Mike Phillips
Active member
- Dec 5, 2022
- 51,004
- 6
Rotary Buffer Circle Scratches - Why to use a Pad Cleaning Spur or Nylon Brush
Last week I needed to clean up my demo hood for some testing for an outside vendor's new compounds and polishes. I started by machine wet sanding my favorite demo hood and then proceeded to remove the sanding marks using a rotary buffer.
In one section of the hood after wiping off the compound residue I discovered some almost perfect circle scratches that signify that there was ONE DIRT PARTICLE trapped in the fibers of the wool pad that I must not have removed when I spurred my pad.
Here's what circle scratches from a rotary buffer look like...
In order to remove them I machine sanded and the re-cleaned my pad and then buffed out the sanding marks and all was back to normal.
2 points,
1: When using a rotary buffer with a wool pad be sure to own and use a steel pad cleaning spur and make darn sure your pad is clean so you don't get circle scratches like you see above.
2: When using foam pads on a rotary buffer be sure to own and use a nylon pad cleaning brush and make darn sure your pad is clean so you don't get circle scratches like you see above.
Steel Pad Cleaning Spur
In all my detailing classes (and as a personal best practice), I teach people the most important thing to do when using any polisher and especially a rotary buffer is to clean your pad often. For a wool pad you want a steel pad cleaning spur like the one I show in the picture below.
Link to steel pad cleaning spur
After cleaning the wool pad in the pad cleaner Tyler then re-fluffs the wool fibers using a steel pad cleaning spur.
Cleaning foam pads with a Nylon Pad Conditioning Brush
You don't want to use a steel pad cleaning spur on a foam pad as the spur will tend to tear up the foam. Instead, get a nylon pad cleaning brush and hold it against the face of the pad, starting in the center and then drawing the pad to the outside of the pad and this will clean off all the spent residue and removed paint.
Pad Conditioning Brush
Work clean
Last week I needed to clean up my demo hood for some testing for an outside vendor's new compounds and polishes. I started by machine wet sanding my favorite demo hood and then proceeded to remove the sanding marks using a rotary buffer.
In one section of the hood after wiping off the compound residue I discovered some almost perfect circle scratches that signify that there was ONE DIRT PARTICLE trapped in the fibers of the wool pad that I must not have removed when I spurred my pad.
Here's what circle scratches from a rotary buffer look like...
In order to remove them I machine sanded and the re-cleaned my pad and then buffed out the sanding marks and all was back to normal.
2 points,
1: When using a rotary buffer with a wool pad be sure to own and use a steel pad cleaning spur and make darn sure your pad is clean so you don't get circle scratches like you see above.
2: When using foam pads on a rotary buffer be sure to own and use a nylon pad cleaning brush and make darn sure your pad is clean so you don't get circle scratches like you see above.
Steel Pad Cleaning Spur
In all my detailing classes (and as a personal best practice), I teach people the most important thing to do when using any polisher and especially a rotary buffer is to clean your pad often. For a wool pad you want a steel pad cleaning spur like the one I show in the picture below.
Link to steel pad cleaning spur
After cleaning the wool pad in the pad cleaner Tyler then re-fluffs the wool fibers using a steel pad cleaning spur.
Cleaning foam pads with a Nylon Pad Conditioning Brush
You don't want to use a steel pad cleaning spur on a foam pad as the spur will tend to tear up the foam. Instead, get a nylon pad cleaning brush and hold it against the face of the pad, starting in the center and then drawing the pad to the outside of the pad and this will clean off all the spent residue and removed paint.
Pad Conditioning Brush
Work clean
