Cordless (Cheap) rotary polishers.

[Cupra_UK]

I was wondering if anyone has tried something like this;

Cordless would be good and being relatively inexperienced I would prefer it not to be too powerful.

Are these any good for say, the wet sanding process or would I need something more powerful?

 

[Jace]

Rice pudding & skin wouldnt move for one of those.

TBH, If you've not used a regular PC, jumping straight to a rotary is asking for trouble, but if you feel you can handle it, a SILVER LINE ORANGE rotary is the one to opt for, get them for about £40 off ebay.

add £45 for pads & backing plate, plus another £30 for a menzerna sample set.

 

[Cupra_UK]

What is a regular PC?

 

[Daffy]

Follow Jaces advice.
Those 'polishers' are worse than useless, not even worth it for LSP's as you can do better by hand.

 

[Daffy]

PC = Porter Cable.
You can import them from Autopia in the US. If you go to Detailing World and look at my sig there is a link in that that should give you a discount code, usually between 10 and 20%.

 

[detaildoctor]

Burn some pound notes instead....worthless

 

[Cupra_UK]

What is the differece between PC and other rotarys? Difference in power?

 

[Daffy]

A pc is random orbit, ie it does not just spin round it has some throw to it a bit like those buffers. A rotary just spins round, weighs a lot more and generates much more heat. A lot of people with no experience wack it up to the maximum thinking faster is better/ quicker. It isn't, and why people end up with holograms, burnt paint and damage. On most rotaries you won't get up above 2-2500 rpm at the most. It does take a fair bit of practice over a pc which is almost plug and play but you can still damage paintwork with one. Rotary must be kept moving, well lubed and not to fast.
If you do decide to get one then I highly recommend getting a scrap bonnet and have plenty of practice before you start. The majority of people though start with a pc and work up to a rotary as you need to learn about different paints, pads and polish combos first.

 

[Cupra_UK]

To be honest my bonnet is so bad that it needs a repaint so I'm going to do some testing on that.

Can Autoglym Super Resin Polish be used with polishers?

 

[Daffy]

It can be and too quite good effect so I have been told although IIRC it is designed for use by hand. When you say polishers you mean pc I assume.
If you pm your address I have a sample bottle of Megs 83 lying about somewhere. It is for rotary and pc use. There is probably enough to do most of a car with don't want anything for it, not even for the stamp, I will stick it in the post if you want it.

 

[Cupra_UK]

Sorry, haven't seen this post for a while.

Daffy that's very generous!! Thank you!! (PM sent).

I currently use Autoglym Super Resin polish by hand – more because I have it than a preference over anything else. It does the a reasonable job but leaves a residue which takes a few days to clear. It also gives a nice gloss but has to be worked really hard with the hand in order to remove even light scratches. I'd like to try something else...

Also, I think I'm going to go for the Sliverline polisher. www.transtools.co.uk do what seems to be a good deal with 5 additional heads with the Hi Spec version.

Is there much of a difference between the normal and Hi Spec?

 

[Rubbish Boy]

Nothing wrong with the Silverline polisher, makes quite a useful tool and while it may lack the quality of say a Makita it will be fine. The orange would be the one to go for as it has soft start, so that when you pull the trigger it accelerates more gently to the set speed rather than instantly running at the selected speed.

One thing I would say though is that the polishing foams it comes with aren't particuarly good. Better off getting a seperate backing pad and using velcro foams.

I do this kit, the soft backing plate makes getting to grips with the machine a lot easier.

Oh and make sure you get lots of practice on scrap panels before attacking the car.

 

[Cupra_UK]

Silverline Hi-Spec polisher arrived today. I've not used it yet but as a first impression it looks a bit cheap. Did anyone else get this impression? I'm more concerned with how it works than its look but it almost looks like what i'd expect from a cheap knock off... a fake... difficult to describe. Does anyone have an actual picture of their one?

Also I turned it on briefly – how does the slow start work? Do you raise the speed by the scroll type knob? I was under the impression it would do a slow start at every setting...?

 

[Daffy]

Slow start is usually by some sort of speed controller. Didn't think the cheaper rotaries had this. If it does half dqueeze the trigger and it should slowly start spinning before pulling the trigger full on. You can change the speed while working but you shouldn't need anything above 2, 1 -1.5 is about the usual but depends on the settings. Higher speed does not mean quicker it means burnt paint and holograms.

 

[Cupra_UK]

I don't intend to use it over 1 for now. But the main reason I paid a bit more for the "hi-spec" one was because it apparently has slow start...

I haven't tried depressing the button halfway – will do tonight but may be I was expecting too much for £50?? Surely depressing the button halfway on the lower spec one would provide a slow speed too?!

 

[Rubbish Boy]

You have to bear in mind that the silverline is a cheaper tool than say a Makita, that "looks" similar but costs a lot more (£160 ish), but non the less will do the job.

I take it, it is an orange machine you have?

The soft start should take away the initial kick. Not sure if you will feel it without having some load on it though.

 

[Cupra_UK]

Yes indeed. The orange one.

When I read about the "slow-start" I imagined it to be that the speed builds up a lot more gradually. Is this not the case then?
I guess there is not a lot I can do about it if it isn't the case but I would like to make sure I’m not over looking something or have a faulty machine...

 

[Rubbish Boy]

As far as I know the silverline doesn't have a variable speed trigger. The soft start is more that it doesn't suddenly hit the speed you have dialled in on the speed controller when you pull the trigger in, it just smooths it out a bit so you don't get so much of a kick.

 

[detaildoctor]

Rotary requires very careful use indeed. Anything over 1500-2200 rpm starts sanding things in my experience.

My best results from a rotary have been using it on 1500-1800 depending on what the speed variance is between settings and I generally use it just off the horizontal, as if used on a high end speed, you can experience some nasty skid, which then makes nice nasty burns and holograms, as per what daffy was explaining. Wise words indeed.

The main thing is to take it easy and take your time. Seeing as you are starting with a PC, then you'll get a feel quickly.

A rotary is a wholly different beast and requires respect and dedication.

With a PC, splat is not really as much of a problem either, so less long prep with 3434 and covering everything up.

I generally cut very hard clear coat (VAG generally) with a rotary and polish / finish with my DA220 PC.

Take the time to play around with pad / cutting / polish combinations.

I love Megs Solo with the rotary or No83 which is excellent followed by No 80 speed glaze and finish with either No 16 wax or NXT 2.0 dependant on car.

I find I can do a whole BMW (in general) with just a PC whereas my Cupra R is hard to touch with anything other than a rotary.

Rule of thumb is usually start with lightest cut pad and compound and work from there assessing results after each pass, microfibre to wipe off (make sure is a quality one though or you will end up wiping the compound back onto the car )

Good luck