Good place to start with a rotary?
- Thread starter pcw25
- Start date
mark58
New member
- Apr 3, 2011
- 444
- 0
Junk yard!
mark58
New member
- Apr 3, 2011
- 444
- 0
I will put is simple as I can. I ruined the paint on my old 2002 Cadillac DHS.
alko
New member
- May 23, 2011
- 4,342
- 0
aww man!!! I JUST got my Flex...you just made me nervous!
mark58
New member
- Apr 3, 2011
- 444
- 0
ohmy...i hope it isn't something to worry about. i just want to polish paint faster. i guess it isn't hype...
Just be smart (unlike me) read a lot and practice on a junk hood or trunk lid.
rider9195
New member
- Jun 6, 2011
- 3,227
- 0
Maybe go to some car dealers around town and ask if they have any junk panels? Wouldn't hurt.
Dr Oldz
New member
- Aug 31, 2010
- 4,462
- 0
A scrap panel is indeed the best way to start and intentionally burn the paint so you see what it takes to do so. If that is not an option, I would suggest starting off at the slowest speed with a finishing pad and a finishing polish and keep the pad moving at all times.
Dr Oldz
New member
- Aug 31, 2010
- 4,462
- 0
YW. This thread is only 20 mins old...so keep looking back at it as others will see it in the next few days and add their thoughts also.
Rsurfer
Well-known member
- Jan 26, 2007
- 14,159
- 26
If there is no junk yard near by, surely someone has an old beater that they wouldn't mind having polished for free. Just keep the rotary moving and stay away from edges. Until you get good, just tape the edges and just use good judgement and you'll be fine.
O
opie_7afe
Guest
:iagree: for me using a rotary is in my blood so to speak lol. i got some hands on training from my dad(now i can polish better then him) but in all honesty using the rotary is easy, whats hard is learning not to burn edges, so best way to not burn edges is what i did when i first started on a daily driver vehicle, and that is to tape all the hard edges, i used some thin tape to tape up inbetween seams,on edges of body lines, hood/fender edges areas like that and then i would go on polishing with m105 and then i would remove most of the tape on the body lines and not out of the gaps/trim and use m205 on a finishing pad to remove compounding swirls and to blend every thing in. now ive gotten better and dont need to tape most body lines.i wouldnt start out with a wool pad either, the fibers in the wool are more likely to burn edges inbetween body panel gaps(just guess how i know this) remember everyone has burned an edge when using a rotary so expect it to happen. as far as finding test panels call up a body shop explain what you are using it for (i would ask to speak to an actual body shop worker vs the office folk) you will end up with a damaged panel but will be enough area to learn. when people come in for say a frontal corner colision the bumper and fender might be toast and the hood might have alittle damage which ends up being replaced so that leaves a ton of area to practice with. just also mention to the body shop your not looking to get metal for scrap your just trying to expand your knowledge on using a rotary buffer ect ect.heck might even get some work out of just a phone call or physical visit 
chevchenko
New member
- Jul 6, 2011
- 82
- 0
I am trying to figure out why you would even want to use a rotary. It is what I started out on a long time ago, but with the Griot's machine (a lot of power and so smooth) and the Flex DA, there is not much these machines cannot do, and they do not leave the swirls that you later have to get out when using a wheel. Just my thoughts. I am sure many will say they can do things with a rotary much faster etc. I don't buy it. That was true when all we had were the first PC which were weak, and the pads had not caught up as well. But with these two machines, and pads now made with DA in mind, well I see no reason to use the rotary anymore. I actually sold mine.