W-9000 foam pads

[jmayaa]

Recently purchased several of these foam pads along with a polishing unit.
I've never used this type of set up before.
I'm going to try cleaning up my old truck.
Should the pads be wet, moistened, or??
I was using a liquid McGuire's compound.
Basically I had compound slung everywhere and the pad wanted to grab real bad.
Like it was to dry.
I'm sure to most on here this is a ridiculous question.
Could someone please explain how to use these types of foam pads to clean my paint surface?
Many thanks,
Newbie Jeff

[Old Bear]

Re: W-9000 foam pads

Jeff
Please share with us: Which polishing unit where you attempting to use?
That should help others help you.

[jmayaa]

Re: W-9000 foam pads

Yes,
Good point...
I told you I was kind of new to all of this.
What I have is a 7" ATD polisher w/ variable speed settings
It has a velcro mounting disc attached to the polisher.
I purchased a W-9000 and a W-7000 Meguire's 8" foam pad to attach onto the polisher.
I also purchased a bottle of Meguire's Ultra Cut Compound #105
I tried the W-9000 pad the other day. The biggest problems I'm encountering is naturally compound slinging everywhere, and after a few seconds the compound acts like its drying out, which I'm sure it is.
Which brought me here.
Should these pads be wet or damp prior to use? Should I keep a spray bottle of water handy to keep things "wet" ?
I'm also keeping the speed of the polisher on the lower speed range, maybe around 1000 rpm.
I also want to add,
This is what my local automotive paint supplier told me I needed.
I'm wondering if its a tad overkill...
Any info that can be offered would be welcomed.
I don't plan on doing this on a regular basis, but my old truck was looking pretty bad. The small section I did get done looks 100% better.
Thanks,
Jeff

[Old Bear]

Re: W-9000 foam pads

Jeff
I am not a rotary expert, yet I can point you to a couple resources.
I would start here:
Rotary Buffing Techniques - How Variables Impact Results
Read more at http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...2d6dD6yxrGY.99

Make sure to notice the section on"How much area to work at a time."
Sometimes we work too large of an area and can dry the product out.

There was a link to a long video on rotary work near the top of active threads this weekend. I will try to find it again and get you a link.

[Old Bear]

Re: W-9000 foam pads

Jeff
This is a link to a 2006-2008 video. It was for the Professional Line. Includes the rotary polisher. It is a little long, yet it will get to technique and help you out.

Edit: It will help if I add the link!

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?64867-Share-this-Meguiars-video!!!#0uf4tAIYGG48Maob.97

[Nick Winn]

Re: W-9000 foam pads

Old Bear has provided some good recommendations above along with the link to our older Professional Training Series Video. An older video, but a wealth of valuable information. We wanted to chime in that our W9000 is a foam finishing pad, and our W7000 is our foam cutting pad. Very different pads. Typically either a foam polishing pad, foam cutting pad, of wool pad are used with compounds, but keep in mind, foam cutting pads can create a lot of heat.

Rotary machines can be tough to learn, and also have more risk than other machines, like leaving behind swirls or buffer trails, otherwise known as "holograms." They also have higher risk of actually permanent damage to the paint, because of their aggressive nature, especially when compounding.

The following below link can help further understand the different types of paint polishing tools and how they work:

Beginners guide to the different types of paint polishing tools