaches to the 5/8 thread. I really like it the 3M backing plate.

As for foam pads. Well I have the Lake Country, the Edge pads, Meg's pads, Menzerna pads, Edge wool pads, Meg's wool pad and last but not least 3M wool pads. I use different types of pads with different types of polishing products. For example, I use Menzerna foam pads with the Menzerna polish. However, last vehicle I detailed I used Meg's polishing pad with Menzerna polish and it worked great. The more I use the Meg's foam pads the more I like them, I find though with the rotary I hardly need to use Meg's cutting foam pad. Just the Polishing pad will remove a great deal, also depend on the polish you are using...I favor Menzerna polish as you can tell ;).

As for wool pads, I like the Edge wool pads but I don't mind the Meg's wool pad. I've only used the 3M wool pads I have only once and they are complitely different compared to all the other pads I have, lets just say you pay for what you get.

Well I hope this helps a little, again this is only my opinion and my experiance with pads and backing plate.
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Carlos is the man!!!!!Im the MAN Im the MAN Im the MAN:awesome: :awesome: :awesome: My expert buddy!!!:D
I was thinking LC, so you like the Megs better? Right? I have been looking myself...Thanks bro....
 
OK I'm starting to understand. I know which foam pads are used for each purpose, however I am not sure when and why you would use wool. And Nica I have the strong feeling I am going to love the Menzerna line. I am glad to see people posting that I can use the 6.5" pads because I am most comfortable with them now and for a novice having as many things that I'm comfortable with will help a lot.
 
wool pads (for me) are easier to control. they dont jump and grab the paint like foam does. also they get the job done quicker than foam IMO. if you come across an extremly oxidized or scratched paint job go straight to wool. it will cut through it quick. and the MENZ line is great
 
Im having a hell of a time trying to control the rotary with the LC CCS orange pad. The LC CCS yellow pad is a lot easier to control.
 
sparkie said:
Carlos is the man!!!!!Im the MAN Im the MAN Im the MAN:awesome: :awesome: :awesome: My expert buddy!!!:D
I was thinking LC, so you like the Megs better? Right? I have been looking myself...Thanks bro....
Click to expand...

I like the Lake Country but the more I use Megs the more I like it. So these are my go to pads at the moment. When I'm doing a full correction and there are lots of deep swirls oh and specially if it's a black/dark color vehicles I'll use a Meg's wool pad. I agree with detailgod, wool pads work much faster, less heat and much more control oh and once you get good at using the wool pads you will see you that you can achive the same results with wool as foam pads. So after a deep compounding I go to either Meg's Polishing pad or Menzerna orange pad (which is actually like a finishing pad) with either 106FF and then finish off with the orange Menzerna pad with Final Polish II.

Again this is only depending on the color of the vehicle and how much correction you really want to do. Power Gloss Compound can finish LSP in some vehicle, actually if you work it long enough it can finish LSP even with wool pads.

Well sparkie I hope this helps bro, but I'm no expert I'm just fortunet that I've purchased a bunch of pads to try out :D and I'm more then happy to share my experiances.
 
Again this is only depending on the color of the vehicle and how much correction you really want to do. Power Gloss Compound can finish LSP in some vehicle, actually if you work it long enough it can finish LSP even with wool pads.


that is impressive.
 
D&D Auto Detailing said:
Im having a hell of a time trying to control the rotary with the LC CCS orange pad. The LC CCS yellow pad is a lot easier to control.
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Just give it some time, you will be best friends soon :awesome: Now I use the rotary on the hole car, even the mirrors. No problemo ;) Just have to get used to it!
 
Nica said:
I like the Lake Country but the more I use Megs the more I like it. So these are my go to pads at the moment. When I'm doing a full correction and there are lots of deep swirls oh and specially if it's a black/dark color vehicles I'll use a Meg's wool pad. I agree with detailgod, wool pads work much faster, less heat and much more control oh and once you get good at using the wool pads you will see you that you can achive the same results with wool as foam pads. So after a deep compounding I go to either Meg's Polishing pad or Menzerna orange pad (which is actually like a finishing pad) with either 106FF and then finish off with the orange Menzerna pad with Final Polish II.

Again this is only depending on the color of the vehicle and how much correction you really want to do. Power Gloss Compound can finish LSP in some vehicle, actually if you work it long enough it can finish LSP even with wool pads.

Well sparkie I hope this helps bro, but I'm no expert I'm just fortunet that I've purchased a bunch of pads to try out :D and I'm more then happy to share my experiances.
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Thanks my friend, I think I'm going to order the green one and maybe another color too.
 
I've learned to use the wool pad as a starting point instead of the cutting pad and compound. Wool seems to be easier to use, cooler running on the paint, and finishes nicely. You will get a bunch of shedding with a new pad (looks like my lab was in the shop on a few of them), but that's no biggie.

Wool (like a cutting pad) is the starting point. On soft clear coats, you will generate swirling but that's easily corrected with a polish pad.

I also like the small backing plate and pads for my rotary. It just seems easier to control the machine. I did try a new backing plate that came with the Meguiar's So1o kit....very flexible and flows around body contours well. I might even order a few spare plates for everyday use.

Toto
 
Thanks Toto I was hoping you would respond to this thread. That cleared up a lot for me on the use of wool. So if I am following correctly then wool could/should take the place of say a LC orange pad. If this is the case then that makes sense. Hey the muddy water is starting to get a little clearer.
 
Thinking of a rotary. Do I understand everyone to say that wool is better for a beginner than foam?
 
I didn't start out with wool.....learned to use cutting pads and one day decided to try wool out.

There are different levels of aggression in wool as there are in foam pads. I'd recommend a mild wool pad (some call it twisted wool and others just say light cut wool).

Also important: either buy a wool cleaning spur or use a big screwdriver and clean the wool after each panel. The one thing you don't want is a wool pad caked up with product. I usually put a 6"-8" bead of product on a panel, then pick up the bead with the pad and work an area approx. 1/2 a door panel or a front fender, etc. Keep the rpm around 1,200 to prevent the product from drying out too fast. Work the area and decrease your pressure on the tool and you can almost (some folk can actually reach) get to LSP ready...I'm not that good because I usually jump to a foam polish pad.

One big benefit of wool is plastic painted panels (bumpers especially). Wool tends to operate cooler than foam (which we all know can burn plastic pretty fast) and allows a lot more working time to correct scratches on plastic.

Finally, wool pads are generally less $$ than foam, so get a couple of different ones to try.

Toto
 
So with a Rotary, you move it faster on the paint than the PC? PC is about 1 inch per second.
 
alban61 said:
So with a Rotary, you move it faster on the paint than the PC? PC is about 1 inch per second.
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Probably close to the same...it really depends on the correction you are doing. My guage is to work the product completely and check the status of the correction...then move on or add more product and keep working. That's why I use a small amount of product. If you use too much, it will cake on the pad or panel (or both) and you just can't see your work.

Toto
 
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