I'm after a Random Orbital buffer to do some paint detailing. Anyone have any recommendations? I want something decent that will use foam pads, not those cheapy units at supercheap. Thanks
dont bother with random orbit buffers as they are a huge waste of time. All pro detailers use normal rotary buffer. Get yourself one of those especially one with variable speed. Slow is really the only speed you will use. And then head out to your local auto paint supplier and buy these 5 items. Orange buffer pad (for rubbing and cutting) Grey or black buffer pad (for finishing) 3M Rubbing compound (for orange pad) 3M Swirl remover.(for black pad) Pack of microfiber cloths Use the rubbing compound for removing scratches, crud and dry paint. Use the swirl remover to remove the buffer marks left from the rubbing compound. Always use microfiber cloths to remove compounds. And obviously use a different cloth for removing swirl remover. (not the same one use for removing rubbing compound) This will get all paint to a mirror finish. Then all you need is a carnuba wax to seal it all and keep it shiny. This is how is how I have finished all the paintjobs I have done and how I have detailed paint since.
any brand?? Thanks for the info.... do you have a particular brand and model that I should look into for the orbital buffers?
I acutally bought mine from Tradetoolsdirect. Its a tradetools 180mm, 1050W sander/buffer and its rpm range is from 300-3000rpm It wasnt too expensive and its been a real good buffer.
Pro detailers mostly use Festool but if your not that rich try the Bosch gex 150 turbo http://www.sydneytools.com.au/shopexd.asp?id=1243&bc=no Trev
Some information here: http://www.waxit.com.au/howto.asp?howto=7 And some equipment here: http://www.waxit.com.au/products.asp?cat=69
JED, I have a meguires one. I think its a g220. Its brilliant. I was torn looking for something similar. Not full professional but something that is a step up from the crappy $25-$150 ones you can find. It's semi professional and you get some brilliant results with it. I was on the detailing forums for a couple of months checking out different ones and trying to decide what time buy. It came highly recomended and has multi speed settings, well weighted, good pad size and is very easy to use. Its a RO polisher so it wont leave swirl marks and is less likely to burn the paint. I have detailed 4 cars with it so far and used it to get some fairly deep scraches out of those cars with relative ease. I got a polishing pad with it and bought two more from an online store. You can buy the meguires one from Supercheap but its better to buy it on ebay. I think they are around $300 with a pad included.
some questions... thanks for the info..... Do you know if the motor is clutched?? By that I mean, if you apply pressure while its buffing, will the buffing wheel slow down or will it continue at normal speed? Cheers
It does slow when you apply pressure. I am not sure if it is clutched or if this is just because of the increased work the motor has to do. You have to also look at the RO size. most of the handyman sanders only have an orbit of around 1.5mm. Proper polishing machines have a much greater orbit 2.5 - 5mm to aid in laying out material on the surface and assisting in an even spread of polishing material. Good question though. Basically i had to work the paint quite hard in some sections to minimise the scratches in one car i was doing (the guy assumed his camery was a 4wd and scraped the entire car against some tree branches.) He is a good mate so i offered to polish them out. we did the entire car in about 3 hrs and got the majority of the scratches out so you had to really look for them. YOu could only notice there was a hint of a slight scratch from about 50mm away. Incidently i use the G220 to lay down product and polish and i use a $25 super cheap one to buff the polish off. Its a really quick process. But I dont use this process on my zed. I hand buff the car after polishing. It all really depends how much time you have. But keep the supercheap one if you already have one. It does come in handy.
I would buy the G220 as its well worth the money. It is a dual action buffer so it does both rotation and orbit. Its easy to apply the polishes and sealants to your car. When using any type of buffer you dont need to apply much pressure as that does make more scratches in the paint work. Pretty much you start off at slow speed working the product in then increase the speed to help get rid of it. Then use a microfibre cloth to wipe the rest of the product off. After you have given the car a good wash i would give it a clay. Clay helps removing contaminants like Paint overspray, industrial fallout, tree sap mist, water deposits etc. You can use the clay on your windows as well. It will leave everything feeling nice and smooth. After the clay if you have some scratches etc you would like to minimize you can use a cutting compound like Meguiars Diamond Cut Compound. Easy to use is a low swirl compound which also is a high gloss cleaner and polisher. It aids in getting rid of serious paint defects. It also is low dusting. After you have given the car a once over with a cutting compound you can use a product called Meguiars Quick Detailer. It's a cleaner and wax in it. It aids in removing oxidation and blemishes from the paint work quickly and safely. Once used the paint work will have a deep gloss finish with a durable wax finish. If you like you can use something like the Meguiars NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 Liquid. It will leave the paint work with a "wet look shine" This wax is not a natural wax like the carnauba wax is which does last for around 30 days. It is made up of Polymer which is what they call a synthetic wax which can last for up to 5 to 6 months if looked after. With saying that to help keep the waxes and polishes on your car using a soap which does not contain detergents which do strip the wax and polish from a paints surface. Also after you have given your car a wash use something like the Meguairs Quik Wax which you pretty much spray on and wipe off. It does aid in keeping the wax and polishes on for longer so you are not having to apply the wax and polish all the time. One last thing i would do is get some masking tape to tape up your rubber mounds etc just to be on the safe side. Some products if hit with a buff or even just by hand will turn the rubber white. Once you have done it all you can use something like the Meguiars Gold Class Trim Detailer which restores the colour and richness to the rubber moulds which have faded and discoloured. It also helps in removing the polish and wax residue. Hope this is of some help to you Mark.
I've been using the Meguiars 3 step Deep Crystal system for about 5 years now and very happy with the product and results. The first three years applying by hand, and the last two using a cheapo buffer from Supercrap. Had no problems with the cheap buffer and turns a 3/4 day job into an hour. The main thing you need is spare application and polishing pads so you can quickly change over between the different grades and don't need to wash them till later.
Interesting that so many people use RO buffers. I work mobile and have been in numerous panel beaters, detailers and new car dealerships and everyone I have ever seen bufffing a car has used an orbital buffer not an RO.
I think that for those that don't use one all the time, the random orbit and slower rpm reduces the risk of burning the paint.
Pretty much right there. Anyone can pick one up and give it ago it really is not all that hard in my books. Just control and watch what you are doing pretty much. Then again i have been detailing for 15 years. We still use rotary buffers at work. Cheap ones are not always the best just proves a point when you have 5 detailers who are qualified and they wont listen to what the detailers have to say in regards to spending the money on good buffs like a rupes heavy but worth the money as they dont die! I'm yet to kill one. Even the Metabos are pretty good light weight buffs always good at least you wont feel like your arms are about to drop off :rofl: It all comes down to how much you are really looking at spending on a buff. Its pretty much pot luck when it comes to buffs some seem to go for ages some just die after about 5 minutes.
