Mine has 6 speeds - can it be used to polish a car? If so, what kind of mops do we need to put on and to polish off, and what's a good speed? It's just regular wax polish, not a dedicated cutting compound.
Thanks
Thanks
ROS to polish car?
- Thread starter Chris152
- Start date
Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:
RobinBHM
Established Member
I don't see why not, car polisher are random orbit anyway.
I would recommend using a clay bar first to remove tar deposits etc - it makes the paintwork really smooth.
Whatever you do, don't drop it on the ground
For polishing you need a polish pad such as these hex pads
Chemical Guys - White 5.5
There are cheaper pads on eBay etc.
I really like meguiars ultimate compound polish
I would recommend using a clay bar first to remove tar deposits etc - it makes the paintwork really smooth.
Whatever you do, don't drop it on the ground
For polishing you need a polish pad such as these hex pads
Chemical Guys - White 5.5
There are cheaper pads on eBay etc.
I really like meguiars ultimate compound polish
Just be aware that your ROS on slow speed has far less power (maybe only 1/5 or 1/10th) than a lot of the machines made specifically for polishing.
It may well work, but not as well.
Please let us know how you get on ...
It may well work, but not as well.
Please let us know how you get on ...
If it's just wax then it will work, after all those cheapo 12v jobbies do it and they are much less powerful than a half decent ROS. If you want to use any kind of cutting compound though you will stall it out.
I have one of the dual mode Bosch Sanders and car pads for it. It works great.
I've also got a huge 1800 watt buffer. I find the Bosch on rotary (800 watts) more pleasant to use.
On ROS mode, it's about useless.
I've also got a huge 1800 watt buffer. I find the Bosch on rotary (800 watts) more pleasant to use.
On ROS mode, it's about useless.
Lons
Established Member
Hi Chris
Theoretically it will work but as Robin said you ideally should get polishing pads as they are much better than mops. a word of caution though, if you're going to machine polish the car you should really remove contaminants stuck to the paint first otherwise heat build up as you polish runs the risk of these coming loose, stick to the pad and scratching the paint. Ideally a clay bar used with lubricant followed by a machine paint correction (not as harsh as it sounds and removes all the swirls and dead surface). Paint hardness varies between makes as well so I'd suggest a trial on a small corner first.
Just as background I'm no expert but take a great deal of care with my car's paintwork. I have a 240v rotary lambswool mop, similar to the cheap 12 but more powerful, useless for a good finish on the car but good enough for the large areas of the motorhome, it was a gift so nothing lost, I also have a Metabo RAS, great for wood but I decided after a fair bit of research not to use that, my preference so I'm not saying don't do it, so I bought a dual action polisher made for the job, not wildly expensive and the results are astonishing, I clay the car and do a light correction twice a year with regular light wax in between and the 3+ year old metallic black paint is better than when it came out of the showroom.
For paint correction you need something like G3 or S20 compound and I follow that up with Poorboys black hole filler (works on all colours) and meguars wax but that's personal choice.
G3 and S20 is excellent for polishing out accidental scrapes btw unless they're through to the primer.
What you should do Chris is go on to a couple of the detailing forums and ask some questions as those guys are really knowledgeable.
Theoretically it will work but as Robin said you ideally should get polishing pads as they are much better than mops. a word of caution though, if you're going to machine polish the car you should really remove contaminants stuck to the paint first otherwise heat build up as you polish runs the risk of these coming loose, stick to the pad and scratching the paint. Ideally a clay bar used with lubricant followed by a machine paint correction (not as harsh as it sounds and removes all the swirls and dead surface). Paint hardness varies between makes as well so I'd suggest a trial on a small corner first.
Just as background I'm no expert but take a great deal of care with my car's paintwork. I have a 240v rotary lambswool mop, similar to the cheap 12 but more powerful, useless for a good finish on the car but good enough for the large areas of the motorhome, it was a gift so nothing lost, I also have a Metabo RAS, great for wood but I decided after a fair bit of research not to use that, my preference so I'm not saying don't do it, so I bought a dual action polisher made for the job, not wildly expensive and the results are astonishing, I clay the car and do a light correction twice a year with regular light wax in between and the 3+ year old metallic black paint is better than when it came out of the showroom.
