Thanks BobbyG, appreciate the info.
So the white pads will be enough? I'll probably get a couple of orange pads and a couple of greys too. The grey is best for applying sealer/wax?
Here's some great information by
Mike Phillips that will help you.
rops:
Foam Pads
Yellow Cutting Foam - Use this pad to apply compounds or polishes to remove severe oxidation, swirls, and scratches. It is the most aggressive and should only be used on oxidized and older finishes. Always follow this pad with an orange or white pad and a fine polish to refine the paint until it is smooth.
Coarse Green Cutting/Polishing - This foam is of medium density with the ability to level very fine scratches and very light oxidation. Use light swirl removers with this pad.
Orange Light Cutting Foam - Firm, high density foam for scratch and defect removal. Use this pad with polishes and swirl removers. It’s an all around pad that will work on most light to moderate imperfections.
White Polishing Foam - Less dense foam formula for the application of waxes, micro-fine polishes and sealants. This pad has very light cutting power so it’s perfect for pre-wax cleaners.
Green Polishing/Finishing Foam - Use this foam to apply one-step cleaner waxes. It is a balance of polishing and finishing that is perfect for all-in-one product application.
Gray Finishing Foam Pad - Composition is firm enough to withstand added pressure during final finishing to remove buffer swirls. It has no cut and will apply thin, even coats of waxes, sealants, and glazes.
Blue Finessing Foam – Pad has soft composition for applying glaze, finishing polish, sealants, and liquid waxes. Flat pad provides full contact with paint surface to minimize the pressure applied by the user.
Red Ultra-soft Wax/Sealant Foam - This soft, imported foam is ideal for applying the final coat of wax or sealant. The foam works especially well when applying liquid waxes or sealants because it is firm enough to keep the majority of the product on the paint, rather than soaking it up. The red foam has no cut or cleaning ability.
Super Soft Gold Jewelling Foam - The CCS Super Soft Gold Jewelling Pad is made of Lake Country's softest foam. Use the gold pad to apply a very fine polish or glaze as the final step of the polishing process. Jewelling is the term coined for this step because it intensifies gloss and reflectivity, like a jewel. The gold foam pad also works well for wax and sealant application.
The
Porter Cable 7424 style dual action polisher should come standard with 5 1/2 inch pads and corresponding backing plate.
Pads & Friction
The size or surface area does not directly affect the frictional force between two surfaces until downward force or pressure is applied. Reducing the pad size will only improve the mechanical efficiency of the machine.
The motor of your polisher produces some amount of power. The larger the pad surface area the harder the motor must work. Now, most will say "it's only 1 extra inch", but when it comes to surface area and friction your really talking about an additional 10 square inches. Now take a look at the difference between the 5 1/2", 6 1/2" and 7" pad...........Size does matter!
Surface Area - 5 1/2 pad = 23.75 in²
Surface Area - 6 1/2 pad = 33.18 in²
Surface Area - 7 pad = 38.484 in²
There is a direct relationship between the pad surface area and the polishers ability to transfer adequate power to the pad improving it's overall performance.
