Recently decided to purchase myself a plug-in electric buffer machine, came with a couple covers for it, plus I bought several others for removal/buffing/application and such.. I just had a few questions before I use it:

1) What is the normal process you would use the buffer in? Wash the vehicle up, get it ready for a coat of wax.. then in the phase after your ready for the wax.. what is the order and how do you apply it with the machine and use it?


I am asking because I don't want to screw anything on the truck body up... I've got a bunch of nicks up and down the sides, especially along the bottom of the side area that I want to eventually work on buffing out after I touch it up with some paint... start restoring how the body looks and make it nice and mirror style shiny..



So.. feel free to let me know your general use of the buffer.. and school me on how to do it if you can, I'm excellent with tools of all sorts, but have never used a random orbital buffer before Its a 10" one by the way, if you would like more info like on the types of covers I purchased and such.. feel free to give a shout :-)



Thanks ahead of time!!!


EDIT: Figured I woudl save soem time on the repost and tell you exactly what I purchased:

* "Titan" 10" Random Orbital Buffer/Polisher
Comes With: Terry Cloth Bonnet & Polishing Bonnet

I purchased another 2 pack of the Terry Cloth Bonnets, along with a 1 pack Synthetic Polishing Bonnet




I HAVE read all the instructions carefully, and know not to do things like applying weight to it, how to stop and start it (Like not picking it up off the vehicle until its stopped spinning) and doing it in large circles/hash type movements to cover large areas and apply an even polish.

 

keep it moving dont keep it in the same spot

 

I take a polishing wheel, mount it to an angle grinder, and go at it.










lol.

 

10,000 RPM FTW!! Sounds a little violent for the paint...

 

not if you keep moving :)

 

I use a 7" craftsman grinder to buff with. first I wet sand with 1500-2000 depending and then use the wool pad and follow up with a foam pad. The orbital polisher is good for applying and removing wax.
John

 

use they either come with a cloth like material disk, or a white foam one use that one first to buff using alot of compound, then hit up the gray foam polishing pad. you only need a little bit of polish to go along away.a few tips........ keep moving, try to stay on the 1000 rmp that is plenty to buff and polish thats all we use all day long at the body shop, and the flatter you keep the buffer/polisher the lesss swirl marks you get

 

how do u get all the wax off when using a buffer to clean off the wax? This is a MAJOR problem i ran into waxing the E350... man the box looks like **** in direct sunlight. sometime this summer ima hafta get someone to buff it out.

 

Ok. here's what I do. Don't apply pressure when using the buffer. let it do the work for you. If you do you can burn the clear coat off and ruin your paint. here's another thing you might also want to consider. Only use your buffer to apply wax instead of both applying and removing wax. use your buffer and apply 1 coat of Zymol Cleaner Wax. let it get Bone dry and remove by hand. Next step: Use your Buffer to apply 1 thin coat of Turtlewax Ice (liquid version) and allow to dry to a slight haze. Final step: use your buffer and apply another coat of Zymol cleaner wax one section at a time. From where you applied the Turtlewax Ice earlier, it will dry right before your eyes almost immediately and it will out shine even a brand new mirror. Be sure to wash vehicle with Meguiar's Gold Class Car wash FIRST. This will last 18 months, and the mud will just hose off.

 

if your working on a single spot make sure you feel it every once and a while and make sure it doesnt get too hot. worked in a couple detail shops and watched people burn paint. its a pain in the ****!

 

man, i don't get how some people mess paint up with a buffer. I've been doing it for almost 6 years now. I have never had a problem even when i started, maybe i'm a natural.
There are two different types, you have a random orbital. Virtually harmless to the paint. The only way you can harm your paint with that is with the grittiest compound on the market, and even then it can still be fixed. With a high speed buffer[grinder] it's entirely different, it is designed to level the clear coat to remove imperfections.
Just take your time. Run the orbital up and down the sides, and back and forth when applying wax/polish, that will eliminate almost all swirls. On the hood/roof go left and right and front to back, for the same reason.

 

That's easy, they apply pressure when they don't need to and work themselves to death in the process. And you're somewhat in accurate a bit. Paint nowadays is so delicate it's pathetic. We can thank the EPA for that. The Clear Topcoat is thinner than a piece of parchment paper. And to let you know It's a talent. Some people have it and some don't. You're one of the few. Plus here's another reason to consider, the factory uses the cheapest paint and body materials possible so they can turn a bigger profit on what they sale. Cheap paint after about 3 to 4 years starts to fade,crack and peel. Even if you take care of it with the proper cleaning materials it will still do that.

 

Go and watch the video posted here

http://www.autogeek.net/dual-action-polisher.html

 

Wowmike2001, your random orbital is best used for waxing, the random orbitals make fast jobs of waxing, wash truck thoroughly and brush, allow to dry, orbit on the wax with the terry applicator( i put wax on terry bonnet), dont worry wax wont burn through paint, move slow (2-3 seconds a foot) and left to right then right to left over the same area a second time(my preference) move on. allow to haze, remove with wool bonnet, or a clean terry bonnet. I usually apply wax to the entire vehicle(not my truck it hasn't been waxed) change bonnets and remove dried wax in the order it was applied. also some hand toweling in the cracks to remove wax is neccessary, use a new/clean towel or microfiber, but youll never wax it all by hand again.

Dont try to use compound for buffing, the orbital wont work, youll need a 7'' polisher for that, i regularly use a Makita w/ variable speed dial and trigger, max RPM i think is 3200RPM, Using these with buffing compound is a different story alltogather technique and expirience are a must, to avoid burning through the paint or leaving swirls

 

I usually just take the wax off by hand. here's what I used back in august of 2006:




Here are the results as of today and it aint been washed or waxed since:



these products usually last 18 months.

 

Thats actually fantastic to hear.. Since I've never done it before, I woudl rather have some experience doing the actual applying wax.. and later down the road work into an actual makita style polisher. Thanks a bunch! :-D