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Porter Cable use and advice


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I usually start it out on a 3 and then kick it up to 5 when polishing. When applying a wax or sealant I never go higher than 4. Everybody has their own comfort level though. You'll figure out what yours is when you get a little practice.

_________________________________________

“Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.”

O C D E T A I L S . C O M

OCDETAILS BLOG

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  • 2 months later...
Funny you should ask. I have that question covered in my FAQs on OCDetails.com. As long as you have a cutting pad and a waxing pad then you are fine. The red one and white one on this page should do the trick. I've got a number of different pads from different companies. The red one I'm using in that picture is a Meguiar's pad and the others are Sonus pads. It doesn't matter where you get your pads as long as they work for your purposes. Four Star has awesome pads that he wasn't carrying back when I took those pictures.

i was all set to order some pads when i ran across this snag

 

your "faq" link leads to PAC's 6-inch beginner pads

 

your second link above leads to PAC's 7½-inch advanced cutting pads

 

is there a big difference (besides $1 in price)? should a noob stick to the 6-inch pads?

 

thanks for clearing the confusion

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Either/Or should work. I use them both on a 6 inch backing plate and don't have any problems. There isn't any real benefit for one over the other. Yo might save about 10 seconds overall if you are using the larger pad, but that isn't really worth losing much sleep over. ;)

 

I need to get stuff updated on the website. It's hard to keep up on all the products that come out. One minute 6 inch pads are everywhere and the next minute they are all 7.5 inches. Sheesh... What's up with that? :lol:

_________________________________________

“Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.”

O C D E T A I L S . C O M

OCDETAILS BLOG

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Good question. I've never used a 7335 and I have no idea how fast it spins. I would suggest against it since the whole point of using a PC is to be able to control the speed of the polisher.

_________________________________________

“Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.”

O C D E T A I L S . C O M

OCDETAILS BLOG

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  • 1 year later...

Poorboys is a good product from what I've heard.

 

Good info. Practice makes perfect. i found small techniques and things that greatly help. When using medium cutting pads, and polishing compound/polish I use approx 15 lbs of force, and work VERY slowly. It take damn near all the scratches off. And I use the finishing products, I use less force, and move faster.

 

There are some good instructional videos on this site, if Im allowed to post it.

 

http://www.autogeek.net/poca746varap.html

 

The bottom of the page n the GREEN box.

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  • 3 years later...

bumping this thread. Winter is almost over. Plan on getting a PC. What steps do you suggest I go about? Wash, dry, clay bar, dry, PC with a wax cleaner, buff, seal, buff?

 

Any suggestions would be of great help as this will be the first PC i own and use. Especially whe to use a cutting pad, and polishing pad

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  • 3 weeks later...
Well, other than the advice in the original post, maybe check out my latest attempt to really document the process. http://guidetodetailing.blogspot.com has a pretty good documentation of what I would suggest you do. :)

_________________________________________

“Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.”

O C D E T A I L S . C O M

OCDETAILS BLOG

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Just picked up a PC the other day and am stumped on what pads to buy. It didn't come with any accessories but I got a good deal on it as I used a friends discount. Do I need to buy a new backing plate and go from there with the pads or can I use the backing plate that is included with the PC? Also, are there any local auto part stores or home improvement stores that sell pads (they didn't have any at Lowe's).

Also, I seem to have read your post probably 8 times and I THINK that you used a different product for each pad depending on what stage you were at in the buffing/polishing process.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

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The backing plate that comes with the PC is not a velcro plate. It is one pad with a screw on the back which threads into the PC itself. So you will need to buy a backing plate for sure. Unfortunately, I'm really not a pad connoisseur. I wish I was, but I generally just stick with what works. Often times I stick with what works for so long that I forget where I got it or what it is called.

 

More than likely you are going to have to order this stuff online. Most serious detailing supplies are only going to be available online for most of us. I used to be able to get Meguiar's pads locally, but no longer. Now I just order from Autogeek.net and give them a call whenever I get stumped. They always have good recommendations. In fact, if you go to their site and look in the pads section, they tell you which pad to use for what kind of damage. It might get you pointed in the right direction. You can always give them a call if you get too stumped. They are all detailing nuts over there.

_________________________________________

“Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.”

O C D E T A I L S . C O M

OCDETAILS BLOG

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  • 3 weeks later...
Used the Porter Cable earlier today and found that after a while of using it, there were white 'beads' that were coming off onto the paint (about 1mm diameter). Is this because the cars metal is too hot or what causes that? I was using Maguier's swirl remover I believe.
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That is the used up polish clumping up and dusting out of the pad. It is a sign that you have been working the product long enough. It is also an indicator that your pad may need to be washed out.

_________________________________________

“Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.”

O C D E T A I L S . C O M

OCDETAILS BLOG

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Just used my porter cable for 2 days in a row, using the green-orange-white-black with Adams full detail, Adams products only. And by golly, the paint looks great. Some scratches remain(due to my carelessness when I bought her), but the paint is shiny like never before. Photoshoot next weekend will show the finished product.
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Ok, I have a question that I can't seem to find an answer to. So I received a PC kit for my B-day over the winter (what a tease) so now that spring might get here some day, I was wondering how warm should it get before I start "playing" with my PC? Also, since I am working in a garage, other than the products drying slower, is there any issues with detailing when it is raining outside? BTW I will be using Wolfgang products.

 

In other words, seeing my new PC sitting on a shelf in the garage is killing me now that it is starting to get warmer outside; and this weekend is "supposed" to be high in the lower 50's but a chance of rain.......

 

Thanks for you wisdom again.....

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