Question concerning 4" and 7" pads from a new D/A user

[Shawn T.]

Re: Question concerning 4" and 7" pads from a new D/A user

Geez, all i asked was if I should slow the speed down with the smaller pads.....

Yes, by a little bit. But a little theory never hurt

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Question concerning 4" and 7" pads from a new D/A user

All else being equal (foam construction, pad face contours, machine speed, arm speed, pressure, liquid being used, etc) the smaller the pad used on a D/A the more cut you will get. The opposite is true when changing pad size on a rotary.

You can generate a lot of heat very quickly with a small pad on a D/A and that can cause problems on urethane bumper covers as that substrate does not dissipate heat as effectively as does steel or aluminum.

Exactly what speed on a 4" pad directly correlates to what on a 7" pad is something I personally have never seen published. But as Bob said, regularly check surface temp by simply putting your hand on the area being buffed. If it's getting really hot back off or move to another area and let things cool down. But do this often because you do NOT want find out the hard way that the paint is getting seriously hot.

Remember, there is a very common misconception on the Internet that it is "impossible" to burn your paint with a D/A. It is possible, but thankfully it's also very, very rare that we actually see it happen.