Peter10 Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 I borrowed a friends polisher the other week and as you would expect, now want one . So apart from having to wade through the various polishers out there, I also see there are different grades of pads... Can anyone tell me the difference please and what uses I would use for each (if needed at all). Some polishers come with nothing and some come with a plethora of things, most of which will never be used. So what would be the main things I would need? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zugara Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Pm Tim at Envy. He will guide you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisS Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 If you are doing the Wales meet in May. Clb will be there Carmen is a mine of information,weather you buy or not. But as above,if you can't wait give Tim a PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmck13 Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Pads have a different degree of "cut" i.e the larger the holes per sq mm the more severe the cut. So the normal practice is to start of on some thing least abrasive "soft pads" and compounds and work upwards. As stated best to chat to someone who preferably details for a living or has great experience in this field, alternatively Maguires, clean your car uk, etc etc have huge amount of info on them. Something that you rarely see is a good abrasiveness chart for compounds I have attached one that I think will be useful to any one new in this field. http://www.auto-geek.net/charts/wax-cut ... master.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter10 Posted March 29, 2011 Author Share Posted March 29, 2011 Thanks for the reply guys. I will PM Tim as I have another few questions for him already about some stuff I am after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D4XNY Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 My basic guide is, the denser the pad, the more abrasive the polish... and then the softest i use for waxes, sealants... I have to use this guide, because im not a hardened detailer, but i like to have a dabble very now and then, and by the time i go to use the pads again, i forget what polish i used on what pad, ha ha! A black marker helps, you can write on the back of the pad what polish/stage you used it for, so its good for next time.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter10 Posted March 29, 2011 Author Share Posted March 29, 2011 Thanks for the reply. I will probably get the Kestrel DAS6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tez162003 Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 In my experience, if you had a limited budget, buy a cheaper machine and spend on the backing plate, pads and polishes. Quick run down for beginners to "detailing" Backing plate. For a beginner you want a very soft thick foam backing plate. 3m do a good one. The reason for this is while learning your technique you can see just what pressure your applying by how compressed the foam is. You cannot gauge this with a hard backing plate. Pads. Pads come in all different designs and abrasiveness's, they range from finishing all the way to heavy cut and everything in between. Tons of makes on the market, some work better with certain paint types, some you just seem to work better with. I tried about 10 brands until I found my preferred pads. Rule of thumb, when deciding what pad to use on your car, start off with a finishing pad and lightest cut polish, test, if it does not cut enough to desired results, set up one grade on the polish. If that doesn't work step up one grade on the pad, then polish then pad etc. Also as with backing plates, for beginners you want big thick pads to see how much pressure you are applying, a beginner with a solid backing plate and hard pad = bad times Polishes. Same as pads, many brands, try them all till you find you desired polishes, you will get loads of recommendations but nothing beats trying and finding out yourself. Everyone's different and has different techniques so if one type works for your mate, it may not work as well for you and your technique. I personally like Menzerna polishes. in my opinion a good all rounder. But I have found they are affected a tad by temperature, so only really uses these polishes indoors where temp is consistent. For a newbie to machining, I would recommend a DA if going straight onto your own car, or rotary if you have scrap panels you will practice practice practice on first. Rotary's get results easier and quicker than DA in my opinion. Can get a cheap silverline rotary for £35. That is all you need. Only down fall is its a tad heavier than others. But this can give you up to an extra £150 for polishes pads, waxes and so on. As long as your polisher DA or rotary has a good range of adjustable speed settings then your good to go. Silverline is cracking for a DIY Detailer Then a 3m Backing plate. http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/polish/3m-polish/3m-perfect-it-iii-rotary-backing-plate-125mm-m14/prod_758.html Then first pads id say to try would be Meguires soft buff pads. But the cut, polish and finish and practice with those. Great pads http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/meguiars-buffing-pads/cat_23.html Hope that helps clear things up a bit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter10 Posted March 30, 2011 Author Share Posted March 30, 2011 Thanks for the reply Tez, very useful indeed. I am probably going to order a Kestral DAS6 from a relative who works in that sort of business. I currently use Autoglym Super Resin Polish wich from what I have been told has little to no cut. Someone on Cleanyourcar.co.uk recommended someone else to use DJ Lime & Prime for a light cut, but as I really could use some clarification. In the same post the guy went on to say he uses DJ L&P, Autoglym SR & then Poorboys Black Hole Glaze, seemed excessive but I'm no expert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tez162003 Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 super resin polish has NO cut what so ever. it just has a load of fillers to mask swirl marks. DJ Lime Prime has a very very mild cut, as in a few abbrasives but its not made for that purpose alone really. Lime Prime Lite has no cut at all. Black hole is a good cheap glaze. There's no point buying a machine polisher unless your going to use proper polishes, LP can be applied by hand. I recommend you buy machine, Megs soft buff pads, 3m back plate, menzerna sample pack, (250ml of all cuts) about £30 on CYC. pack of micro fibres, Lime Prime and a decent hard wax. What is you budget for everything. machine, pads, cleansers, waxes? In my opinion there is nothing better than a hard wax. beats glazes of soft waxes hands down. Supernatural is an awesome wax for the money. Just look the results on my own car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter10 Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Not really sure of my budget. I can get the Kestral DAS6 for just under £50 on family member staff discount. I currently have Dodo Juice Blue Velvet for a wax and Autoglym Super Resin Polish. So really I guess I have about £50 to spend on pads/polishes. My car has very few cosmetic issues, a few scratches here and there some of which will probably need touching up with something like "Dr Color Chip" but I'm sure some can be polished out. I guess at the end of the day, I would like to get the car to the best finish I can. