KBM- Pad Priming and Supplemental Wetting Agents

KBM- Pad Priming and Supplemental Wetting Agents

Mr. David Saunders-

Glad to hear you got the M205 to finish out to perfection.

Your e-mail about your recent polishing experience has inspired me to write more in-depth about the subject than I first anticipated. Perhaps this article can help other paint polishing enthusiasts to better understand the benefits and drawbacks to priming a pad, using the buffing liquid as the primer. I decided to discuss the benefits of supplemental wetting agents, too. When used together, the dynamic duo of pad priming and wetting agents can deliver stunning results. But, as with most things, there are benefits and drawbacks to consider.

When writing this tutorial, had the random orbital in mind, but after reading through the content, I am confident that most of the information can easily apply to any polishing machine. This includes orbital, random orbital, forced rotation orbital, and rotary machines.

If I happen to cover some things you are already aware of through experiences of your own, deductive reasoning during your hundreds of polishing sessions, or via diligent research in your quest for knowledge, my apologies in advance. Much of the written information has been included for the benefit of much less experienced readers. I hope that at least some portion this article will benefit you, too. I appreciate the fact that someone with your talent and level of passion would ask for an opinion on the subject. With that said… happy reading!

Let's address your two specific questions.

1. Is it possible that a foam buffing pad, once saturated with buffing liquid, could deliver less cut, despite technically having more abrasive product in the foam to begin with?

In my opinion, the answer to this question is a resounding yes.

It is definitely possible and probable that pad saturation can diminish the cutting power of a pad. Saturation is akin to using too much oil in an engine. Although the engine has ample lubrication, the splash and drag on the crankshaft counterbalances and other moving parts diminishes overall performance. Down the line a bit, this article delves into the nuances of pad saturation directly.

2. Is it fair to say that in some cases, a properly primed pad cannot equal the cut of a non-primed pad?

In my opinion, the answer to question two is I suppose, albeit rarely.

Unless I am completely missing something, or cannot recall the instance when I saw this to be true… I feel pretty confident stating that for the task of cutting, a non-saturated, properly primed pad will typically and easily outperform a non-primed pad of the same type.
That being said, I am certain that there will be instances when a primed pad will outperform a non-primed pad for certain tasks, and vice versa. In fact, I recently saw Mike Stoops of Meguiar’s clear up some rather nasty hazing using a non-primed Meguiar’s W9207 7” Foam Finishing Pad. The foam pad easily outperformed the primed Meguiar’s DMF5 5.5” DA Microfiber Finishing Disc I was using. It wasn’t even close: I was a beaten man! Truthfully, this was the only time I’ve ever seen a foam pad rival the Microfiber Disc so easily.

Instead of priming the pad, Mike used only three or four dots of Meguiar’s DA Microfiber Finishing Wax to remove the hazing. After seeing the results, I was able to mimic his results by dialing back the amount of product used on the Finishing Disc. I still used a primed pad, but I minimized the amount of liquid on the pad big time- more than I usually do. We had compressed air handy, which is by far the best way to clean the pad and control the amount of buffing liquid attached to it.

Throughout the polishing session, we had seen an inordinate amount of scouring, or hazing. In this case, neither the disc nor the liquid was responsible for the damage; the abraded paint residue was! The first time I encountered this phenomenon, it was a real eye opener, and taught me the value of keeping the pad clean. It also taught me to be on the lookout for this occurrence at the onset of all future polishing sessions (a rather tough thing to judge when polishing clear-coated paints).

Luckily, we realized early on that the paint residue was responsible for the hazing. After all, soft paint is one thing, but soft and crunchy is pretty rare, especially with paint jobs that aren’t all that old. This paint was relatively new and our microfiber discs were fresh and fluffy, so the deduction was not all that hard to come by.

So, why did the two pads deliver such different results?

Some background:
The paint we were working on was a soft, single stage, black. The brand was unknown to us. Truthfully, when dealing with any aftermarket paint job, the brand isn’t all that important because the hardness of the finish will vary depending upon how accurately the painter adhered to the manufacturers mixing and drying recommendations. The amount of paint sprayed onto the car can vary from painter to painter, too, which can also affect the overall characteristics of a cured paint job.

Even if the model of car is familiar to you, the paint system can vary widely. Claude Sevigny of Meguiar’s Canada, a man that I enjoy talking with and respect immensely, recently told me of a major European automobile manufacturing plant that was using three completely different paint systems (traditional, water based, and powdercoat)! So, unless you can decipher a vehicle’s paint code and know the characteristics of each paint type beforehand, you might notice that a seemingly familiar paint type is reacting to polishing differently than before, but you won’t know why. Consequently, you might chalk up the differences to changes in your technique, pad saturation, temperature and humidity, or a number of other things.

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