Just picked up a 10" orbital buffer

[chunderboy]

Just one quick question. I am trying to find some replacement applicators and buffers for the 10" head of the buffer

Anyone know of a good site to order some. When the weather gets nice, i plan on giving her the first treatment, and i want to have all the necessary parts with me.

So, if anyone can help a brudda out it would be greatly appreciated

 

[broncosi]

i also just got a 10" buffer about a week ago, i also picked up 2 aplicator and 2 remover bonnets from autozone, i havent looked where to buy them in bulk though

 

[Bobby]

chunderboy,

I hope that's a random orbit buffer. I bought a Porter Cable 7424 a few months ago. It's a 6" random orbit polisher I got from Coastal Tools. You should be able to find bonnets at Home Depot or any auto parts chain store.

 

[Boaz]

I would like to hear your experiences with the buffer, Im afraid of swirl marks, or even worse!!!!
am I just being a chicken shit? Or is it pretty fool proof?

 

[Bobby]

The random orbit polisher will be less likely to wear away paint from high spots on your truck and helps prevent swirls. If you know what you're doing, it takes about 15 mins to do a complete car. That's a lot better than the 2+ hrs I used to spend waxing and polishing my M3. I didn't want to spend 4+ hrs on the 4runner so I bought a polisher.

The Coastal Tools deal is the best I've found (even better than the deals on eBay). It's originally a 5" polisher but it comes with the counterweight for 6". The 7424(5"), 7335(5") and 7336(6") are identical except for the counter weight and some accessories. Lowe's home improvement had the 7336 on sale for $99 once but after you buy a buffing wheel and velcro wheel, it comes out to more than the Coastal Tool deal and they also throw in the 6" counterweight. The polisher comes with pretty good instructions and if you follow them closely, you shouldn't have any problems.

If you're that chicken shit, you can always tell one of your friends that you'll wax their car and try it out on his ride .

 

[chunderboy]

LOl, very funny bobby, ef up one of your friends cars first then do work on yours.

Yea it is a 10" ryobi with the random orbital action.

I used to use one on my old rig, but it was my friends. Since we aren't friends anymore i got my own.

http://www.ryobitools.com/product/product.asp?prodid=133&prodcat=2&toolcat=30

But this is the one that i got. Yes it does have random orbital action. And i have the 3 step meguiars pack. Can't wait to see what this thing looks like with fresh paint, and fresh wax on it. I think i might check out zymol for my next wax purchase.

Oh, and on another note, i usually never use spray on tire dressing, but i found the best shit (in my opinion). It is the new one touch stuff with 2x the stuff in it. No overspray and dries fast, and gives it the best shine i have seen. And it lasts long as well. If you have a costo or something near you, they are selling 4 bottles for 10 bucks. Def. worth the money

 

[chunderboy]

Bobby,

Just wondering what the counter weight does? Forgive me if it is a stupid question, but this probably isn't the first one that i asked you, and the longer i know you you'll figure out that it won't be the last

 

[Bobby]

Return it if you can. I've used one of those and it's easier doing it by hand. If you want, you can use my Porter Cable to see if you like it. I know it costs more but you get what you pay for. Really.

For tire dressing, I use Meguire's Endurance. This stuff is the best I've used. Its a liquid and it doesn't splatter the wheel and it's easy to use.

Bobby,

Just wondering what the counter weight does? Forgive me if it is a stupid question, but this probably isn't the first one that i asked you, and the longer i know you you'll figure out that it won't be the last

You're right, it's not the first and I'm positive it's not the last .

The counter weight is so that the random orbit doesn't get out of control. The 6" counter weight is a bit heavier than the 5" so you can use the bigger pads and buffing wheels.

 

[Fro-Runner]

The lil ole buffer goes round and round....round and round! I too, am chicken isht about putting a buffer on my ride.

 

[chunderboy]

Nothing to be afraid of. Just a couple of things that you should remember.

Don't keep it in the same spot for longer than like a second. don't push down really hard on it when going over a part of the car.

Also, another way to keep the action smooth w/o creating to much heat is to spray the buffer wheel with some water periodically. It keeps the temp down, and also allows the wax or polish to stick better

Bobby,

DICK. But seriously, what is the bad aspects of the ryobi that i got?

 

[Bobby]

fo'runner - chunderboy has some good points. Its not really that scary to do unless you've never been around power tools and have the IQ of a doorknob . All polishers have very good instructions (they have to to stay in business) so ruining your paint with a good quality polisher will be really hard to do. There's tons of info on how to use one online.

http://www.carcareonline.com/ is a good starter site. They have very good tips and articles. Their prices are ok at best though.

Bobby,

what is the bad aspects of the ryobi that i got?

Depends how you look at it. Kinda like driving a Yugo vs. a BMW. Both will get you to where you're going but one will last longer, give you a better ride, be more comfortable, etc.

Ryobi is for the lazy guy that doesn't really care about his car and will use it maybe 3 times a year. It will break eventually and it's harder to handle while waxing your car. Remember, you get what you pay for.

 

[Gryphon]

I used power buffers a lot in the 'ol detail shop days. I never did cook a paint job, tho I have seen it done (once). It is really harder to rip it up than you think.

Just keep your buffer moving, slowly is good, just don't stop. Keep polish on your pad, but don't slather it too much.

If you are concerned about your paint, maybe see if a local boneyard will let you play on a wreck first...or try it out on your teenager's car! (They'll never know!)

Once you get comfortable with it, you can buff out clear plastics and glass too.

 

[chunderboy]

I also heard, that before you put the wax on the buffer pad, give it a couple of sprays of water to make the wax adhere to the pad better.

True, or not true?

 

[Bobby]

Yes, you want to keep the pad moist or it will burn thru your paint.

I saw some 10" bonnets at Home Depot and at some auto parts stores so you should be able to find them easily.

 

[General Lee]

Chunderboy- the orbital polisher you bought will do just fine for applying and removing waxes and sealants. It won't do anything for paint correction unless you use a product with swirl filling abilites.

The PC 7424 Dual Action polisher is an excellent detailing tool. It is very safe to use and it is extremely hard to burn your paint with this machine. It just doesn't generate enough heat to allow burning. Now with an aggressive polish and a cutting pad you can instill hazing and marring but you can follow up with a finer polish and a less aggressive pad to eliminate the hazing. The PC is a decent and safe tool to use for correcting alot of paint defects such as swirls and scratches.

 

[Hank]

Maybe I'm not doing it right or something, but isn't using wax remover bonnets kinda pointless? The bonnet gets dirty (full of wax) just after 1 or 1.5 body panel. Applying wax is great, but removing wax is a PITA. I originally bought a 10" random orbital polisher, but returned it for a 7" one because its easier to work with and handle the corners/curves better IMO

 

[General Lee]

Maybe I'm not doing it right or something, but isn't using wax remover bonnets kinda pointless? The bonnet gets dirty (full of wax) just after 1 or 1.5 body panel. Applying wax is great, but removing wax is a PITA. I originally bought a 10" random orbital polisher, but returned it for a 7" one because its easier to work with and handle the corners/curves better IMO

Well, It is alot faster and easier on the arms using the random orbital. The bonnets do tend to get caked w/ wax residue, you just have to change them. One body panel does seem a bit quick for a bonnet to load up w/ product. Try using less wax. Over applying wax is just wasting product. Thin layers is the key. Some people think the thicker the wax is applied the better protection. Is just a PITA to remove, wasting product, and causing more work for yourself.