3 inch buffer
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yeah but does it gear it down or have a way of adjusting the speed so its not spinning 10000 rpm? can you dial it in to what you want?
Hi, I’m getting ready to detail my car. It is a 1989 Mazda MX-6 GT. I purchased it new in 1988. 1st time trying to detail anything. Wish me luck. I’ve learned a lot from your forum. Thank you.
I just purchased a Drill Master 7″ Variable Speed (200-3377 RPM) Polisher Sander from Harbor Freight for $35. It goes on special sale on 2/18/2011 for $29.99. Spindle thread: 5/8″ x 11 TPI. I haven’t even plugged this Polisher in yet. I have unpacked it and it is very heavy and appears to be well built. I plan to use 3″ & 4″ pads. So thank you for that link information.
I thought about purchasing the Griot orbital 6″. Since it is so expensive, I thought I would give this a try.
I have no affiliation with Harbor Freight. They have a store about 3 miles from my house and it has turned out to be a Belk’s for the guys. Their website is: http://www.harborfreight.com.
If you are doing a whole car, you may want to get a full size pad (7 or 8″).
Also, if you have little experience using a polisher, I recommend doing a little practice on something not too important in case you have any issues.
Are you just trying to polish to restore the old finish?
I’ve never use a polisher before. Thanks for the tip. Yes, I plan to do the whole car to restore the paint. Any tips on which products to use would be greatly appreciated. I plan to go from wash all the way to wax.
Thanks in advance for your help.[quote=”BeachBill” post=18007]I’ve never use a polisher before. Thanks for the tip. Yes, I plan to do the whole car to restore the paint. Any tips on which products to use would be greatly appreciated. I plan to go from wash all the way to wax.
Thanks in advance for your help.[/quote]
like ben said, if you are doing the whole car 6.5inch to 7 inch pads are perfect! i have a makita buffer and with an 8inch pad, that thing just man handles me, its hard to keep 8inch pads at a steady pace! but anyways, as far as products go, this is what i use and recommend!
For compound 1.Meguiar’s Ultra cut Compound m105
For swirl remover. 2. Meguiar’s Ultra finishing polish m205
For Polish. 3. Menzerna’s PO85RD Polish.
For wax.4. Collinite insulator wax 845. <—Best wax out there for $18!!!!!!!!
here are some pictures of the results ive gotten from using these products after wetsanding to remove all orange peel and then buffing!Thank you so much for your help. I plan to go with your recommended products. The polisher I have is 7″ and it came with the backing plate and some pads. I was looking into 3″ pads because I had the impression that 3″ pads may be needed for tight areas and I wasn’t sure I could find a 3″ backing plate for my polisher should I need one.
I’m very nervous about using the polisher. I’m afraid before I get the knack of it, it may man handle me and make me mess up the paint. We’ll see. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I’m certainly going to do some test runs on places that are not so obvious.
Thanks again…what a BEAUTIFUL dog.
I forgot to ask: Please recommend the pads and towels you use to apply and wipe these products. It would be best for me to buy it all at one time if possible.
Thanks again for your help.[quote=”BeachBill” post=18018]I forgot to ask: Please recommend the pads and towels you use to apply and wipe these products. It would be best for me to buy it all at one time if possible.
Thanks again for your help.[/quote]
Thanks! thats my boy bobby on the pic! but anyways, check this site out! http://www.tcpglobal.com/detailsupplydepot/ theres a box where it says 3” mini buffing kit! i order it and its perfect! it comes with a 5/8 backing plate! two wool pads! a swirl mark remover pad and a finishing pad! but if you want my best advice for what you are trying to do… this site isnt the place to look bro! this site offers some of the best advice on autobody collision repair such as painting advice fixing damages on cars etc. This is the best forum you can find for autobody collision repair, but for detailing cars and making your car look like glass… theres this other site! called Autogeek! these guys have the best Forum! tutorials! Videos and Online Store!!! they sell just what you need! heres the site,
http://www.autogeek.net/ and heres the forum http://www.autogeekonline.net/ feel free to join! you can find me there too! they also have a youtube channel! i really suggest you join the forums! theres always something to learn on that site!and one last thing bro! before you go out on buying stuff! do your research first! trust me! it will pay off! i did nearly a month of research before i got my buffer and my products to the job! :rock
93FoxCoupe, Thanks so very much for your help. I will definitely go to the geek website you recommended. You are so right about research. I have already spent at least 30 hours doing research. All I have purchased so far is the variable speed polisher/sander. The reason was price. If I can not learn how to use it, I’ll sell it and just have to do the detailing by hand. It is for this reason, your help is so valuable. You have done your research and now have put it to use. So, your help is invaluable to me. I’m just a novice and I have no desire to re-invent any wheels.
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and insight with me.
AND DONT DO NOTHING ON YOUR CAR UNTIL YOU ARE SURE ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO! RESEARCH IS THE KEY!!!
Looks like some good advice.
There are many different brands of products avaliable, most are pretty good. As with anything it is down to personal prefrence. My favourite polish is Farclea (?) it is relatively inexpensive and is very easy to use. The Meguires products are great, but I find they tend to be a little expensive. 3M is good too, but for a beginer you may find some of their products not so user friendly…and they are also a little expensive.
As far as pads go there are a few things to consider. Size, backing material (most are velcro these days), density (harder pads for cutting, softer for finishing) and flat vs. waffle. As well as wool vs. foam.
I personally like smaller pads. The majority of the pads I use are 5.5 and 6.5 inch pads. You will get better control out of a smaller pad. Even doing large panels the largest pad I use is a 7 inch Meguiars pad.
As far as compounds and polishes go I would recommend Meguiars 105 and 205 and anything in the Menzerna lineup. The key ones to remember in their lineup is Powergloss for really heavy cut, Super Intensive polish to get rid of heavy compounding marring and Superfinish to leave a swirl free finish. those 3 should do everything you need. In certain instances Powerfinish is nice to have.
3M ultrafina is a nice finishing polish but not needed with Menzena superfinish.
Two good sites for supplies is http://www.detailedimage.com and http://www.autowerkesexclusive.com
Thanks for your help.
I learned most of what I know about polishing a couple years ago on autopia.org. great site for that stuff. Although most of the guys on that forum are exclusively detailers, many of them really know paint well. Opened my eyes to lots of different types of polish, brands I never heard of, pad types and sizes, best tool/product for the job, etc.
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