M83 Help

[AeroCleanse]

I need some help with M83. I tried to use it today with my rotary and it pretty much dried up right away. Did I not shake it well enough? I kept applying more, but giving the videos, it seemed I was applying too much, yet it looked like it buffed dry. Makta set at 3, temp 45F.

I'm learning the rotary, so that may be an issue too.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: M83 Help

Work a smaller section?

Biggest problem people have with M83 is not cleaning their pad often enough.

What pad are you using?

[AeroCleanse]

Re: M83 Help

Work a smaller section?

Biggest problem people have with M83 is not cleaning their pad often enough.

What pad are you using?

The section is "test spot" sized, about 16" x 12" or less. I'm using a W8006 pad.

Andy

[Mike Phillips]

Re: M83 Help

Hmm...

You could try misting a little quick detailer on the pad to break it in a little?

What does the paint look like right now?

Is it single stage or clear coated?

Does it need to be clayed?

[AeroCleanse]

Re: M83 Help

Hmm...

You could try misting a little quick detailer on the pad to break it in a little?

What does the paint look like right now?

Is it single stage or clear coated?

Does it need to be clayed?

I misted on a clay lubricant on the pad. Its factory paint from '93, dark blue with a clear coat and it has been clayed.

What's the correct way to clean a foam pad, besides investing in a system 2000 padwasher.

I'm wondering if when I cleaned them last time (have another one for M80) that I screwed it up.

[hot rod]

Re: M83 Help

You can use a soft bristle brush. I pick one up from my locate meguiars supplier.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: M83 Help

Hold a clean, terry cloth towel into the foam with one hand while holding the buffer with the other hand against your knee.

Let me see if we have a pictures of this in the gallery.

For an experiment, obtain a brand new W-8006 pad and start new with M83 and see if that doesn't work better, then you'll know it was a dirty pad issue.

When we use M83 we love the results we get on the paint, but we clean our pad after every application and switch to a clean, dry pad often as we move around the car. M83 works great but can become very gummy when your pad gets wet with product, thus the switching to clean, dry pads, not new pads, these pads are used but they are clean and dry.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: M83 Help

Here's something I posted a while back about the difference between using M83 and M80:

83 is quite a different beast than #80 is. Yes, it's more aggressive but it also requires a somewhat different technique because:

• play time is noticeably less with 83 than with 80
• 83 will dust more than 80, especially if you get to a dry buff situation or you oversaturate the pad
• avoid oversaturating the pad by cleaning it after every panel. Do this by holding the machine in one hand and pressing a terry cloth towel against the pad with your other hand. Turn the machine on, keeping pressure between towel and pad to force excess product out of the pad

While pad cleaning should really be done with 80 also, it isn't as critical as with 83. You'll also notice that since 80 has a higher level of polishing oils it the pad will glide much easier over the paint. This means you may not be able to use as much pressure with 83 because of this difference. Very soft paints may look a bit hazed after treatment with 83 and benefit greatly from a follow up with 80 - this is not always needed but should be evaluated after using 83.

My initial use of 83 was very frustrating because I was so used to how 80 behaved. What happened was this: when I first started to see dust with 83 I assumed it was starting to dry out because I had never really experienced much dusting with 80. But this was me not realizing just how different 83 is and my incorrect thinking took me on a frustrating path. I would stop buffing with 83 and just wipe it off, then apply more 83 to my pad and move on. It would start to dust sooner, so I'd stop sooner and start to wipe it off but since it hadn't broken down fully it was hard to remove. It also wasn't giving me good results. But with each pass it would dust more, and sooner. So I'd stop sooner. I hated the stuff.

But then I learned that you can't use 83 exactly the same way you use 80. Use less of it, especially once your pad is fully "wet" on the surface. Clean the pad more often, very often in fact. Work it longer. Don't let a little dust make you think it's done. It will dust more than 80, but it won't dust a lot unless you oversaturate the pad and make all the mistakes I did at first. I have no problems using 83 now, and I get great results.

I think it's every bit as easy to use as 80, you just have to use it a little differently is all.

[AeroCleanse]

Re: M83 Help

Great more products to buy Do those foam pad cleaning tools that look kinda like the spurs for wool pads work well?

[BlueZero]

Re: M83 Help

Not to thread hijack but could you mix a bit of #7 in with the #83 so it doesn't dry out as fast? I just figure #80 has the same oils as #7 so maybe it would work.

#83 is and was the hardest product for me to learn to use with a DA so don't feel bad. I still don't think I have it mastered. #80 was super easy to learn. I gave up on #83 and started using a different brand but after talking with some pros they all said that #83 was worth learning. Now to start to learn to use the rotary.

[Mless5]

Re: M83 Help

On the same boat here. I tried everything and just can't get it to work. Ended up picking up more user friendly product.

[Ticman]

Re: M83 Help

I need some help with M83. I tried to use it today with my rotary and it pretty much dried up right away. Did I not shake it well enough? I kept applying more, but giving the videos, it seemed I was applying too much, yet it looked like it buffed dry. Makta set at 3, temp 45F.

I'm learning the rotary, so that may be an issue too.

Guys, I think he's using a rotary. Don't try the hold the towel on the pad to clean thing. LOL!!! A nylon brush works well for me.

I'm going to go againist the grain here a little but I have used #83 quite often and I really like it. I have a Makita rotary as well. 83 seems to me to be humidity sensitive. If the humidity is real low it will dry out pretty quick.

Other than keeping the pad clean I have found that using some distilled water works great in this situation. I have an old detail spray bottle that I use for this. I will spray the pad before adding the 83 and sometimes even spray the pad in the middle of polishing a section. This keeps it from drying and dusting both.

Also, I have cleaned a pad out in a five gallon bucket and spun it dry with the rotary. Then went straight back to polishing with #83 and it worked very well. I think the little extra moisture from the cleaning helps in this case.

Tic

[AeroCleanse]

Re: M83 Help

I did use a towel...hehehe. What kind of nylon brush?

[BlueZero]

Re: M83 Help

I did use a towel...hehehe. What kind of nylon brush?

A stiff one. Like you would use for cleaning the house. Check out the cleaning section of like Walmart.

They make a "special" brush for it but anyone should work as long as it's fairly stiff. I bought a Duospur Cleaning Tool last fall but haven't had a chance to use it yet.

[Ticman]

Re: M83 Help

A stiff one. Like you would use for cleaning the house. Check out the cleaning section of like Walmart.

They make a "special" brush for it but anyone should work as long as it's fairly stiff. I bought a Duospur Cleaning Tool last fall but haven't had a chance to use it yet.

What Scott said... LOL!!

One other thing is slow down a little since you are learning. Try to spread out on 1 then bump it up to 2 then back down to 1.

Tic