For paint correction you need something like G3 or S20 compound and I follow that up with Poorboys black hole filler (works on all colours) and meguars wax but that's personal choice.
G3 and S20 is excellent for polishing out accidental scrapes btw unless they're through to the primer.
What you should do Chris is go on to a couple of the detailing forums and ask some questions as those guys are really knowledgeable.
Thanks all.
My ROS is a Metabo with 4200 - 11000 rpm - is the 4200 high for use on a car? We used it before to cut and then polish (with a pad) resin on the surfboard we built a couple of summers ago, it worked fine but that wasn't so critical in terms of finish. The car's 30+ years old and some panels have been sprayed, the colour match is good but I'm told cutting the whole car will make differences more apparent, so we really want to just leave it as it is in terms of colour and just get a decent polish. And I'd never heard of a clay bar! Off to search the net...
My ROS is a Metabo with 4200 - 11000 rpm - is the 4200 high for use on a car? We used it before to cut and then polish (with a pad) resin on the surfboard we built a couple of summers ago, it worked fine but that wasn't so critical in terms of finish. The car's 30+ years old and some panels have been sprayed, the colour match is good but I'm told cutting the whole car will make differences more apparent, so we really want to just leave it as it is in terms of colour and just get a decent polish. And I'd never heard of a clay bar! Off to search the net...
That's going to be a bit fast, look at the speeds on "proper" car polishers, usually start at around 500rpm, your minimum speed is probably higher than the max speed on most polishers. A very light touch might be ok for wax but you will need to be careful.
Thanks R. I just looked at this link, and 4k doesn't seem so far out:
https://www.detailingwiki.org/detailing-miscellaneous/speed-setting-machine-polishing/
https://www.detailingwiki.org/detailing-miscellaneous/speed-setting-machine-polishing/
Those speeds are a lot higher than any I can see on other guides. I don't think most of the polishers for sale even go that fast.
novocaine
Established Member
No.
Unless you really like ruined paint or want all your panels to match in that they have no paint.
I wouldnt let someone loose with a DA on my car till theyve proved they know what they are doing and thats the correct tool for the job. Taking a ROS to it at 5 times the speed is going to remove finish on corners faster than you can say whoops.
Do it by hand, with a claybar first then a nice polish compound and wax.
Unless you really like ruined paint or want all your panels to match in that they have no paint.
I wouldnt let someone loose with a DA on my car till theyve proved they know what they are doing and thats the correct tool for the job. Taking a ROS to it at 5 times the speed is going to remove finish on corners faster than you can say whoops.
Do it by hand, with a claybar first then a nice polish compound and wax.
Ha, you sound a little equivocal, Novocaine! OK, I'm just realising there's a difference between polish and wax. Had a go with our Car Plan 'Triplewax' polish (the name threw me) by hand, and it makes a real difference. Hand may well be the way to go, wax on, wax off. Clay bar in the basket.
Attachments
novocaine
Established Member
More pics needed Chris.
When i had the golf resprayed first time round the guy let his apprentice DA her afterwards.
3 weeks later she was back in being resprayed because hed buffed through every edge, corner and panel line which had then rusted nicely. It wasnt the finish I was looking for.
He did it himself the second time by hand, took him nearly a week.
When i had the golf resprayed first time round the guy let his apprentice DA her afterwards.
3 weeks later she was back in being resprayed because hed buffed through every edge, corner and panel line which had then rusted nicely. It wasnt the finish I was looking for.
He did it himself the second time by hand, took him nearly a week.
Lons
Established Member
Chris
That link to speeds is misleading, the pros mostly use a larger rotary machine which generates heat and in experienced skilled hands produces quick excellent results but in the hands of an novice will very quickly ruin the paint. DA polishers are a great deal safer, much safer than using a ROS and I agree with Novocaine which is why I bought the DA. I'd suggest though that if you are capable of sanding wood with your Metabo without rounding the edges you would definitely have enough nous to use a DA without issues.
