Used rotary for the first time today

[zigzagg321]

thats right...I buffed for the very first time today. I have never used any power tool of any kind to buff...and also have never done it by hand. Those of you who read my intro thread know the details of what Im getting into.

So anyway... My truck had a ton of scratches on it from offroading... not anymore! I used a 3m waffle pad and some compound the guy training me loaned me...I have no idea what it is. He didnt teach me to buff...he just gave me the compound and told me to go to town on my truck when I got home... so I did and... No more scratches...no burnt paint...no swirls (its a grey truck, and I hear swirls dont show on those much, I dunno) I didnt prep the pad...I only had the one compound... I dunno. It looks pretty good to me. no pics of before and after...I figured I was gonna screw up the paint so I didnt bother to bring a camera to my work spot. (folks house)

I know I didnt do it by the book...but the scratches are gone, and there arent any swirls...and no burnt paint. I didnt the fenders, and the outside of the bed. all had contoured areas...its a Toyota T100.

again, first time buffing anything. And I used a Makita 9227c.


go figure.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Used rotary for the first time today

I changed the title because the reference wasn't the most family friendly. Thanks for understanding.

[zigzagg321]

Re: Used rotary for the first time today

I changed the title because the reference wasn't the most family friendly. Thanks for understanding.

thats cool. sorry If I offended anyone with it.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Used rotary for the first time today

thats cool. sorry If I offended anyone with it.

No worries, most new members figure that rule out in the same way

[Maserati Mario]

Re: Used rotary for the first time today

good for you!
They arn't as hard as most people make them out to be.
I started on a rotary when I was just 13.
I've never damaged any paint.
But I know a lot of people have.

[Eddie6th]

Re: Used rotary for the first time today

good for you!
They arn't as hard as most people make them out to be.
I started on a rotary when I was just 13.
I've never damaged any paint.
But I know a lot of people have.

What do you put that down to?

[Maserati Mario]

Re: Used rotary for the first time today

Hum? "put that down to?"
Are you asking "why they've damaged paint?"
I'm guessing to much heat, leaving the buffer in one spot to long or to much pressure.
I've only seen one burn mark in my life due to a buffer, back in the 80's, it was on a trunk lid and I didn't see him do it. And ever since then I was always very careful with them.

[Tuck91]

Re: Used rotary for the first time today

good for you!
They arn't as hard as most people make them out to be.
I started on a rotary when I was just 13.
I've never damaged any paint.
But I know a lot of people have.

Thirteen!

Are you sure Mario?

I really want to see some more of your work, perhaps I can learn a thing or two.

I wish when I was thirteen I eve knew anything about detailing.

[zigzagg321]

Re: Used rotary for the first time today

good for you!
They arn't as hard as most people make them out to be.

Im hoping that remains to be true. There is soooo much hoopla about rotary buffers out there... even the pros that do the how-to videos make it seem like its impossible to just pick up a rotary for your first time and NOT mess things up.

Well, I only got a very small taste anyway, so I cant judge anything really based off of my first and only buffing experience I guess.

[Maserati Mario]

Re: Used rotary for the first time today

...., perhaps I can learn a thing or two.....

Yes you could

[Tim Lingor]

Re: Used rotary for the first time today

Thirteen!

Are you sure Mario?

I really want to see some more of your work, perhaps I can learn a thing or two.

I wish when I was thirteen I eve knew anything about detailing.

Yes you could

Morning,

Mario, I believe Tuck is asking you to help him by making suggestions. Why not post some new pics of vehicles you yourself have done on your own, post some full vehicle sun shots and explain the process in detail, etc. Tuck correct me if I am wrong but is that what you were asking???

Tim

[Tuck91]

Re: Used rotary for the first time today

Morning,

Mario, I believe Tuck is asking you to help him by making suggestions. Why not post some new pics of vehicles you yourself have done on your own, post some full vehicle sun shots and explain the process in detail, etc. Tuck correct me if I am wrong but is that what you were asking???

Tim

Yes Tim, spot on!

