Your top tip for a machine polishing noob

MIsnowman said:
Tape off all trim and anything else you don't plan on polishing BEFORE grabbing the buffer. Nothing worse than finishing up the buffing process only to have to spend another hour trying to clean up the mess you left on the trim.
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Appreciate this. Just cover up the trim? or do I need to mask areas off completely?
 
oneheadlite said:
On your porter cable machine, yep!
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Thanks! The reason I ask is because the polisher has a counterweight (I think) below the backing plate that says something like “Use only 6 inch backing plate.”
 
zmcnulty said:
Thanks! The reason I ask is because the polisher has a counterweight (I think) below the backing plate that says something like “Use only 6 inch backing plate.”
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That warning is in the same book as those tags that you’re forbidden to remove from pillows & mattresses... In other words, you go right ahead and slap that 3” backing plate on that polisher and gitter dunn! Lol

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I don’t know if it’s just me, but anybody else who has put a 3” backing plate on a 5”/6” polisher chime in and share your experiences. This is only to help zmcnulty if he goes down this route.

When I changed my porter cable to be a “mini” polisher by using a 3” backing plate I noticed it became a bit unwieldy. The feel of the machine changed drastically as the pad surface is much smaller between a 5.5” pad and a 3” or even 4“ pad. The polisher doesn’t “rest” as easily on the panel since the “foundation” is reduced.

I noticed I needed to control it just a bit more since the balance was slightly off. It seemed to require a speed of 4 or more or it didn’t feel smooth. Those are the two biggest things I noticed.

In saying that though, it worked phenomenally for my needs and gave great results! The larger body of a 5”/6” polisher just requires an adjustment to get used to having a smaller 3” pad.
 
zmcnulty said:
Thanks! The reason I ask is because the polisher has a counterweight (I think) below the backing plate that says something like “Use only 6 inch backing plate.”
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Like Eldo says, you’ve got nothing to worry about. :D

That is why Visitor recommended that Griots backing plate - they made it specifically to work with their GG6 (their 8mm throw DA before the G9), taking into account the counterweight in the machine was made for churning 6” pads.

Like DiMiglio brings up, you do have to remember the machine balance is going to change and you’ll have to pay a bit closer attention to what you’re doing. But, you now have the option for smaller pads for much less than you’d spend on a dedicated 3” machine.

But, if you think long term you’re going to be doing a lot more polishing, then you could consider just getting a 3” (or smaller).

When I got started, I just did as much as I could with 5.5” pads or just working by hand.
 
zmcnulty said:
Appreciate this. Just cover up the trim? or do I need to mask areas off completely?
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It depends on the area and how careful you are.

For most areas, side windows, emblems, wheel mouldings, etc., I usually just run one piece of 1” or 1.5” wide tape along the edge of the trim next to the paint and this is sufficient.

For the area between the base of the windshield and the hood I usually use an old sheet or newspapers and tuck them under the hood and run them up the windshield a ways to keep any polish sling from getting on there. On taller vehicles that area is hard to reach to try to clean up afterwards, so I find it much easier to make sure it is covered up ahead of time.
 
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