It is a bit daunting at first when you "attack" the paint on a very expensive bit of metal but the results are superb. when i first bought mine I put off using it a number of times then some tw*t scraped the side of my wife's mini in a car park so nothing to lose and it took out all the scratches in no time. Most of the secret is in the cutting / polishing compounds, S20 is very fine for example.
Why don't you see if you can get an old car bonnet or bootlid from a scrappy and try your ROS out on that.
That link to speeds is misleading, the pros mostly use a larger rotary machine which generates heat and in experienced skilled hands produces quick excellent results but in the hands of an novice will very quickly ruin the paint. DA polishers are a great deal safer, much safer than using a ROS and I agree with Novocaine which is why I bought the DA. I'd suggest though that if you are capable of sanding wood with your Metabo without rounding the edges you would definitely have enough nous to use a DA without issues.
It is a bit daunting at first when you "attack" the paint on a very expensive bit of metal but the results are superb. when i first bought mine I put off using it a number of times then some tw*t scraped the side of my wife's mini in a car park so nothing to lose and it took out all the scratches in no time. Most of the secret is in the cutting / polishing compounds, S20 is very fine for example.
Why don't you see if you can get an old car bonnet or bootlid from a scrappy and try your ROS out on that.
Lons - I think for the moment we'll go with doing it by hand, see how it goes. The polish we've got here seems to do a decent job, I guess the challenge is being systematic across the larger areas to get even/ the same amount of shine? We've not had the car long and tbh, we're just fiddling while we wait for the MoT next week, it ran out at the beginning of the month and there's been little rush as the lad can't drive it under lockdown (he's still learning and not used to proper traffic). We've completely changed the rear suspension, track rod ends, ball joints and connecting rods, timing belt qnd a few other bits, it's driving well, we'll see what the garage thinks!
Novocaine - Here's a more challenging pic. The car is pretty good overall, but this one door seems to have a new skin fitted over rust. We removed the nasty mastic stuff that was doing a good job of trapping moisture and wire-brushed it back, but the Kurust stuff did a poor job. I guess the only proper option is to get the skin off, have the door metal cleaned properly and fit a new skin, but as an interim is sandblasting the rust out an option? Angle grinder with abrasive disc? The metal is still quite solid in spite of the rust.
Novocaine - Here's a more challenging pic. The car is pretty good overall, but this one door seems to have a new skin fitted over rust. We removed the nasty mastic stuff that was doing a good job of trapping moisture and wire-brushed it back, but the Kurust stuff did a poor job. I guess the only proper option is to get the skin off, have the door metal cleaned properly and fit a new skin, but as an interim is sandblasting the rust out an option? Angle grinder with abrasive disc? The metal is still quite solid in spite of the rust.
Attachments
novocaine
Established Member
Thin coats. Lots of them.
Mighy find is easier to fit a new door. Reskinning a door can be hard work if not impossible and thats if you can get a skin. Ive only seen 1 or 2 people who can do it and do it well.
You could spot blast it, issue being you'll likely make a nice lacework of steel in doing so.
I have all this to do again on my 35 year old tin worm riddled girl, the only cure is new metal,everything else is just a plaster hiding the issues (been there done that).
Mighy find is easier to fit a new door. Reskinning a door can be hard work if not impossible and thats if you can get a skin. Ive only seen 1 or 2 people who can do it and do it well.
You could spot blast it, issue being you'll likely make a nice lacework of steel in doing so.
I have all this to do again on my 35 year old tin worm riddled girl, the only cure is new metal,everything else is just a plaster hiding the issues (been there done that).
RobinBHM
Established Member
Clay bars are brilliant.
You really can't polish a car until it's been clayed.
Try washing a panel - esp a door, then when dry run your hand over it - it will be like stoking a badgers arris.
A clay bar needs a bit of lubricant - I use warm water in a jug with a bit of liquid hand soap or washing up liquid.
I advise laying down some card board below the area you are doing - if you drop the clay bar on the drive and it gets dust in it...it's only good for the bin.
novocaine
Established Member
Stop teasing and show us the damn car already. 
novocaine
Established Member
The polish. Dont slather it on like butter. 10 thin applications is better than 1 thick one. Same goes with wax.
I do like an old ovlov tank.
I do like an old ovlov tank.
