Got me a rotary, which pads?

[flakey]

Finally picked up a Dewalt rotary polisher as my first machine. I need help with backing plates and pads, not sure what are the options in terms of size and types of pads from Meg's. It came standard with a 7" BP and a 8" wool pad, both of which are pretty useless for a newbie I think.

which Meg's BP and which pads should I start with? Also, planning to start with UP while I learn. Is that fine or do I need another polish to practice?

The decision to go with a rotary instead of a DA is an informed decision and I am fine with the slow learning curve and the dangers of a rotary.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Got me a rotary, which pads?

Our apologies for missing this - we were in Las Vegas for Barrett-Jackson when you started this thread and we can't always catch everything during events like that.

We have a sizable article on backing plate selection that also includes a listing of what pads work with which plate. You can find this article here.

Another article that you might want to read through as you learn your way around the rotary buffer is this one on buffing variables.

You might also want to look through some of the threads from our Advanced Classes - we generally outline the steps we used to removing sanding marks with a compound and wool pad down to final finish polish.

In a nutshell, to get you started, pick up a W68 backing plate, and a W4000 wool pad plus each of the Soft Buff 2.0 foam pads. That will give you a full compliment of heavy cutting to final finishing, depending of course on liquid used, tool speed setting, etc.

While you can start practicing with any liquid, UP may not be the best choice since A) it's not really recommended for use on a rotary and B) it's extremely mild and as such isn't likely to correct too many defects. If you have either a test panel to work on (check with local body shops for take off panels that might be suitable for practicing on) or an old car that you aren't worried about damaging the paint, get a feel for how different pads and liquids work together. Get a feel for the different pads (wool versus foam cutting for example - dramatically different feel to these two cutting pads!), work on edges, experiment, mess up. Better to do all that on a panel you don't care about than on your favorite car - or a customer's car!

[flakey]

Re: Got me a rotary, which pads?

Thanks a lot Michael, appreciate it. I will grab a scrap panel before any thing else.