{"id":4148,"date":"2011-03-27T08:00:07","date_gmt":"2011-03-27T12:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/?p=4148"},"modified":"2016-11-16T10:45:42","modified_gmt":"2016-11-16T15:45:42","slug":"pad-cleaning-during-and-after-polishing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/pad-cleaning-during-and-after-polishing\/","title":{"rendered":"Pad Cleaning During and After Polishing"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this article, I\u2019ll discuss simple, yet important ways of cleaning your polishing pads<\/a> both during and after performing polishing work.<\/p>\n

After purchasing a brand new polishing pad, we throw it on the polisher, get some polish on it, and have our way with the swirls on the vehicle\u2019s paint.\u00a0 Once done with the section, we wipe off the polish residue and below we find a greatly improved finish that is simply glowing.\u00a0 Fast forward 1 hour, we\u2019re using the same pad, polish and machine on a section of unpolished paint, but after wiping off the residue we realize the results are simply not the same as the first few sections.<\/p>\n

Why?<\/h2>\n

Due to their nature, polishing pads will absorb oils and abrasives from the polishes used with those pads.\u00a0 Over a certain period of time and after a certain number of polished panels on the vehicle, the pads will get saturated with both the contents of the polish as well as paint removed from the vehicle during polishing.\u00a0 Due to this saturation, the pads will not only lose their corrective ability, but we\u2019ll also see splatter coming out of pads due to all the polish and paint residue sitting within the pads’ pores.\u00a0 Dusting at this point is almost a sure thing with most machines.<\/p>\n

Here you can see the difference between a fresh pad that has been used on only two sections, roughly the size of a trunk lid, and one that\u2019s been used for a lot longer during the same polishing session.<\/p>\n

\"pad<\/p>\n

\"pad<\/p>\n

As you can see, the pad in the second photo is completely saturated with polish and needs to be cleaned. Below is a side by side comparison of two sections polished with the same machine, same speed, same pad and same polish showing different results due to one pad being over saturated and over used.\u00a0 This is composed of three different photos so please excuse any noticeable splices.\u00a0 I did it for the purpose of showing the three different sections well and how they compare, rather than trying to show off my skills of photo stitching :).\u00a0 While both the left and right sections show noticeable improvement compared to the original paint in the middle, you can easily see how the section on the right, which was polished with a clean pad, came out much better than the section on the left, which was polished with a used, saturated pad.<\/p>\n

\"polishing<\/p>\n

How to avoid this?<\/h2>\n

There are two ways to avoid this during a polishing job.\u00a0 Best way is to have spare pads of the same size and cutting ability.\u00a0 This way, once the original pad starts to become ineffective, you simply replace it with a fresh pad and keep polishing.\u00a0 This ensures that you\u2019re getting the most out of all your pads and the best results possible out of the paint.\u00a0 Even with the spare pads however, you should be cleaning the pad after each section or two in order to remove all the residue and dust that has formed on the pad surface.\u00a0 Here are two methods to do just that:<\/p>\n

Cleaning pads during polishing using a plastic bristle brush<\/h2>\n

As mentioned above, cleaning pads during polishing is important in order to keep up the pad\u2019s cutting ability and keep getting good results while correcting the paint.\u00a0 To do this, you\u2019ll simply need to purchase a small plastic brush with fairly stiff bristles.\u00a0 You can usually find such brushes at any local auto parts store and even some grocery stores.\u00a0 Here\u2019s what the couple brushes I use look like:<\/p>\n

\"Brushes<\/p>\n

Now that you have your brush, let\u2019s put it to good use.\u00a0 Once you\u2019re done polishing a section on the vehicle and are getting ready to move to the next, simply grab the polisher, flip it over, and turn it on while pressing the brush lightly against the pad surface.<\/p>\n

\"Pad<\/p>\n

\"running<\/p>\n

\"pad<\/p>\n

Yes, it\u2019s that simple!\u00a0 The pad will be much cleaner for the next section and will still provide great results until it gets too saturated and needs replacing with a fresh, clean pad.\u00a0 Now you\u2019re ready to apply some more polish and keep working.<\/p>\n

The machine you\u2019re using determines the method of cleaning the pad during a detail job.\u00a0 As you can probably tell, I am using a Flex XC3401 VRG<\/a> polisher here, allowing me to utilize the rotating force to clean the pad.\u00a0 With such tools as the Porter Cable 7424XP<\/a>, you\u2019re unable to do exactly what I have described above since the pad will all but stop moving once you apply some pressure to it.\u00a0 With the PC 7424XP you can simply hold the pad so it doesn\u2019t move and brush away the residue from the surface.\u00a0 As you may have imagined, a rotary is completely opposite and has even more rotational force than the Flex 3401XC, so it\u2019s even easier to clean the pad.<\/p>\n

Few notes and advice:<\/h3>\n