Can I Polish A Car With An Orbital Buffer
Yes, you can polish your cars with an orbital buffer. Even the expert suggests an orbital buffer makes polishing much more accessible than other tools.
An orbital buffer lets you do three things with this one machine. You can polish, wax or buff your car surface with different pads adjusted with the tool. Moreover, the machine works in a two-way pattern. So, you can expect much quicker and expanded coverage on every surface. So, you can save both your time and energy with an orbital buffer.
Even in many ways, orbital buffers are better than polishers. Moreover, buffers are comparatively cheaper. With different kinds of pads, you can take this for multipurpose use.
Also, orbital buffers offer maximum safety with every use. So, you can expect swirl-free, burn-free, and scratch-free finishing on every surface.
Types Of Machine Polishers
There are two primary types of buffers and polishers: Rotary and Orbital. These terms mostly refer to how the pad rotates around the motor. With a rotary buffer the spindle and pad rotate together in one direction. It doesnt vibrate, oscillate, or orbit. With an orbital polisher the spindle and pad move about different axis causing the pad to vibrate, oscillate, or orbit .
Beneath the Orbital type of polisher there are sub types of Fixed Orbital, Dual Action Random Orbital, and Dual Action Forced Rotation. The differences between these types is explained below.
What Pads Should I Use With My Dual Action Polisher
Thats a whole other subject on its own. See my Ultimate Beginners Guide to Buffing Pads to learn more. If youre short on time, and plan to use one of the 6 DA buffers such as Porter Cable XP747 or Griots Garage G9 with a 5 backing plate, then a set of Griots Garage Orange Correcting Pads, Black Polishing Pads, and Red Waxing Pads will work great.
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Waxing A Car With A Machine Polisher
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Most readers of this blog will know that the main purpose of using a machine polisher on a car is forwell..polishing! Polishing is the process of removing defects from your cars paintwork, which leaves it in an almost new looking condition.
The term polish is thrown around loosely these days in the detailing industry.
Polish, in its true sense of the word, is a product that uses an abrasive action to remove very fine layers of clear coat protection to flatten out the surface of the cars paint which results in a highly polished look. Such products come in varying degrees of abrasiveness from light, medium to heavy cut )
In the past, I have come across a lot of people who dont know the difference between car wax and car polish.
If this is you, you should read this article before you continue The Difference Between a car wax and a car polish
Now, we all know machine polishers are designed for use with Polish on a cars paintwork, but can they also be used to apply wax to your car instead of a hand application?
Lets take a look.
Bring Back Your Vehicle’s Shine With A Car Buffer
Here’s how random orbital buffers work, and how to get the most out of one.
This story was updated on May 6, 2022 with new products and information.
So, the shine on your ride has died? What was a glossy finish has been beaten down to dullness by quickie carwashes, rough roads, and nasty weather? Even when it’s clean, it just doesn’t gleam like it once did? We denizens of the Midwest feel your pain.
You’ve tried to bring the finish back by polishing or waxing by hand, but you never quite complete the job before running out of time and energy. Of course, you could get your vehicle detailed by a pro who uses polishing machines and cleaning compounds. But that’s expensive. Besides, you like to do it yourself.
Take heart, gleam seeker. There is an affordable, lower-effort alternative for restoring your vehicle’s luster, one you can take on yourself. It’s called a dual-action polisher, otherwise known as a random orbital buffer. Its two-way action creates a random pattern for quickly knocking out oxidation and eliminating swirl marks without harming paint. Your car will shine like a jewel in a crown.
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Choosing A Backing Plate
Every buffer requires some form of a backing plate that allows you to attach pads to the buffer. Each buffer may have a different requirement for what type of backing plate is needed so make sure you get the correct one. The backing plate may come pre-assembled but many will screw in or otherwise attach to the buffer. It will stay there no matter what type of pad you use as long as it’s the same size. The face of the backing plate is hook and loop which very easily attaches to the back of the hook and loop pads. You simply just center the pad on the backing plate and press it down securely and you are done.
