getting ready to use rotary for first time questions

[thewraith1971]

Ok first of all I do not have the money to purchase a DA buffer right now as i am currently unemployed but I do have a vector 7" polisher my dad bought me a couple years back.

I am going to be getting a backing plate and 2 of each pads from meguiars to use on my cousins 90 lumina here soon for practice before i mess with any more expensive cars.

My questions are since it is a single stage paint is there any particular combination of pads and polish i should use compared to say a modern day factory paint job with clear coat. Plus other than making sure i don't have the rpms cranked up and the buffer moving at a smooth considerable pace keeping pad flat what should i look out for and how many passes per each panel and pads used as well?

[ClearlyCoated]

Watch out for edges, such door, trunk, and hood edges. Tape them up. Keep your pad flat and perpendicular to the plane of the panel you are polishing. Be aware that the direct drive nature of a rotary polisher amplifies everything else you use, including pads and polishes, so follow the mantra of less is more and use the least aggressive combo pads/compounds/RPM's) as possible.

Product, Pad & Speed Recommendations for Rotary Buffing

[rst08tierney]

My suggestion is to find a junk hood to practice on before winging it on someones vehicle. People just dont understand how easy it is to burn through edges using a Rotary.

On the plus side in your case, I believe the Vector only has 4 settings and a max out put of 1800 RPM's, please correct me if im wrong. I think setting one is 1000rpms with increments of 400 per setting.

[thewraith1971]

thanks guys I would love to pick up spare body parts from junkyard. Unfortunately none here will give me any for free and I do not have the money to spend 125 for hood and so forth. My cousins car is 90 lumina and was once red but so heavily oxidized it looks pink on hood, roof, and trunk.

My fears are it being a single stage paint that rotarys remove a lot of material and if its not thick enough off with the paint i go. I am well aware any raised edge on any paint job stands risk of easy burn through my question is if not taped up how easy is it I mean just one slip and pass on it for mere nano second gonna do it or what? I am also trying to decide on what backing plate is best right now i have found 3 just from meguiars but will be using mainly 6-8" foam pads.

Right now my plan of approach to her car is washing and drying thoroughly of course using 2 bucket method then using the 8006 pad using ultimate compound or 105 then clay bar as i am worried clay bar would get clogged with dead paint. then over it again with same pad and compound followed by 205 and 8006 pad and can i apply wax using finishing pad? if that does not work is where i get confused as into what step i should take pad and compound wise

[TOGWT]

The Optimum range of polishes, Menzerna Intensive Polish or Meguiar's M80, with its diminishing abrasives work very well on single stage paint, removing moderate defects and nicely refining the finish, the polishing oils will restore gloss and depth.

Start with Lake County (LC) Orange (light) cutting foam you may also want to try an LC Green polishing foam pad.

[Michael Stoops]

My fears are it being a single stage paint that rotarys remove a lot of material and if its not thick enough off with the paint i go. I am well aware any raised edge on any paint job stands risk of easy burn through my question is if not taped up how easy is it I mean just one slip and pass on it for mere nano second gonna do it or what? I am also trying to decide on what backing plate is best right now i have found 3 just from meguiars but will be using mainly 6-8" foam pads.

Right now my plan of approach to her car is washing and drying thoroughly of course using 2 bucket method then using the 8006 pad using ultimate compound or 105 then clay bar as i am worried clay bar would get clogged with dead paint. then over it again with same pad and compound followed by 205 and 8006 pad and can i apply wax using finishing pad? if that does not work is where i get confused as into what step i should take pad and compound wise

If you're so fearful of removing too much paint with a rotary, why is your plan then to start with the most aggressive compound we make? M105 can quickly remove sanding marks, but you're just going after swirls from the sounds of it.

We'd suggest you back way, way down on the aggressiveness and start with M80 or M83. The polishing oils in these diminishing abrasive cleaner polishes is something single stage paints love. If that paint is a bit dried out you may find M105 is a poor choice as the paint will pull out what little lubrication M105 has, and that's not a fun thing to deal with.

Go with 80/83 and a W8207 pad on a W68 backing plate. It will be easy to center the pad, you'll get good support across the face of the pad while still being able to conform to some body curves. Start out no higher than 1400rpm on a test spot and see where that gets you first. Foam can generate a lot of heat if you don't keep it moving - but that does not mean to move it quickly, just keep it in motion. And don't use much more pressure than just the weight of the tool. Yes, there are times when you may need a bit more pressure, but again, a rotary buffer with a foam pad and a bit of pressure can heat up the paint quickly, and to dangerous levels. While the odds of burning through in the middle of flat panel are small, if you start to get complacent - and that's easy to do when first starting out - it can bite you when least expect it.

Start slow and work up from there. Better to spend two hours working into a process (especially for a novice) than to spend a few hundred dollars or more to repaint a panel.

[thewraith1971]

thanks so much for the help and advice guys, this site is truly the best and most helpful forum I have been on in a long time. Plus I have learned so much between the differences of single stage paint and modern paint

[Paul S]

In stead of looking for body panels at a salvage yard , which is in business to SELL parts , try a local body shop.Body shops can turn you on to panels they are not repairable and they will eventually have to cart of to a scrap yard.I have obtained plenty of doors ,trunk lids and hoods over the years and not spent a dollar as of yet.

[DavidReyJr.]

I'm new to rotary as well and have been practicing on my beater car. I'm having trouble avoiding buffer trails with m205 and a yellow polishing pad. you still see very light swirls. either i'm putting them in or there just not comming out. I'm using a drill master rotory that I got at harbor freight so maybe it could be that i'm not using the correct rpm settings after all it doesnt tell you what they are just goes from min, 1-6, and then max. min being 200 and max 3377 RPM. also buffer trails are a big problem for me on vertical panels. I hear a lot of people talk about bad technique but never specify the term. Can some one give some examples of bad rotary technique. also how do I avoid swirls at the ends of the worked sections? Theres alot more to rotary than I thought.

[DavidReyJr.]

Actually it's min, 1-5, then max.