Wool or Microfiber Polishing Bonnet for a 10inch Random Orbiter????

[SilveradoHorseshoer]

Which of the materials do you guys perfer for the best finish? What are the pros and cons of each?

[greg0303]

Re: Wool or Microfiber Polishing Bonnet for a 10inch Random Orbiter????

You could use microfiber, cotton or foam. Foam bonnet is gonna give you the best finish.

I wouldn't use wool as it may cause some bad side effect.

[Marc08EX]

Re: Wool or Microfiber Polishing Bonnet for a 10inch Random Orbiter????

I agree with Greg. Foam is still the best media to use in order to get the best possible finish. Wool is a very aggressive media and will usually leave some hazing effect. Also, I don't think wool is appropriate to use with a RO.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Wool or Microfiber Polishing Bonnet for a 10inch Random Orbiter????

In all honesty the 10" orbitals aren't really all that popular here as then tend to be seriously lacking in the power needed to do any real correction, especially if the defects are severe or the paint is really hard. Odds are that the wool used is a synthetic and, hopefully, tuned for use on this sort of tool (and this is really just a guess since I, personally, don't have much experience with these tools and associated bonnets). One can only assume that wool here is used for maximum defect removal just as it is with a rotary (wool is not normally used on a DA buffer, however) so it should be the most aggressive bonnet of the bunch. Should be. Wool, whether natural or synthetic, can be handled in several different ways so just how much cutting ability, and potential for marring, a given bonnet offers is probably quite variable. As an example, think about how a natural sheepskin wash mitt is one of the best tools you can use for washing a car because it's soft, delicate, and pulls dirt away from the paint; on the other hand a twisted wool cutting pad on a rotary buffer is an extremely aggressive tool, yet both are natural wool. Of course these variables can still be true of different microfibers and foams.

In the long run, we'd recommend following the directions of the buffer manufacturer and/or the bonnet manufacturer. Even then you'll want to experiment a bit since not all paint is going to react the same way to a given input. Some paints may love the wool bonnet while others haze very badly.

[SilveradoHorseshoer]

Re: Wool or Microfiber Polishing Bonnet for a 10inch Random Orbiter????

Thanks everyone, makes a lot of sense