Video: How to clean your pad on the fly

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Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.

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Video: How to clean your pad on the fly


Here's a technique I've been showing for years on how to clean your pad quickly so you can get back to buffing out your car.

How to clean your pad on the fly​
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuyrBrqz_YU&hd=1]How To Clean Your Pad On The Fly - YouTube[/video]



The above technique works with any of the below DA Polishers,

Porter Cable DA Polisher
Meguiar's DA Polisher
Griot's Garage DA Polisher
Shurhold DA Polisher
HD Polisher
DAS Polisher


Here you can see spent product and removed paint transferred onto terry cloth towel

EODodgeNeon013.jpg



xyxthumbs.gif
 
Hi Mike, I´ve used this technique a few times on my DAS PRO (same as Griots) and it works great except for one occassion when the terry cloth towel got tangled and stuck around the spindle of the polisher. I think it´s important to use a large towel so that the edges don´t get tangled and caught in the spindle. I even apply more pressure to the pad so as to keep the rotating action to a minimum, hence less chance that edges of the towel get caught around the rotating spindle.
 
604_Snooze said:
does it work with mf pads too?
Click to expand...


Kind of but not really.

What works best for a microfiber pad is a nylon brush and DON"T turn the machine on, just brace the back of the backing plate with your hand so the pad wont' spin and then brush the fibers clean.

Everyone always says,

"Use compressed air"


As in an air squirter on a air hose hooked up to an air compressor. Problem with that advice is a lot of people don't have an air compressor.


If you're into detailing for the long run, get a Pad Conditioning Brush, they last forever and they work really well, better than a toothbrush.


I usually show them during our Live Broadcasts on Thursday nights...


Pad Conditioning Brush


:)
 
Hi Mike,
First thanks for the great video!

Regarding the mf question:

Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
What works best for a microfiber pad is a nylon brush...
Click to expand...

What about the advice of cleaning the mf pad with a bug sponge? I remember reading about it here but couldn't find it now..
 
Mc'lovin said:
Hi Mike,
First thanks for the great video!

Regarding the mf question:



What about the advice of cleaning the mf pad with a bug sponge? I remember reading about it here but couldn't find it now..
Click to expand...

That works pretty good to and I show that in my how-to book along with about half a dozen ways to clean all pads...

howtobookpadcleaning003.jpg



padcleaningpage74.jpg


padcleaningpage68.jpg





Paperback



:xyxthumbs:
 
That seems like a pretty high speed on the DA polisher in the video, what speed setting did you have it on? I think that may have been my problem last time I tried this.
 
KillaCam said:
That seems like a pretty high speed on the DA polisher in the video, what speed setting did you have it on? I think that may have been my problem last time I tried this.
Click to expand...


You want it on the high speed setting as it helps to get the pad clean. PLUS, the entire idea behind the words "on the fly" is that you're doing this QUICKLY so you can get back to work. It already takes a long time to buff out a car you don't want procedures that take a lot of time.

You need to clean your pads the MOST when you're doing the correction step right? That means you're on the high speed setting. Right?

So you turn your polisher off, grab a clean towel, using your hand place the towel over the pad and then turn the polisher on at the same high speed setting you're dong your correction work.

Taking a moment to turn your polisher speed down and then having to turn the speed back up to do the actual polishing step would be two steps and wear out your dial.

Don't make things more complicated than they have to be. Cleaning your pad on the fly is a very simple, fast way to get most of the gunk off the face of a pad. It's not perfect method it's a fast method.


More info here in the original article on this forum on this topic.


How to clean your foam pad on the fly



:)
 
Thanks Mike! You explained it perfectly now, can't wait to try this out.
 
wow, bug sponge works too?
So with a bug sponge, I have to turn the DA on speed 1?
With a brush, keep the DA off and brush in 1 direction?
 
604_Snooze said:
wow, bug sponge works too?
So with a bug sponge, I have to turn the DA on speed 1?
With a brush, keep the DA off and brush in 1 direction?
Click to expand...


The Bug Sponge works to clean MICROFIBER PADS, not foam pads.

I'd have to go out and re-check speeds for using a bug sponge on MF pads but I'm pretty sure you're going to be on the 5-6 speed setting in order to get the pad to rotate with a sponge pressing against it.


With a brush, leave the DA polisher off and brush in a couple of directions. Also look at the pictures I posted from my how-to book as I show how you need to block the backing plate with your other hand to keep it from turning.


Look at the lowest, left hand picture...
howtobookpadcleaning003.jpg




:xyxthumbs:
 
Cool, I'll have try the bug sponge trick on my microfiber and wool pads!
 
Mike Phillips said:
Compressed air is still the best way to clean a microfiber or wool pad when cleaning these types of pads on the fly.
:)
Click to expand...

And this is the primary reason I like microfiber so much. So easy to clean out and cools it down at the same time.
 
Nothing beats grabbing a clean, dry pad but Mikes method is unbeatable. I do it after EVERY section. It's quick and extends the effectiveness of your pads.
 
Paul A. said:
Nothing beats grabbing a clean, dry pad but Mikes method is unbeatable.

It's quick and extends the effectiveness of your pads.
Click to expand...

Agree.

But if you don't have a lot of pads, then this method does work well and it does enable you to get back to work fast.

EODodgeNeon013.jpg





Thing is... I've only found it to work well on short stroke free spinning polishers.

Doesn't work well on long stroke polishers, especially due to larger pads.

Doesn't work well on gear-driven orbital polishers - to grabby.

There's a modification to this technique that involves your index finger for foam pads on rotary polishers - just be careful.



:)
 
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