Pad cleaning on the fly question

Mike Honcho

Mike Honcho

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I estimate the hood on my car can be broken down into (6) 20"x20" sections. How often should I be cleaning the pad on the fly? After every 20"x20" section for a total of six pad cleanings? (Prolly gonna be using Ultimate Polish, if that makes a difference.)
 
Every 1-2 panels based on the product and the likely condition of your paint. You will know if the condition of the paint by what the pad picks up. A general guideline I follow is that the more the color of the pad changes, the more I clean on the fly.
 
Agree with the 1-2 panels target.

I am not sure ho you are cleaning. I used the XMT pad cleaner for the first time and it was awesome. Spray on, quick brushing, rinse -- it clean. Drying may take a bit, but I switched out several pads using this method.
 
I tend to clean on the fly after every SECTION and switch out to a new (clean/dry, not necessarily brand new) pad every 4th to 6th section
 
Using LC flat pads. (Sorry, I shoulda specified.)
 
For those reading this into the future here's the article....


How to clean your foam pad on the fly



In a perfect world you clean your pad after each section you buff. Otherwise you're grinding the residue on the face of the pad into the paint of the next section you buff.

The residue is,

  1. Removed paint
  2. Spent product
In the real world I clean my pad after two sections buffed when using some type of DA polisher.


Here's something on "sections"


How to divide larger body panels into smaller sections for machine buffing



:xyxthumbs:
 
I use a pad brush and clean after every section for a couple reasons.

1. It is so fast to perform and I can keep the brush in my back pocket while I polish. It's literally a 5 second operation. When using MF pads, I'll have the blow gun within reach so I can blow out the pads as well. The whole system moves around the car with me.

2. Frequent pad cleaning will yield a more consistent pad surface which leads to more consistent results.


When deciding how long between pad cleanings, do consider the amount of paint you are removing. When compounding, you may remove a lot of paint and need to clean much more frequently. I've also found certain polishes and compounds are much more gummy than others and require more frequent pad changes.
 
if we're talking about clear coat, how do you know how much paint you're removing? How does the pad change color?
 
KB in MD said:
if we're talking about clear coat, how do you know how much paint you're removing? How does the pad change color?
Click to expand...

Oxidized paint due to compound is one way I rationalized it.

I detailed a 2006 silver Cadillac CTS ... washed IronX and clayed... then put my Flex 3401 with Orange pads and Megs UC. I was picking up oxidized paint like no other. My orange pads turned grey.

I also detailed a 2001 Blue Yukon... used Pinnacle XMT and picked up embedded contaminants and such so much the pads turned black.

In short... it happens.
 
A long time ago after watching Mike using a white cotton bath towel in his videos I bought several cheap ones and keep one beside me as I buff.

I use one after each section pass. It's fast, easy and works well. It only takes one towel to do a whole car and then throw it in the washing machine.
 
DogRescuer said:
So are you guys repriming your pads after cleaning on the fly?
Click to expand...

I don't.

There is still 'product' in the pad. Cleaning 'on the fly' is removing the crud from the top of the pad. At least that's my way of thinking.

Bill
 
Aren't you suppose to add 3-4 pea size dabs of product when moving to a new panel?
 
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