granules in polishing pad

[bluemoon]

After polishing our CRV this weekend with #80, I put the pad in a bucket of water with Dawn in it to soak like I always do. Usually after a couple of hours of soaking I am able to rinse all the product out and they look as good as new. But this time I have noticed some gray colored granules that are in the foam, under the surface and after 3 days of soaking and rinsing they are still in the pad. I can't feel them when I run my hand across the pad but when I press down I can feel them. Any ideas on how to get them out, or does this pad need to be thrown away? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

If you can feel the bumps, it sounds like something has contaminated the pad and should be discarded. I would not take a chance as anything you can feel in the pad may create marring on the paint's surface. But before you throw the pad out, I would allow it to dry fully. Then tap it fairly hard over a very clean, hard surface like the kitchen counter or a glass table. This may dislodge the particle. But again, I would rather be safe than sorry, and replace the pad. Just IMHO!

Tim

[bluemoon]

I was afraid that was the answer. But it confirms what I was thinking.
Do pads become contaminated like this regularily, or is it rather rare?
Thanks

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by bluemoon
I was afraid that was the answer. But it confirms what I was thinking.
Do pads become contaminated like this regularly, or is it rather rare?
Thanks

Rare.

I can't say that contaminated pads have ever been an issue with Meguiar's product line, we just don't see this issue come up. This is more of an isolated incident than the norm.

[bluemoon]

Originally posted by Mike Phillips
Rare.

I can't say that contaminated pads have ever been an issue with Meguiar's product line, we just don't see this issue come up. This is more of an isolated incident than the norm.

This is good to hear. I am not really sure what caused it, but sometimes things just happen that leave you scratching your head. I was trying to determine how many pads too order, if this is rare I won't get to carried away then.
Thanks for the help

[zey]

On the W-8006 pad which I use it with #83, I get tonnes of greyish granules hidden in the foam pad. Last time I never wash up the foam pad immediately after usage, and the polish dried up inside and accumulated. Not even soaking in washing liquid will break up those granules. This morning I took the initiative to pull out the high pressure washer and blasted the water onto the surface of the foam pad. Amazingly 99.9% of the granules are taken out leaving a as-clean-as-new foam pad. I believe these granules are the culprits of creating swirls and I will make it a habit to wash the pads after each machine detailing. Thanks.

[bluemoon]

I was about to throw my pad away. I might try hitting it with a pressure washer first. I can see pulling up to the local coin op car wash and getting out of the car putting my coins in, spraying off the pad, getting back in and driving away. I can almost picture the look on the other peoples faces.

[JeffM]

Probably the same look i got when i was hand washing my truck with NXT, my own bucket, and my wash mitt.

The manager was walking by, stopped , stared, and asked me, "whats the matter you dont like our soap?"

I siad, no i suppose the soap is ok, but the brush will scratch my paint.

LOL, he just said , ahh, like, "ya your right", and walked away.

[g15389]

I had the same problem with #80 after allowing the pad to dry. I bought a $.50 soft toothbrush and ran it against the pad with the PC turned on setting 3. It took all of the dried up product out and the pad was good to go.

Might want to give it a shot.

G-

[rusty bumper]

Originally posted by g15389
I had the same problem with #80 after allowing the pad to dry. I bought a $.50 soft toothbrush and ran it against the pad with the PC turned on setting 3. It took all of the dried up product out and the pad was good to go.

Might want to give it a shot.

G-

I always examine my pad after working in a product on a given area of the car, and I noticed that a good simi-stiff tooth brush like tool will remove any dried on particles from the pad, and I use the 3 setting too for a final spin/cleanup of the pad.

[Mike Phillips]

Just to chime in...

In all my years and experience using Meguiar's products with Meguiar's foam pads, I have never experienced what's being described in this thread. I see any excess product left on the pad dry when left alone and before using a foam pad remove this dried residue using a nylon brush while the foam pad is brought up to speed on a rotary buffer.

Could be the granules you're seeing is simply excess product left behind from the previous detailing session?

[zey]

Mike, I have a polishing pad which is abit torn on the surface, so it's abit uneven. I experience more buffer swirls with that pad compared to a new pad. Is that normal?



Thanks!

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by zey
I experience more buffer swirls with that pad compared to a new pad.

Anytime their is a deviation from a consistent uniform surface the potential is present for more swirls versus less swirls.

Is that normal?

If by your question you want to know if our foam pads a bit torn on the surface, so they are a bit uneven on the surface as you describe...

Originally posted by zey
abit torn on the surface, so it's abit uneven

Then the answer is no, right out of the plastic package our foam pads are not torn, nor uneven and they should have a clean, even, uniform appearance.


If you're wanting to know if after using a foam pad for a while and the foam becomes torn on the surface and a bit uneven, then anytime their is a deviation from a consistent uniform surface the potential is present for more swirls versus less swirls.

When you talk about producing a completely swirl free finish are what is the exact process you're trying to achieve this goal? What is your last step before you stop and inspect and expect the surface to be swirl free?

[zey]

Mike, sorry for not mentiong that I've used this pad for 1.5 year. So it had been through quite alot of polishing and washing, hence the surface has become uneven.

My expectation is to achieve swirl-free finish by using rotary/#83/8006 combo. I have seen someone producting swirl-free finish by just performing such step.

p.s. To remove those holograms, I temporarily use #80/9006 and finish off with #16 to achieve 100% swirl-free finish.

[g15389]

Mike,

Here is the best picture I can take of the granules that I am talking about. They appear dark gray (mostly around the edge of the pad). I believe this is just product buildup and is removed with a toothbrush.



G-