How to clean your foam pad on the fly

Re: How to clean your foam pad on the fly when using a Porter Cable style DA Polisher

Hey just wondering, but did the video of this technique ever get made...i notice the thread kinda died after poor Mike got busted scanning lol...just kiddin ya :xyxthumbs:
 
Re: How to clean your foam pad on the fly when using a Porter Cable style DA Polisher

no video yet ?
 
Re: How to clean your foam pad on the fly when using a Porter Cable style DA Polisher

Mike, I finally found this GREAT thread to help me with this technique. (Mine is a PC 7424.)

Can you or others give some guidance on how often to clean the pad?

I would imagine the first answer is it depends. I saw in another thread that, for swirl removal, you clean approx every two section passes. At first thought, this seemed a bit much to me, but maybe you are working with cars in worse shape or more material removal than I have done. Or, I am just making a common mistake :) by not cleaning enough, perhaps in an effort to not use a whole bottle of product.

How about a few ranges such as for:

* Heavy cutting compounds
* Light cutting compounds
* Swirl removers
* Glazes
* Pre-Wax Cleaners
* All-In-Ones
* Sealants (I believe the answer is none on this one)

Thanks!
 
Re: How to clean your foam pad on the fly when using a Porter Cable style DA Polisher

arenared said:
Mike, I finally found this GREAT thread to help me with this technique. (Mine is a PC 7424.)

Can you or others give some guidance on how often to clean the pad?

I would imagine the first answer is it depends. I saw in another thread that, for swirl removal, you clean approx every two section passes. At first thought, this seemed a bit much to me, but maybe you are working with cars in worse shape or more material removal than I have done. Or, I am just making a common mistake :) by not cleaning enough, perhaps in an effort to not use a whole bottle of product.

How about a few ranges such as for:

* Heavy cutting compounds
* Light cutting compounds
* Swirl removers
* Glazes
* Pre-Wax Cleaners
* All-In-Ones
* Sealants (I believe the answer is none on this one)

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Whoa a whole bottle of product? What kind of product are you talking about and how come you think cleaning your pad would cause you to use more?

For the most part once you 'prime' your pad, you should only need a little product there after for each section pass. You actually end up saving product because what little product you DO use after cleaning, will actually work better, rather than just being smeared around with no results.
 
Re: How to clean your foam pad on the fly when using a Porter Cable style DA Polisher

"In an effort to..." I never said I used the whole bottle nor what size bottle.

What I'm looking for are recommendations. I'm seeing videos of equipment like the Grit Guard Universal Pad Washer along with recommendations of cleaning pads after every section pass. This seems excessive. It seems to me that it does take a couple section passes to "prime" the pad. But, if you are washing it after every pass, I think you're going to probably use 2X product and sure make a lot of extra work.

That is what appeals to me about this "on the fly" cleaning. I fully hear you about "freshening" the pad up to remove old product/removed paint/etc. to allow the fresh product to work more effectively.

So, what is a typical range/amount of cleaning for "on the fly" cleaning? I'm thinking it might be useful to think about this in terms of a number of section passes. What are some scenarios? After every section pass? After every 4? And what about different products such as AIO?
 
Re: How to clean your foam pad on the fly when using a Porter Cable style DA Polisher

arenared said:
"In an effort to..." I never said I used the whole bottle nor what size bottle.

What I'm looking for are recommendations. I'm seeing videos of equipment like the Grit Guard Universal Pad Washer along with recommendations of cleaning pads after every section pass. This seems excessive. It seems to me that it does take a couple section passes to "prime" the pad. But, if you are washing it after every pass, I think you're going to probably use 2X product and sure make a lot of extra work.

That is what appeals to me about this "on the fly" cleaning. I fully hear you about "freshening" the pad up to remove old product/removed paint/etc. to allow the fresh product to work more effectively.

So, what is a typical range/amount of cleaning for "on the fly" cleaning? I'm thinking it might be useful to think about this in terms of a number of section passes. What are some scenarios? After every section pass? After every 4? And what about different products such as AIO?
Click to expand...

For me, when compounding, no matter what product...usually after every 1 or 2 section passes i'll do an 'on the fly' cleaning...terry town...wipe the face of the pad of until i can sort of see the 'pores' if you will of the pad...rather than just a bunch of wet product/removed paint on the pad.

