Do you prime each pad before use when correcting or polishing?

[lalojamesliz]

I was watching a how to use your flex 3401 vid by Mike Philips and he said to prime each new pad by smearing product your using over the whole pad face and then the few drops and that's what your going to use.

Is this done only with brand new pads for its first use or before you begin using each clean pad. It just seems like a lot of product especially since you should have 8 pads to correct a full size car.
Just want to be sure on this....
Thanks guys

 

[Eldorado2k]

Some people subscribe to that method and others don’t. These days it’s considered the proper way to start off a fresh pad..

I personally never prime foam pads. Never.
I’ve always preferred the circle of product method when starting off a fresh foam pad.

IMO a circles worth is always the sweet spot to start a pad off right. From then on 3-4 pea sized dots is all you need.

Anything less is not enough and results in too dry of a start.

But IMO priming the foam pad + adding 3-4 dots on top of that is overkill and can lead to premature saturation of the pad which is not good for anything.

With a circle, the whole pad is evenly covered in product within the 1st few seconds anyway, without running the risk of clogging up the pores from the start.

The only time I prime pads is when I’m using microfiber pads.

 

[lalojamesliz]

Sweet. Thanks man

 

[dlc95]

I'm very similar to Eldo.

I usually start with 3 to 5 dots of product on foam pads, and reload with anywhere between 2 and 4 dots - depending on the pad/liquid I'm using.

I do however, prime microfiber pads.

 

[fightnews]

It doesn't take as much as you think to butter the pad. You spread it real thin

 

[lalojamesliz]

When I first did my SUV with my pc7424xp I was following directions from chemical guys with 4-5 drops and a spray of pad conditioner usually just on a clean pad right before it got used
Do any of you guys ever use pad conditioner or something similar? I think it's like claybar lube

 

[dlc95]

When I first did my SUV with my pc7424xp I was following directions from chemical guys with 4-5 drops and a spray of pad conditioner usually just on a clean pad right before it got used
Do any of you guys ever use pad conditioner or something similar? I think it's like claybar lube

Not unless I'm using foam on a rotary. That's an old carryover from the directions on the Meguiar's bottles.

 

[Mike@ShineStruck]

I don't prime my foam pads
I do 5 peansize dots then 3 after which is always on a new spot.

Never had any issues with cutting nor finishing

 

[PaulMys]

I'm in agreement with Eldo on the circle.

When I started out, I tried priming the pad first. Led to premature saturation of the pad IME. Then I tried just the 3 pea-sized dots. Didn't seem like quite enough product. (Again, IME).

Then I thought to myself: Why not put a thin bead around the whole pad?

Bingo. It worked for me, and that is my method now. The circle method has worked for me using LC flats, Thin Pros, and B&S.

 

[rangerbay]

I prime real coarse cutting foam pads. On medium cut or smoother, I just put an x for the first pass, then pea sized drops after, depending on what I'm doing. I do not condition rotary foam pads, it will just sling it all over you!

Bill

 

[Paul A.]

I use Mike's method and retire each pad much earlier now compared to my old method of 3-5 dots or thin x pattern. Because I have adopted Mike's priming method I'm using a lot more pads per job but my results have improved.

I do like the logic of having as much product working each section. I'll go 2, maybe 3 sections and swap out and prime a fresh, clean pad and have seen firsthand results improved.

I'm trying to convince anyone...just my experience.

 

[PaulMys]

I use Mike's method and retire each pad much earlier now compared to my old method of 3-5 dots or thin x pattern. Because I have adopted Mike's priming method I'm using a lot more pads per job but my results have improved.

I do like the logic of having as much product working each section. I'll go 2, maybe 3 sections and swap out and prime a fresh, clean pad and have seen firsthand results improved.

I'm trying to convince anyone...just my experience.

Exactly Mike's point of "Find something that works, and stick with it".

All of us have adopted our own methods, and we like to share those with the AGO crowd.

Funny thing is, it is all these methods that both inform and drive a newbie completely insane at the same time. (Speaking from experience). Lol

 

[dlc95]

I use Mike's method and retire each pad much earlier now compared to my old method of 3-5 dots or thin x pattern. Because I have adopted Mike's priming method I'm using a lot more pads per job but my results have improved.

I do like the logic of having as much product working each section. I'll go 2, maybe 3 sections and swap out and prime a fresh, clean pad and have seen firsthand results improved.

I'm trying to convince anyone...just my experience.

I tried it a couple times - even recently, and it worked very well!

I used M100 with some standard orange LC flats, which seemed like the perfect type of pad for that priming method.

The green Buff and Shine pads I use to cut have a more open cell structure, which just ends up getting over saturated using that method, very quickly.