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Used rotary for the first time today

Im hoping that remains to be true. There is soooo much hoopla about rotary buffers out there...

There needs to be. Regardless of what anyone tells you about how effective the rotary buffer is, how easy it is to learn, etc it still holds the very real potential to do damage if you aren't paying attention. Yes, it may actually take a bit of effort to burn through the paint in the middle of a flat panel, but on the edge of a panel all it takes is a bit of inattention and your paint is gone. Vinyl and rubber trim, plastic tail lights, etc can fall victim to a foam cutting pad in a matter of seconds if you aren't watching closely. People have a tendency to pay close attention to the area they're working on and not think about what's happening on the "back stroke" if you will. With a D/A this really isn't anything to worry about, but with a rotary, especially in the hands of a novice, all sorts of things can go wrong. And when they go wrong, they go wrong quickly. We've seen it happen plenty of times.

even the pros that do the how-to videos make it seem like its impossible to just pick up a rotary for your first time and NOT mess things up.

Impossible? No. Sure, maybe all you're going to do is put a bunch of holograms in the paint. How many times here on MOL alone have you seen someone post pictures of their car after being "professionally detailed" and now they want to know how to remove all the holograms? No damage? Tell that to the guy who just paid $200 for a nice hologram collection. Yes, those can be corrected if you know what you're doing. But you aren't going to fix damaged trim or plastic by going over it with a D/A and some M83. It's all about having a healthy respect for the machine and both what it can do for the paint, as well as to the paint.

A skilled user can be a great teacher when the intent is to actually teach someone how to properly use a rotary. But a 45 second YouTube video that shows an expert pick up a bead and ultimately leave a nice shiny finish is a horrible way to "learn" the rotary. No matter what the activity is, a pro will ALWAYS make it look easy.

Tiger Woods and golf.
Chip Foose drawing a hot rod.
Michelle Kwan on figure skates.
Robby Unser going up Pike's Peak. Sideways. In the dirt. At 100mph. With a 2000' drop off just inches away. And no guardrail. Piece of cake, huh? Heck, Robby won that thing 8 times and never broke a sweat. We know people who get spooked just watching his runs. On YouTube.

Respect the tool, understand the potential.

Know that, unlike the D/A, you're putting more heat into the paint (the D/A puts more heat into the pad/backing plate, FYI), and that because of this the substrate now starts to matter. A urethane bumper cover will dissipate heat differently than a steel body panel will, and it doesn't tolerate the heat as much. Aluminum and carbon fiber are different still. You don't even consider these substrate differences when working with a D/A because, by and large, they don't mean a thing. D/A a Miata, for example, with its mix of steel, aluminum and urethane body parts. Did you do anything different for those sections, or did you even consider that there was a difference?

We love that people are interested in learning how to use a rotary buffer. We just want you to learn proper technique, understand the very real potential for damage, and just have a healthy respect for the machine.

[Tim Lingor]

Re: Used rotary for the first time today

Very well written Mike! Well done and I could not agree more!!!

Other things to keep in mind is the flex agent added to paint on certain bumpers and body cladding. This paint can wrinkle with very little work with a rotary. I have posted ad nauseam about that and other various factors to consider when using the rotary. As you say Mike, respect the rotary for what it is.... Just because someone claims it is easy to drive a car and does so, does not make them a good driver!

Tim

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: Used rotary for the first time today

I winced when I read the OP's line how his friend just gave him the rotary, some unidentified compound, and told him to go to town. I'm so glad that everything turned out OK because all of the elements for creating some serious paint defects seemed present in this story.

Perhaps the most telling part of this thread is that the OP was prepared to accept the consequences of damaging his paint. Since most people detailing their cars are not, I'm glad Mike stepped in with a sobering reality check.We just had a very thorough thread posted a few weeks ago about the casual nature with which some people dispense advice about using a rotary buffer, and there were some excellent replies to that thread by (if I remember correctly) Tim Lingor, Mike Pennington, Michael Stoops, and Kevin Brown. I wish I had bookmarked that thread because the comments in there from some very respected professional detailers is very informative on this issue.