Cleaning on the fly only takes the worst of it out. Once you've primed the pad the first time you don't have to totally re-prime it again.
Typically 3 pea sized dots are all you need for each "section". That section should be no larger than 24"x24".
Depending on the product you are working with you can adjust that a bit.
Shouldn't be hard to do an entire vehicle with 4 ounces if that helps.
The key is that you are not buffing dry, but not crazy wet either. As long as you are leaving a bit of a trail, "wet film" of product you're good. (See the end of the below article.)
BELOW ARTICLE IS COPIED FROM MIKE PHILLIPS.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ow-prime-foam-pad-when-using-da-polisher.html
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Work the product around the face of the
pad and into the pores
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Any extra, take and apply to the outer edge until 100% of the working face of the
pad is primed with product.
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As an option you can also
prime the outer edge. This helps if you're buffing around convex curves or around panels that the edge of your buffing
pad may come into contact with, like spoilers, side mirror housings, curved panels etc.
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Primed and ready to add "Working Product" to.
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Adding "Working Product" to the primed pad
Some people will recommend 3 to 4 pea size drops of product as the proper amount of product to use and this can be correct for
concentrated products or working small sections and if you follow this advice make sure you are not
under-lubricating the surface being worked.
Pea size drops of product
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For some products and paint conditions, you may want more product on the surface working for you. Here's an example of dime size drops of product.
Dime size drops of product
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How much product to use after priming
Ample
You want an AMPLE amount of product when first starting out because you
pad is dry and some of the product is going to seep into the
pad leaving less on the surface to LUBRICATE and ABRADE the paint
Cut down on the amount of product AFTER pad is broken-in...
After your
pad is broken in with product, clean your
pad after each section pass and when you apply fresh product you can cut down on the amount of product you actually apply to the face of your
pad.
Too Little Product
Under-using product reduces lubricity and will make it more difficult for your
pad to rotate efficiently.
Too Much Product
Using too much product will
hyper-lubricate or over-lubricate the
pad and will interfere with the abrasives ability to abrade the paint.
Keep in mind that you want enough product on the surface so you have,
- Abrasives working for you.
- A lubricating film between the paint and the pad.
Often times if you don't have enough product to work with you'll end up buffing to a dry buff. When you lose lubrication,
friction increase and this can lead to micro-marring or hazing.
2. Applying a Circle Pattern of Product
Benefits to a Circle Pattern
As you work around the car you'll find that
your product will migrate to the center on it's own. This can lead to
pad saturation starting at the center of the
pad where most of the heat is generated.
This can cause problems because wet foam will hold in heat better than dry foam and over time this can accelerate de-lamination between the hook & loop material and either the foam of the
pad or the backing material on the backing plate.
Knowing this... I don't help the problem by using an X pattern as using an X-pattern means putting product onto the middle of the face of the
pad.
If you're placing pea or dime sized amounts of product to the face of your
pad then it's also a good idea to avoid placing the product directly in the center of the
pad.
Circle Pattern on a clean dry pad and then worked for a Section Pass
After working the circle of product over a section, you can see it spread the product out over the entire face of the
pad without having to spread it with your finger. The
pad is now equally primed with residual product.
Cut down on product after your first section pass
At this point you could clean your
pad or add fresh product and when you add fresh product you can adjust how much product you apply.
In this example I used half a circle of product since 100% of the face of the
pad is now primed from the previously applied and worked product.
3. Applying an X-Pattern of Product
Applying your product to the face of your buffing
pad using an X-pattern is a fast and simple way way to get product out of the bottle and onto the
pad in a measured way that's easy to teach others and a method that's easy to duplicate over and over again.
X-Pattern on a clean dry pad and then worked for a Section Pass
Cut down on product after your first section pass
After making a thorough Section Pass. The
pad is now equally primed with residual product. At this point you could clean your
pad or add fresh product and when you add fresh product you can adjust how much product you apply. In this example I used half an X-Pattern, or a single strip of product since the
pad is already primed.
Wet Buffing Technique
Maintain a wet film on the surface
The key is to have enough product on the surface as you're working a section to have a
wet film of product that you can see on the surface
behind the polisher as you move the polisher over the paint.
