Settings for Makita 9227?

[Thlian]

I`ve had some trouble applying M80,83,85 with the rotary, and I`ve tried speeds from 500-1500 but no matter what I do. The stuff dries up very quickly and some spots get more liquid than others and those spots hardens up under the use of the rotary. And have to be taken away by microfiber cloth and a brutal hand.

So what the heck to I do wrong?
(PS! I don`t use megs pads btw.)

[MaxImage]

Re: Settings for Makita 9227?

How big of an area are you working on at a time? In other words, between removals of the product on the painted surface, how big of an area are you covering with the rotary?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Settings for Makita 9227?

Are you cleaning your pad often?

Even after each application of product?

Most people don't clean their pads often enough and the spent residue on the pad mixed with fresh product can and will make buffing more difficult.

Besides that, these product you listed buff just fine with a rotary in most cases, so here a few questions,

Are you buffing on a warm surface?
Are you buffing in direct sun?
Are you working in a warm, dry climate?


Here's a fast, easy way to clean the face of your pad on the fly with a rotary buffer, hold the rotary buffer against your leg, if your rotary buffer has a stick handle, then place the body of the rotary buffer against your leg and place the stick handle against the inner portion of your leg and this will help to hold the buffer steady.

Then bring the RPM's of your RB up to speed, at least a 1000 RPM or so, (I usually just leave the RPM at the speed I'm using the RB which is usually in the 1400RPM range), and then CAREFULLY, hold a clean, plush terry cloth towel into the face of the foam pad and push down on it and roll it upwards toward you. This will act to remove a lot of the excess product on the surface of the pad.


Here's a picture showing Mike-in-Orange using this technique to clean the face of the foam pad on the RB he's using to work on this Mercedes-Benz as a lot of dead oxidized paint tends to come off old single stage paints like this and it loads up the face of the pad.

The below is taken from here,

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23202

Paul continues to work the paint with the rotary buffer while Mike takes a moment to clean his foam pad by holding a terry cloth towel against the face of the foam pad to pull out some of the oxidized paint and spent product.




Notice how he locks the rotary against his leg using the body and the
handle to form a V against his leg to stabilize the rotary buffer.





This works pretty well when cleaning a lot of dead paint off a pad but you have to very
careful so that you don't get your towel and finger caught into the spinning pad.




After cleaning the face of the foam pad Mike is back to work.

[the other pc]

Re: Settings for Makita 9227?

... but no matter what I do. The stuff dries up very quickly and some spots get more liquid than others and those spots hardens up under the use of the rotary. ...

That also happens when you use too much product. Try using less. And try to spread it very even and thin on your initial pass.

... And have to be taken away by microfiber cloth and a brutal hand...

Spraying on a some QD helps.


PC.

[Thlian]

Re: Settings for Makita 9227?

I`m working a panel at a time, or when I`m doin`the hood I`ll do half.

I`ve also tried to spread it out with an applicator before buffing, but still the same bad result.
I do never stand in the sun, but when it`s not sunny here it`s not often warm.
What`s the most ideal temperature for the paint to have before workin on it?

I might buy a da-polisher and try some other pads.

Btw. using the ScratchX with the rotary is easy because of the thin liquid. But the other one as meantioned dries very fast and dusts like freakin`h....

[the other pc]

Re: Settings for Makita 9227?

I`m working a panel at a time, or when I`m doin`the hood I`ll do half.....

Waaaaaay too big.

Shrink it down, about 18"x18" is usually good. Start at about 12"x12" to get the feel.


PC.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Settings for Makita 9227?

Another good rule of thumb for working size is the width of your shoulders. You shouldn't be reaching or extending past the width of your shoulders when working a panel.

[Thlian]

Re: Settings for Makita 9227?

A quarter hood then

Always wondered, what`s the better choice, rotary or DA?
Or is it in the eye of the beholder?

[AeroCleanse]

Re: Settings for Makita 9227?

A quarter hood then

Always wondered, what`s the better choice, rotary or DA?
Or is it in the eye of the beholder?

Quarter hood or less.

If your skilled the rotary is generally a better choice, if your not skilled with a rotary, the stay with the DA.

I'm learning how to use the rotary myself, and can say that with some practice the end product looks a lot better.

[Thlian]

Re: Settings for Makita 9227?

I`ve never used DA and the rotary I got, I got as a gift last year. But I`m not shure that the Edge2K pads is the way to go.

[MaxImage]

Re: Settings for Makita 9227?

Thlian, most people use the DA first, then graduate up to the rotary. While this is not a rule of thumb, the reason most people follow this pattern is because the learning curve of the DA is significantly less than that of a rotary. The bottom line is, there is a greater incidence of causing damage to your paint with a rotary versus a DA.

Having said that, there is no OVERALL better choice. The true answer is, it depends.And the reason I say this is because EACH situation is different. You may come across a situation where you may only need a DA and using a rotary might be overkill. Meguiars recommends using the LEAST aggressive method/product even if that means making multiple passes (read: multiple applications and wipe off of the product). Similarly, a situation might arise where removing a particular defect is beyond the scope of the DA and a rotary is needed.

Using the Makita 9227 to learn on is wonderful. The gradual spool up feature is great for both first timers and veterans alike. Because of this feature, it is easier to spread the product out across the area in which you are working before ultimately buffing the area in question. Remember to work a manageable area at a time, wiping the area after the product has sufficiently broken down.

At this intial stage, pads have less to do with the ultimate result than does technique. This is not to say that there are not any differences in pads, because there are. I have no experience with Edge2K pads myself, as they are more difficult to acquire for me, but I have used Meg pads with no problems for quite some time. If you are working a large area, keeping multiple pads on hand (remember, one per product) is beneficial because even after regular "on the fly" cleanings, the pad will get saturated to a point to where the effectiveness in its cutting power will significantly decrease. At which time it would be necessary to switch to a new pad.

Practice, practice, practice. Obtain spare parts at a junk yard or at a body shop and practice on those until you feel very comfortable using a rotary. Learn the tolerances of your machine, how much product you need to achieve maximal results and which product combinations offer a shine that satisfies your needs. Good luck!!