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Okay, you pros. I know you have tried out all sorts of polishers--orbitals, dual/action, Flex, rotary; but have you tried out a drum polisher?! 
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Swirls hide in the black molecular depths, only waiting for the right time to emerge and destroy your sanity.
--Al Kimel -
Re: Drum polisher
Seems like it could work on a flat area, but what about bends and hard to reach areas?
It just sounds like it's ripping the paint off!
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Re: Drum polisher
Originally posted by RaskyR1 View Post
It just sounds like it's ripping the paint off!
It sounds interesting...what would the RPM's be?
Sounds kinda dangerous if you ask me.Comment
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Re: Drum polisher
Pretty sweet. I've actually never seen that before... I love learning about new stuff, woohoo!
The only issue would be getting different types of "pads" or cut levels, or at least it might be an issue since he only showed/mentioned one synthetic wool type "pad."Comment
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Re: Drum polisher
How do you prevent it from slinging product all over the place? You'd be picking up product on the outside circumference of that pad as it spins - sure seems it would sling all over the place.Michael Stoops
Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.
Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.
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Re: Drum polisher
Looks like like a tool specifically designed for polishing aluminum and trying to use it on car paint. Might work on nice flat panels but not in tight areas.
Looks like a real handful to hold onto and kind of looks like it would have a tendency to throw splatter when adding fresh product.
Because of it's size, it seem that it would be hard to monitor how much paint you're removing section by section as you work around the car.
Someone take a hit for the community and buy one and then tell us what you think?
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Re: Drum polisher
I hope it has a safety strap too! You let go of that thing and bye bye!
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Re: Drum polisher
I wonder what tool he uses to buff out all the scratches he’s leaving in the bumper by dragging the air hose back and forth over it.
Drum sanders and polishers are pretty common in metalworking but you do sometimes see them used for industrial buffing of finished parts. I’ve never seen one used on a car before.
Since he claims to be using an “Astro polisher used by NASA and American Airlines” it would appear that he’s using a Airmark 8277 pneumatic drum polisher. Note that AA is one of the few carriers with planes that have large expanses of bare aluminum rather than paint.*
Also note that the paint finishes on commercial aircraft only need to look pretty from the terminal, hundreds of feet away. When you get up close they usually look really awful compared to a detailed automotive finish.
When using a rotary buffer on automotive paint you’re always reminded to “keep the pad flat.” Otherwise you get swirls. With a drum polisher it’s impossible to buff flat. When you flatten the pad against the surface the center line will have far higher pressure than the leading and trailing edges of the contact patch.
He also appears to be using wool pads. I don’t know if anybody even makes foam pads for those.
It would be interesting to compare the finish produced by his drum polisher with one produced by a skilled detailer using normal tools/techniques.
pc.
*which is why Bruce Branit and Jeremy Hunt used AA in their awesome short: 405: The Movie, so they could create those amazing computer rendered reflected images.Comment
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Re: Drum polisher
Never saw that before. Looks like a huge paint roller
Learning new things everydayComment
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Re: Drum polisher
Never seen that before. Paul brings up some excellent points. I do not believe it would work that well on most cars.quality creates its own demandComment
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Re: Drum polisher
Hi I'm Robert Moore from Moore's Mobile Detailing; I have been detailing cars for six years and have used many kinds of polisher from the rotary to D.A. The Astro drum polisher is very easy to control and perfect for removing swirls left behind by the rotary polisher. It does not edge cut so you can drive over small areas. It does not completely replace the DA or rotary for small areas but will save you hours of time on big wet sanding jobs. I love using it on big black trucks or even show cars. I would not recommend it for the novice because it cost 1600.00 pulse you need at least 35 CFM of air to run it. You do not need to tape edges because it is very gentle and does not edge cut. I have used it on million dollars black privet jets and Plexiglas and does not make lines. Thanks again, Robert Moore
PS. check out my web site at www mooresdetailing.comComment
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