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tez162003 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Polish: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/polish/menzerna-250ml/menzerna-250ml-sampler-kit/prod_220.html Pad 1: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/meguiars-buffing-pads/meguiar-39-s-softbuff-2-0-foam-polishing-pad/prod_543.html Pad 2: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/meguiars-buffing-pads/meguiar-39-s-softbuff-2-0-foam-finishing-pad/prod_544.html Tape: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/accessories/3m-3434-masking-tape/prod_79.html Backing Plate: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/meguiars-buffing-pads/125mm-5-ultra-soft-rotary-backing-plate/prod_231.html Cleanser: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/wax/dodo-juice/dodo-juice-lime-prime-250ml/prod_441.html That lot teamed up with your machine and your Blue Velvet will see great results. Bring the car back to mint. If you use the Menz polishes to remove swirls and light scratches. Then simply apply Lime Prime to further clean the paintwork, then Blue Velvet to finish. There will be no need for SRP as its only a filler for swirls, Once detailed by machine you wont have swirls to need filling. Where are you based? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil354 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I had a go with my new DAS-6 at the weekend (first time I have ever tried machine polishing), I used Megs Ultimate Compound (because I already had it) with firstly a black Chemical Guys Hex-Logic pad and then an orange one. Neither seemed to make the slightest of difference to the paintwork, plus it killed my back bending over the bonnet. I only did a third of the bonnet before I gave up, partly due to my back and partly due to the fact that it wasn't actually working. I ended up doing it all by hand and although I didn't achieve the correction I wanted, the car looks great! I might give it another go with some of the equipment mentioned above, or I may sell it, I havn't quite decided yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tez162003 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 It could be a ton of reasons why you didnt get much correction. Maybe your technique is wrong, and you not generating enough heat to break down the polish. Thats when polishes really do their work. Maybe you paint is tough and requires a more aggressive pad or polish. I wouldnt give up, it's a great skill to learn. but yes it does kill your back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil354 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 So how long would you say that you need to work the polish before it breaks down enough to do the job? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tez162003 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Its not so much a given time, every polish is different as is the pad, weather, and so on, its just experience, know what your looking for. best bet is do some digging on a detailing forum for how to's. I know detailing world has tons of helpful write ups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter10 Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Thanks for the reply again, I think I am set on what to buy now so will order it all by the weekend. I'm in West London area. Edit: Pretty much everything you your recommended has been ordered through a relatives company, should all be here Monday . I also managed to get hold of a few DJ clay bars at stupid money. I'm tempted to let the car get filthy before the next clean just to see what I can do with it . I probably won't polish the car until a day or two before Japfest though . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tez162003 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Remember to clay your car before you machine it, otherwise you will get the bonded containments pull off onto the pad and cause further scratches tot he paintwork. You want you paintwork 99.9% clean of any particles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter10 Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 Cheers. I'll probably test it all out on my sisters 206 before I touch the zed, of course out of brotherly kindness though . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I am waiting on delivery of my Kestrel DAS-6 from i4detailing.co.uk. Was a kit for soft to medium paints which included DA polisher Backing plate Megs soft buff v2 cutting pad Megs soft buff v2 polishing pad Megs soft buff v2 finishing pad Megs triple duty brush for cleaning bushes on DA Megs Paint Cleaner Polish Megs Speed Glaze Canvas Bag for everything Can't wait to start learning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tez162003 Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 sounds like a good little kit, just make sure the backing plate is a soft foam one, solid backing pads are bad news in my book. Having only one type of polish there limits things a tad, but its a mild cut so should cut and refine reasonably well at the same time. If you have a hard painted German car that needs cutting like mad you'll end up using highly abrasive pads and polishes, but you then need to refine the finish hence a second and possibly third polish to get a shine. Good starter kit, you'll have to get some pictures up when you do it. Oh dont forget the 3m low tack tape to mask plastics rubbers or edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Yeah, added the blue 3M masking tape to the order too. I realize that it's prolly not gonna do much on my mate BMW, but for the Zed it should be suitable. I can always get more abrasive polishes later down the line if I decide to do other cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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