Polishing machines

[s class]

When I was young, I was very dilligent about waxing my Ford every month. Recently I have finally admitted that I have too little time and too many cars to wax by manual power anymore.

The time has come to buy a polishing machine - I'm not talking about compounding/cutting type of polishing, rather six-monthly maintenance waxing.

Does anyone have experience or recommendations about types of machines? Is a simple orbital unit satisfactory? I'm not looking to spend piles of money, but I also don't want to damage paintwork.

Thanks, Ryan

 

[BenzBoy]

For over 10 years I have used an Hitachi random orbit sander with 5" pads and I have never had any problems - never scratched the paint or cut it. I use it with Meguiars Fine Cut Cleaner to remove various bits of fallout and it is easy to use and effective. Unfortunately 5" pads are now rare and most are now 8" which is not as effective for swage lines and corners.
Because of the random movement and the speed control you would have to be very stupid to do any damage. It's also handy for waxing and gives a good distribution of wax.
Regards,
BenzBoy

 

[Michel]

Any random orbital unit should do the job.

Rupes (made in Italy), Chicago Pneumatic (USA) and Festool (German) are some of the better brands...

 

[s class]

Thanks guys,

What is a 'random orbital' unit? I assume this is more sophisticated than a simple orbital unit - is it anything like a DA in terms of action?

I have a contact at Festool here - I will see what they have to offer.

 

[BenzBoy]

'The random orbit is produced by simultaneously spinning the sanding disk and moving it in an ellipse, which ensures that no single part of the abrasive material travels the same path twice. Because of this unique random sanding action, the tool does not leave swirl marks, and it is not sensitive to the direction of the wood grain. This makes it work very well when sanding two pieces of wood that meet at right angles. Random-orbit sanders use sandpaper disks and many random-orbit sanders now come with dust collectors. Disks are attached using either pressure sensitive adhesives or a hook and loop system.'
Taken from a manifacturers site. Now obviously you forget the sandpaper and use a small cell foam pad or lambswool. The pads are graded from cutting to polishing.
Regards,
BenzBoy

 

[s class]

Different manufacturers seem to have different terminology. It looks to be the same idea that FESTOOL refers to as an eccentric sander.

 

[s class]

No, correct that - Festool's eccentric unit looks like a DA machine - rotates and orbits. BenzBoy, do I gather your machine only oscillates in a random fashion, without rotating?

Ryan

 

[BenzBoy]

Mine rotates while running through a randomly chosen elipse. What is essential is that any you buy must be capable of operating at a low to medium speed - no, I don't know how many rpm or oscillations per second.
A very high speed one will risk cutting the paint surface if used with an abrasive cleaner or with the wrong type of pad, bearing in mind that there are both cutting and polishing pads available. The Meguiar's website will give you some information and they have an inquiry section.
Here is a website which will probably answer all the questions you have - and these people sell the products. I am sure there will be an equivakent in SA.
http://waxit.com.au/howto.asp?howto=7
Regards,
BenzBoy