Which Pads To Use On Aircraft With Rivets?

[sluggo]

Newbie here.

I'm ordering a Porter-Cable 7424XP to use on various cars and I need to know the best way to use this to polish an aircraft with painted rivets.

Is there any danger of damaging the paint on the tops of the rivets when using this polisher?

What are the appropriate pads to use to minimize damage to the rivets?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

I have never polished an aircraft with rivets, however, I am pretty familiar with the surface. To parse your question, I don't think there is any more danger of damaging the rivet paint with a PC vs. any other kind of polisher. That being said, there is still an interface between the panel and the rivet head (which is where the problem will be IMO, rather than the "top" of the rivet), which is an area where the paint could be cracked/chipped from movement of the panel.

Just use foam pads or really any pads...you're not the first guy to polish an airplane, don't worry about it so much.