With AIO products, i think it depends on how much 'cut' the AIO has...if you use something like D151, which has a pretty good cut to it, i'd stick to every 2 or 3 section passes to do a quick clean. If it doesn't have a super heavy cut then not as much paint will be removed, but product can still build up...so i'd say at least LOOK at your pad after every pass...if you see the center of your pad is soaked...then do a quick clean...if you can still see the pores of the foam, then i'd say you are ok for another pass.

I look at it this way tho...if i skimp on a clean because i'm trying to move faster and just go onto my next section pass, but it ends up not doing what I wanted BECAUSE I didnt clean it, then I actually wasted time because now I have to go on and clean the pad anyway, and then go over the same section again because it wasn't done right the first time.

You'll get the hang of when to clean and not clean it...just inspect your pad and the section you just did and you'll develop a feel for when its time. As a general rule tho, i try to do it every 2 passes or so. It doesnt take a lot of time and it helps for better results:dblthumb2:
 
Re: How to clean your foam pad on the fly when using a Porter Cable style DA Polisher

Thanks, Wills! That's a great response.

Every 2 passes (or so) matches what Mike Phillips was saying in a related thread on swirl removal, so I'll try that when using a compound. And with AIO, then I'm maybe looking at 3. All +/-.

Based on these forums, I am obviously not cleaning enough, and your explanation of skimping and actually wasting time makes sense and is logical and a good way to think about it.

I will try to apply your suggestion about reading the condition of the foam pores to see if they are soaked with used compound/gunk as well. Sounds like a good tip.

I'm hoping this "on the fly" technique gives me better results, faster, and without a bunch of gunked up pads having to be run to the kitchen sink :)
 
Re: How to clean your foam pad on the fly when using a Porter Cable style DA Polisher

arenared said:
Thanks, Wills! That's a great response.

Every 2 passes (or so) matches what Mike Phillips was saying in a related thread on swirl removal, so I'll try that when using a compound. And with AIO, then I'm maybe looking at 3. All +/-.

Based on these forums, I am obviously not cleaning enough, and your explanation of skimping and actually wasting time makes sense and is logical and a good way to think about it.

I will try to apply your suggestion about reading the condition of the foam pores to see if they are soaked with used compound/gunk as well. Sounds like a good tip.

I'm hoping this "on the fly" technique gives me better results, faster, and without a bunch of gunked up pads having to be run to the kitchen sink :)
Click to expand...

Ya I HATE cleaning pads too. I've been able to make it thru some pretty big jobs using just 1 pad in some cases...if you do have to change out, just make sure you have some soapy water in a bucket tot throw the dirty pad into...dried up polish/compound/wax is NO FUN to try to clean up..much easier if you just let it soak while you continue work with another pad.

Also, have you checked out the Kevin Brown method of priming?
 
Re: How to clean your foam pad on the fly when using a Porter Cable style DA Polisher

Thanks! Found some links and pics :)
 
Re: How to clean your foam pad on the fly when using a Porter Cable style DA Polisher

Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:

Question: What about pad cleaning brushes?

Answer: I touched briefly on this above, but let's drill down a little deeper. Pad cleaning brushes or even a nylon toothbrush work great for cleaning residue off the face of a foam pad when the foam pad is on a rotary buffer but they don't work well at all when the pad is on a dual action polisher.

About the best you can hope for is to clean the very center of the pad when the tool is turned on but as you draw the bristles of the brush towards the outside of the pad the increased pressure over a small area, (the bristles of the brush pushing down on the foam), is enough pressure to engage the clutch in the tool and stop the pad from rotating.

The brush only cleans the pad if the pad is rotating. Thus brushes don't work well for cleaning pads on dual action polisher when you're trying to clean the pad while the polisher is turned on. Give it a try sometime and you'll see exactly what I mean.
Click to expand...

Hi there Mike. Thanks for this article.

I missed reading this article before doing my first and (so far) only machine polishing. I used nylon toothbrush in cleaning my pads in between two sections. I noticed that the Griot's DA, on speed 3, slowed down when I moved towards the edge of the pad. But when I increased the speed to 4, it slowed down but not as much. I also read somewhere that DA needs some sort of pressure and it will be bad for a DA to free spin - that is without any pressure. So I am now second guessing my pad cleaning method.

I find it hard to clean a foam pad on the fly by a cloth using Griot's. On speed 3, I could not stop the machine from spinning and it was hard to control. Maybe I need to work out and lift some weights.LOL Can I use Speed 1 or 2 in cleaning on the fly?
 