 

[Calendyr]

Yes, I always prime the pad. You can work without doing it, but the problem is that the areas on your pad without product on it will not be working to correct or polish. So if half your pad has no product on it, you are only 50% effective meaning it will take you twice as long to achieve the same result. Up to you

 

[Eldorado2k]

Yes, I always prime the pad. You can work without doing it, but the problem is that the areas on your pad without product on it will not be working to correct or polish. So if half your pad has no product on it, you are only 50% effective meaning it will take you twice as long to achieve the same result. Up to you

Isn’t it impossible for that to actually happen? I mean if that were true, there’d be open gaps when you go to wipe off the polish.. And since there’s never any dry gaps when wiping off, then that means that even the dry areas of the unprimed pad have come in contact with the polish within the 1st couple of seconds of you turning the polisher on.

 

[Eldorado2k]

Here’s the same pad that I posted a picture of earlier in this thread. [yes it’s been laying around dirty for the past 10 days] I used this 1 pad to polish the whole car [Cadillac CTS]
Notice how the circle where I initially applied the polish is easily visible and it’s the only area of the pad that could be described as “overly saturated” whereas the rest of the pad remains pretty fresh [especially considering it was used to polish an entire vehicle]

-If I had primed the whole face of the pad I’d most likely be looking at the entire surface being over saturated to the point where it’s no longer usable. But since I didn’t prime the pad, it allowed the pad to remain fresh for much longer, with just the right amount of moisture from the polish to be effective without ever coming close to clogging the pores. [cleaning on the fly is vital]-


Some people may scoff at the fact that I only used 1 pad to polish the entire vehicle... But 1st of all, this is a 7” pad. It covers a much larger area compared to a tiny 5” pad.

Plus I was polishing a vehicle that’s already in near perfect condition, so there was no heavy duty stuff going on.. I was simply polishing to max out the gloss on the paint. And my results are good.

Contrary to popular belief, I don’t have to go through a Ton of pads for a simple quik polish of the vehicle. IMO Not priming the foam pad is a major+ and also results in a better user experience.

 

[Ronin47]

Yes, I always prime the pad. You can work without doing it, but the problem is that the areas on your pad without product on it will not be working to correct or polish. So if half your pad has no product on it, you are only 50% effective meaning it will take you twice as long to achieve the same result. Up to you

The polish is meant to be on the paint surface more than the face of the pad. You actually reduce cut with a primed pad as you have a more slipping surface than a working surface. I never ever prime pads.

 

[fightnews]

I use Mike's method and retire each pad much earlier now compared to my old method of 3-5 dots or thin x pattern. Because I have adopted Mike's priming method I'm using a lot more pads per job but my results have improved.

I do like the logic of having as much product working each section. I'll go 2, maybe 3 sections and swap out and prime a fresh, clean pad and have seen firsthand results improved.

I'm trying to convince anyone...just my experience.

Me too!

Here’s the same pad that I posted a picture of earlier in this thread. [yes it’s been laying around dirty for the past 10 days] I used this 1 pad to polish the whole car [Cadillac CTS]
Notice how the circle where I initially applied the polish is easily visible and it’s the only area of the pad that could be described as “overly saturated” whereas the rest of the pad remains pretty fresh [especially considering it was used to polish an entire vehicle]



-If I had primed the whole face of the pad I’d most likely be looking at the entire surface being over saturated to the point where it’s no longer usable. But since I didn’t prime the pad, it allowed the pad to remain fresh for much longer, with just the right amount of moisture from the polish to be effective without ever coming close to clogging the pores. [cleaning on the fly is vital]-


Some people may scoff at the fact that I only used 1 pad to polish the entire vehicle... But 1st of all, this is a 7” pad. It covers a much larger area compared to a tiny 5” pad.



Plus I was polishing a vehicle that’s already in near perfect condition, so there was no heavy duty stuff going on.. I was simply polishing to max out the gloss on the paint. And my results are good.

Contrary to popular belief, I don’t have to go through a Ton of pads for a simple quik polish of the vehicle. IMO Not priming the foam pad is a major+ and also results in a better user experience.

I don't agree with your method but Can't argue with that. Is it possible you would have gotten better results with more pads?

 

[fightnews]

The polish is meant to be on the paint surface more than the face of the pad. You actually reduce cut with a primed pad as you have a more slipping surface than a working surface. I never ever prime pads.

Can you prove that? I say "You actually reduce cut" by not priming the pad because you have less abrasives.

 

[fightnews]

When I first did my SUV with my pc7424xp I was following directions from chemical guys with 4-5 drops and a spray of pad conditioner usually just on a clean pad right before it got used
Do any of you guys ever use pad conditioner or something similar? I think it's like claybar lube

I use it sparingly