I originally posted this in the Car Talk board (forgot there's a Wash & Wax board) so I'm posting it here instead...

I went to Pep Boys yesterday to get a new pad for my orbital waxing/buffing machine. The ones that came with it were terry cloth so that's what I was looking for. Then I saw a synthitic wool type pad and a foam pad, so now I'm confused as which to get and I thought I should ask you guys.

Should I get one type for applying the wax and a different type for buffing it off or should I use the same type od pad for both applications?

Thanks,
Warren

 

You want to go with a foam pad, wool pads are for heavy heavy cutting.

Always use different pads with different polishes/waxes/glazes. YOu dont want to cross contaminate the pads.

Also you might want to look into getting a porter cable buffer (7424). If you have a 10 inch random orbital buffer from Peb Boys, it wont do much.

 

Thanks for the info. Actually, my buffer is a Craftsman 9". Powerful enough to wax and polish the car but not enough to burn the paint and make swirl marks.

Warren

 

I Have the Craftsmen waxcoa 11" 18-20 years old... $150 back then

for year using the terry cloth pad to apply wax
remove by hand.. with diaper or costco microfiber
sometimes buff with wool pad

YEARs of waxing with waxcoa and no a problem with terry pads

22 years ago and a cheep buffer...on my first car I did BURN the edges of the paint... be carfull on edgesand nexver press down... just let if glide over the surface

Last week at sears they have 11-12" blue applicator pad
have not tried.....not sure about it....?

*************

10 years ago my neighbor ran out and bought a buffer to get his car to look like my car....

The box he bought did not have pads ... he did not know any better... and put the wax on the foam base....

Aaaaaa stop.... put it on the terry cloth not the foam base

never forget that

 

Thats funny, he used the foam base, LOL. What a mess that was.

You should still check out the Porter Cable, i just recently got one, and used it on a friends black g35 to get rid of horrible swirl marks, and the end result was amazing. car looked brand new again. Im still in the process of ordering the right polishes and im looking at now going with mezerna products.

 

If this is the type of buffer you have . . . no offense, but it's definitely not powerful enough to do any real polishing.

I had a similar model several years ago and the Porter Cable random orbit is a whole different world comparatively.

 

http://portercable.cpoworkshop.com/p...rs/7336sp.html
$128
do you use this one....

I see Soooooo many car out there scratched to chet

20k miles and 4 minor scratches not sure if it was me of road debris

 

Thats the one ive just ordered with a Sonus DAS pad kit.

 

No, that's not the one I have. I bought mine about 15 yrs ago and since you asked, I had to get the box and look at the specs. Here's what they are:

Model # 9-10696 9", 3100 RPM, 2400 OPM (osaltions per min.), .65amp (no HP rating stated)

I have a Black & Decker that a friend gave me about 10yrs ago because he had no where else to put it, but I haven't used it. It's model #9530, 8", 3amps, 1/3HP, 2500 OPM (no RPM stated).

Maybe I should use the B&D instead. I searched Google & Yahoo hoping to find a pic of either of them but no such luck.

Warren

 

Just picked this up for $94 at my local Lowes.