Playing with some new Flex Toys

[LegacyGT]

So despite the fact that the mid west is getting hammered with snowpocalypse right now I picked up a small propane heater on the way home so that I could try out a few new Flex toys I have not had a chance to use due to the cold weather.

Between the small propane heater, that allegedly will turn off if the oxygen gets too low, and my halogens it warmed up pretty nicely considering the outside temp. By the time I was finished it was 8 degrees outside.

Hood before getting started.

Given that it is a blizzard outside, my car was pretty dirty so I gave the hood an ONR wash. Things went better this time than my first experience with ONR - I decided to put some in a spray bottle and dwell the entire hood for about 5 minutes before doing the ONR wash.

ONR Dwelling

ONR Wash complete.

The hood was then clayed with Mothers clay and ONR as lube. I actually really liked ONR as clay lube, not streaky at all, and long working time.

Light scratches apparent, but pretty minor so a non-aggressive method will be used.

Hood is taped off, and high body lines are taped.

This is the first time I have used a rotary ever, I got some confidence up after watching the class over the weekend. I found that my hood is not very flat, and I had some trouble with the rotary wanting to take off on me. I made a video of my first two passes with the rotary - I very quickly figured out that my first bead was not picked up correctly. The second one I do a better job on. Flex PE 14-2 150 was used with white CCS pad and Menzerna Power Finish.

[video uploading]

Afterwords the paint looked great!

Paint after Flex Rotary

I also broke out the 3401 and used power finish with the tangerine pad to make sure I did not have any holograms.

[Video Uploading]

Paint after finishing up with the Flex, and before trying out Optimum Poli-Seal (courtasy of FlatStick's losers giveaway).

I prepped a red pad with FK425 and then put on a pretty good amount of Poli-Seal which disappeared completely after a few passes. I put more on until I was able to leave behind a thin coat after 3-4 passes.

Beauty shots with Poli-Seal removed:

My source of warmth

Thoughts: The rotary was a bit more challenging than I was expecting, The 101/102 class made it look pretty easy :xyxthumbs:. I do really like the Flex Rotary, and the 3401 is fantastic as well. You can tell the 3401 has some serious power while using it.

 

[LegacyGT]

Edit, I almost forgot the sun shot:

 

[oldmodman]

When someone says that the rotary took off on them my first question is what size pad are you using?

I never go over six inch pads (could be 6.5) and I will frequently even use 4 or 5 inch. Much easier to control. Plus a smaller chance of burning the paint, especially if you keep the speed down until you are comfortable with the rotary polisher.

But whatever you are using it looks like you got a very nice result. But that shot of the thermometer sure make me glad I'm here in Los Angeles :xyxthumbs:

 

[GaDetailDoc]

When someone says that the rotary took off on them my first question is what size pad are you using?

I never go over six inch pads (could be 6.5) and I will frequently even use 4 or 5 inch. Much easier to control. Plus a smaller chance of burning the paint, especially if you keep the speed down until you are comfortable with the rotary polisher.

But whatever you are using it looks like you got a very nice result. But that shot of the thermometer sure make me glad I'm here in Los Angeles :xyxthumbs:

*********************
Using anything over 6 is catastrophic with a rotary...The Rotary will make more moves than MJ. DA is forgiving but no a rotary. I stay within 5.5 when using a rotary..:xyxthumbs:

 

[BobbyG]

A rotary will want to do that because the pad is rotating and there's torque involved.

If a polish or compound becomes thick or is beginning to dry the adhesion between the pad and the surface increases and if your not hanging on to the machine it will want to take off.

Another contributor is the pad size, the larger the pad the more surface area. I think you get my point.

I agree with some of the statements above and personally prefer a 6 to 7 inch foam pad on my rotary polishers.

 

[Flash Gordon]

Thanks for the feedback on the Flex Legacy, and for sacrificing yourself in the bitter cold

 

[SeaJay's]

Edit, I almost forgot the sun shot:

haha great shot! Looks like where we are right now! Another storm hitting us today...:nomore:

 

[LegacyGT]

When someone says that the rotary took off on them my first question is what size pad are you using?

I never go over six inch pads (could be 6.5) and I will frequently even use 4 or 5 inch. Much easier to control. Plus a smaller chance of burning the paint, especially if you keep the speed down until you are comfortable with the rotary polisher.

But whatever you are using it looks like you got a very nice result. But that shot of the thermometer sure make me glad I'm here in Los Angeles :xyxthumbs:

I was using the 6.5'' CCS pads - I have a smaller backing plate so I may try to go down to 4-5''. Question - can I use the Hydrotech thin pads on the rotary?

 

[LegacyGT]

A rotary will want to do that because the pad is rotating and there's torque involved.

If a polish or compound becomes thick or is beginning to dry the adhesion between the pad and the surface increases and if your not hanging on to the machine it will want to take off.

Another contributor is the pad size, the larger the pad the more surface area. I think you get my point.

