Here's a good approacy for any compound or polish, even a cleaner/wax if working on a neglected finish...
From my
article list...
How to prime a foam pad when using a DA Polisher
Here are 3 ways to apply product to your pad.
1. Priming the pad then adding product to work with
Priming a clean, dry pad is considered the best approach for using a DA Polisher because it ensures that 100% of the working surface of the pad is wet with product and working at maximum efficiency when you turn the polisher on. I originally learned of this technique from my friend Kevin Brown.
Priming the pad also ensures that you don't have any dry portion of the pad working over the paint un-lubricated. This really isn't a risk because since you're just starting out you're going to be removing defects a lot more serious than would be caused by any portion of the pad that is dry and spinning against the paint.
Plus, after just a few passes, the product you apply to specific areas of the face of the pad will migrate over the entire face of the pad and it will do this rather quickly when you're on the higher speed settings.
Priming the Pad - For clean, dry pads
Start with a clean, dry pad and add some fresh product to be spread out to the face of the pad. Using your finger, spread the product out over the pad and then using your finger work it into the pores of the pad. Don't saturate the pad, just use enough product to make sure that 100% of the working face of the pad has product coverage.
Work the product around the face of the pad and into the pores
Any extra, take and apply to the outer edge until 100% of the working face of the pad is primed with product.
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.
Primed and ready to add "Working Product" to.
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
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
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.