Re: How to clean your foam pad on the fly when using a Porter Cable style DA Polisher

brawl said:
Hi there Mike. Thanks for this article.

I missed reading this article before doing my first and (so far) only machine polishing. I used nylon toothbrush in cleaning my pads in between two sections. I noticed that the Griot's DA, on speed 3, slowed down when I moved towards the edge of the pad. But when I increased the speed to 4, it slowed down but not as much.
Click to expand...

You cannot clean a pad on a DA Polisher like you can a pad on a rotary buffer due to the free floating spindle bearing assembly. It just doesn't work.


brawl said:
I also read somewhere that DA needs some sort of pressure and it will be bad for a DA to free spin - that is without any pressure. So I am now second guessing my pad cleaning method.
Click to expand...

What you're talking about is when people new to the DA Polisher try to use it, if they're gun-shy, that is scared to apply any pressure to the head of the polisher for fear of burning the paint or fill-in-the-blank, the pad won't spin and they think their polisher is broken. It takes some downward pressure to make the pad rotate, not just light pressure or fluttering the pad over the surface.

You don't want to hold your DA in the air and run it or your pad will go flying off and get dirty.


brawl said:
I find it hard to clean a foam pad on the fly by a cloth using Griot's. On speed 3, I could not stop the machine from spinning and it was hard to control. Maybe I need to work out and lift some weights.

LOL Can I use Speed 1 or 2 in cleaning on the fly?
Click to expand...


Could be a strength issue... cleaning your pad on the fly is a really FAST and simple way to get most of the built-up gunk on the face of the pad so you can quickly get back to work. It's not a perfect pad cleaning system it's a fast pad cleaning system.

It would be so easy to show you how to do this in person. The technique is shown in one of our online class videos but I'm not sure which one.


Sign up for one of our next classes, I always show multiple ways to clean pads in both classes including the clean you pad on the fly technique for DA Polishers and Rotary Buffers.



:xyxthumbs:
 
Re: How to clean your foam pad on the fly when using a Porter Cable style DA Polisher

Thanks for your time Mike.

Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
You don't want to hold your DA in the air and run it or your pad will go flying off and get dirty.
Click to expand...

I tried it and it worked. The pads did not fly off. Maybe because the pad was new and the velcro is still sticks well to the backing plate.


Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Could be a strength issue... cleaning your pad on the fly is a really FAST and simple way to get most of the built-up gunk on the face of the pad so you can quickly get back to work.
Click to expand...

I think I was too hesitant to press harder and I also think I did not put a lot of pressure first before turning the DA on. The towel was starting to fly when I attempted this method. And yes, I am too fragile for a 200 pound Filipino. Weight supposed to help increase energy, pressure, etc..., and in my case it does work sometimes.:laughing:

Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
It's not a perfect pad cleaning system it's a fast pad cleaning system.
Click to expand...

I'll try this method again and hope I can get it because I really want to adopt this.This is really a time saver in cleaning the pad during polishing.:dblthumb2:

Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
It would be so easy to show you how to do this in person. The technique is shown in one of our online class videos but I'm not sure which one.


Sign up for one of our next classes, I always show multiple ways to clean pads in both classes including the clean you pad on the fly technique for DA Polishers and Rotary Buffers.
Click to expand...

I'd love to but I can't - money and visa. :D

More power to you Mike.:thankyousign:
 
Re: How to clean your foam pad on the fly when using a Porter Cable style DA Polisher

Now I have another reason to keep my rotary: cleaning foam pads. With my DA coming soon, I was always finding reasons to keep my rotary - aside from aggressive surface correction.

Great article.
 
Re: How to clean your foam pad on the fly when using a Porter Cable style DA Polisher

Mike do you hold it lightly against the cloth and let the pad spin. Or, do you hold it firmly so it is just vibrating?
 
Re: How to clean your foam pad on the fly when using a Porter Cable style DA Polisher

what i'm using to effectively clean my pads on a da is a chenille wash mitt. soak the mitt with water and wring it thoroughly to remove most of the water.
 
Re: How to clean your foam pad on the fly when using a Porter Cable style DA Polisher

Hello Mr. Philips my name is Matthew Sparacino. I am currently in the market for a D.A Polisher and came across the Meguires Dual Action Polisher G110v2 and was wondering if it would be a good choice since I am new to D.A Polishers. Also I was wondering if you could suggest any specific pads I will need in order to get out swirl marks and fine scratches. Thank you for your time.
 
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