I agree with some of the statements above and personally prefer a 6 to 7 inch foam pad on my rotary polishers.

Thanks for the information, I did prime the pad with product, and made sure I was not dry buffing while I was working. I did feel that it got better towards the end, perhaps the pad was not primed enough.

 

[LegacyGT]

Thanks for the feedback on the Flex Legacy, and for sacrificing yourself in the bitter cold

I had my long johns on :xyxthumbs:

 

[RaskyR1]

I'm so jealous of your Flex rotary!



I actually find small pads harder to control on the rotary since they make the machine more "tippy". When the pads not flat to the surface the rotary will want to wander and the smaller pad size makes this more difficult IMO. I like using 6.5-7" pads for the the most part, but panel size and shape always dictate my choice.


To learn with, I feel a wool pad and an oily polish with a long work time are best. Foam pads heat up faster and are more "grabby" on the paint. Get a scrap panel and have at it.


Just my $.02

 

[LegacyGT]

If you will forgive the fact that I very much did not pick up the bead correctly the first time (you can see me stop and think about it the second time) here are the first moments of having the Flex in my hands.

FlexVideos

It looks like a few times the pad was not completely flat, but as I discovered, my hood has a lot of curves to it.

 

[LegacyGT]

And here is a video of the 3401
FlexVideos

 

[LegacyGT]

I'm so jealous of your Flex rotary!



I actually find small pads harder to control on the rotary since they make the machine more "tippy". When the pads not flat to the surface the rotary will want to wander and the smaller pad size makes this more difficult IMO. I like using 6.5-7" pads for the the most part, but panel size and shape always dictate my choice.


To learn with, I feel a wool pad and an oily polish with a long work time are best. Foam pads heat up faster and are more "grabby" on the paint. Get a scrap panel and have at it.


Just my $.02

That's a good idea, I am going to try and find a test panel to work on this spring. I am starting to see some clear failure on my car, so I am not too shy about working on it. Since my current plan is to keep it to 160k+ I will probably have to repaint it in the next year or two. I have to admit it was kind of cool in a primal way to see the foam pad slightly smoking after a pass (no worries I checked the panel and it was not getting above lukewarm).

 

[RaskyR1]

That's a good idea, I am going to try and find a test panel to work on this spring. I am starting to see some clear failure on my car, so I am not too shy about working on it. Since my current plan is to keep it to 160k+ I will probably have to repaint it in the next year or two. I have to admit it was kind of cool in a primal way to see the foam pad slightly smoking after a pass (no worries I checked the panel and it was not getting above lukewarm).

I can imagine it doesn't take much on those cars....

I actually haven't worked on a lot of Subie's over the years, so when I had one in my shop last weekend I decided to take some paint readings on it. A little older Forester with paint that looked to be untouched, had average readings that were only between 85-90 microns! I thought my Acuara paint was thin! This really makes me reconsider getting a Subie for my next car.

 

[Mister B]

Nice video. I like your new Flex. :xyxthumbs:

Rotaries do tend to wander around on you sometimes. Horizontal panels are the easy ones, though. Wait until you try the vertical side panels. It will really want to walk around on you on those. I find the vertical panels to be the toughest to control the rotary on. I still need some practice on those myself.

 

[GaDetailDoc]

Nice video. I like your new Flex. :xyxthumbs:

Rotaries do tend to wander around on you sometimes. Horizontal panels are the easy ones, though. Wait until you try the vertical side panels. It will really want to walk around on you on those. I find the vertical panels to be the toughest to control the rotary on. I still need some practice on those myself.

**************

The key is to work on a clean surface and prep your pad. Make absolute sure your pads are also clean.

 

[LegacyGT]

**************

The key is to work on a clean surface and prep your pad. Make absolute sure your pads are also clean.

Will do, after watching the online class I will be cleanig my pads much more frequently every other section at a minimum.

 

[LegacyGT]

Nice video. I like your new Flex. :xyxthumbs:

Rotaries do tend to wander around on you sometimes. Horizontal panels are the easy ones, though. Wait until you try the vertical side panels. It will really want to walk around on you on those. I find the vertical panels to be the toughest to control the rotary on. I still need some practice on those myself.

I'll give the vertical panels a try and see how they go, hopefully some practice will make things easier.

 

[LegacyGT]

I can imagine it doesn't take much on those cars....

I actually haven't worked on a lot of Subie's over the years, so when I had one in my shop last weekend I decided to take some paint readings on it. A little older Forester with paint that looked to be untouched, had average readings that were only between 85-90 microns! I thought my Acuara paint was thin! This really makes me reconsider getting a Subie for my next car.

I don't have a paint gauge yet so I do not know how much clear I have to work with. The car is 5 years old and gets a lot of abuse during the winter months. Next time I am in for service I am going to ask if there are any recalls for paint / clear issues as I am finding more areas that are startig to show failure. Despite that I still absolutely love this car and would buy another one in a heartbeat.