Gents....

Been shinning my hot-rods since I was 16 prior to goin' to the drive-inns on Saturday nights.
Used the old Turtle Wax and applying the wax manually....

I've been accumulating my Canadian Tire coupons ALL WINTER and I'm ready to make my move....
Today I visited the Canadian Tire and observed many BUFFING devices made by Simonize....

I have several questions and willing to hear from you experts outhere !

I have NO experience with buffers.

1. The Orbital buffer. Being novice with this device, can I damage my paint ? I've been told by a pro that those models are for amateurs like me and the speeds cannot damage the paint. Is this true ?

2. For those of you that have buffing equipment, Is the make "Simonize" a good spend ? approx $100 Can.
Or should I invest in a better brand ?

3. Should I stay with the old method or the buffing devices gives you an "extra faster application rub and a better luster mirror shine" ?

Input please !



Phil

 

I wouldn't be using a buffer on the vette if you are inexperienced...its just too easy to burn through the paint with all the sharp edges on fender lines etc

 

Ask here

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/car-care-discussion-10/

 

It is very hard to "burn-though" the paint using an orbital buffer. I've been using my Craftsman 10" buffer (around $75US) for over 20 years and love it! For routine waxing on a good paint job I liberally apply a good quality wax by hand and remove it with the buffer - following up with a terry cloth towel for the areas I may have missed. I've never been dissatisfied with the results - and it's fast!

If you have a very old or oxidized paint job - well, that's when you bring in the big guns. That's a whole whole 'nuther thread!

Good luck!

...Alan K.

 

I wouldnt call myself a professional but I worked for over a year as a detailer for turtle wax years back.

You don't need a buffer unless you have some "damage." Damage can be scratches, heavy swirling, dull paint, etc... The pad on the buffer is the key to not burn paint away. Light pressure on all the vette curves. You would be using this for compounds.

An orbital polisher is an all around great detailing tool. It will help get hide light scratches and swirling. You would be using this with waxes. A nice carnuba won't last as long as some of the polymers but will give you a much smoother shinier paint.

We used Ryobi ones at the shop because they were cheap and we would use them so much they would end up breaking here and there. Low cost to replace. Our buffers were nice ones (can't remember manu)

Put the wax directly on the cloth bonnet for the orbital. Place a nice coat of wax on the car directly from the orbital. Put a clean bonnet on the orbital. Place a towel to remove the wax from the car on the car. Place the orbital on the towel and turn on. No better way to remove wax! Hand touch up with a diaper cloth....shiny car...

 

For a great shine, there's a 4 step process to do once a year - wash, clean the paint with a clay bar, polish and wax. A buffer is great for the polishing step. This is what gently takes out all of the surface swirl marks and scratches and brings out the shine. A perfect shine means the paint surface is absolutely flat with no scratches and swirl marks. There is no advantage to using a power tool for the waxing step. For polishing you need a quality tool with true random orbit that makes it nearly impossible to burn the paint. You may regret using the usual cheap models. I have a Porter Cable 7424 polisher that works great. It's about $100. I use it with Meguiar's swirl remover then the show car glaze. The heat generated on the paint surface really brings out the shine. Then I use the Meguiar's hi-tech yellow wax. It goes on easy and comes off easy by hand - no hard rubbing required. The result is sweet. For the rest of the year you can just wash and dry regularly and occasionally wax again.

 

No need to use a buffer to apply wax. I use Maguire's Gold Class applied by hand and removed by hand.

Then I go over the all of the flat surfaces with a 9 inch Black and Decker random orbit polisher with a wool bonnet. I always avoid the peaks and ridges since the paint is thinnest there. And as mentioned previously, don't apply any more pressure than the weight of the polisher. Just guide it over the car.

There's no better shine than a freshly machine polished one.

They were pretty expensive so I picked up a refurbished one for about $70 USD from an outlet store.

cc

BTW, that was in 1985 and I still have and use it.

 

The random orbital type of buffers are safe and easy. They don't spin fast like the "angle grinder" style buffers that can burn/rub through if not careful. Also, the random orbiting doesn't leave swirl marks.

 

I use the Porter Cable 7424 for about the past 10 years.....I was a novice when I got it.



You can get it online at AutoGeek http://www.autogeek.net/poca746varap.html