To determine what backing plates are compatible with your buffer, see the Compatible Backing Plates & Pads section of our Buffer Comparison Chart above. If you are not sure what size backing plate to get please see the Smaller vs Larger section below.
Hybrid Solutions Pro 1 & Done Professional Polishing Compound Correct & Finish 16 Fl Oz
- Professional polishing compound performs a heavy-duty cut or an ultra-fine polish, depending on which pad you use.
- Proprietary blend of high-quality precision platelet abrasives, removes up to 1000 grit paint imperfections for heavy-duty surface restoration
- Body shop safe formula produces zero dust, has extended working time, no sling, and an easy wipe-off.
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Get To Know Your Machine
If this is your first time using a dual action polisher, or if this one is new to you, take the time to get to know your machine. One way you can do this is by getting some spare car panels from the junk yard to experiment with different settings. Start at a low speed, and just get a feel for the way your polisher moves.
A rotary polisher spins in a circular motion on a single axis to remove heavy scratches and swirls, while an orbital polisher revolves around more than one axis to smooth and refine the clear coat. A dual action polisher, also known as a random orbital polisher, combines both motions, so that your pad rotates and oscillates around its axes. This makes dual action polishers almost as powerful as rotary polishers while being a lot safer to use on your clear coat.
Why Polish Your Car
Polishing is the step in the detailing process that yields the most dramatic difference in your paint’s appearance. The objective of polishing is to remove imperfections in the clear coat that cause the paint to look dull. Surface imperfections can include swirls, scratches, water spots, etchings, industrial fallout, oxidation, etc. These surface imperfections cause light to fragment instead of passing directly through the clear coat yielding less gloss and depth. When these imperfections are removed, you will reveal the true potential of your vehicle’s paint.
A swirl mark is a very thin and shallow scratch on the surface of your paint, that often comes from washing and drying improperly. Waxes, sealants and most glazes will not permanently remove these surface imperfections at best they will hide them temporarily. To eliminate these imperfections safely and permanently you want to polish the surface starting with a less aggressive polish and using more aggressive polishes as needed. The chemical polishing agents and/or the polishing particles will safely remove the extremely fine imperfections.
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Difference Between Buffer And Polisher: What Works
Polishing involves the use of products containing abrasives to even out imperfections. The abrasive process restores the paint and brings out the luster.
Buffering, on the other hand, also modifies and improves car paint or the clear coat. Using a buffer often requires the use of a waxing compound to smooth the target surface.
In essence, both methods require altering and cleaning a very thin layer of paint or a metallic surface. The purpose is to remove imperfections, superficial damage or small scratches. With both processes capable of achieving the same results, the difference between buffer and polisher seems as thin as a layer of paint.
For polishing or buffing, there are two common equipment used by professional detailers. One is the Dual Action Polisher/Buffer and the other is the Rotary Polisher/Buffer.
Electric Buffer Vs Hand Buffing
Photo by Sleepi Alleyne from Pexels
Many people dont realize the importance of waxing their car to protect it. Those who are somewhat aware may resort to getting spray-on wax finish at the car wash.
The true way to offer lasting protection is to apply a good wax either by hand or with an electric buffer. Many people dont know how to wax a car with a buffer, let alone do it by hand. Its really a simpler task than it may seem.
Whether you accomplish the job by electric buffer or by hand, the results can both be superior. Hand waxing eliminates the need to get used to operating a buffer. However, a great deal of time will be saved by taking a moment to get the hang of it. It is definitely much quicker using an orbital buffer.
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Best Kit: Torq 503x Torqx Random Polisher Kit
This car buffer is manufactured by Torq but sold through Chemical Guys. You can purchase the buffer by itself or in three kits that all have different car detailing products from the Chemical Guys company. Kit options include:
- Car polisher only
- Polisher with buffing pads and compounds
- Polisher with buffing pads, compounds, cleaner, and conditioner
- Polisher with buffing pads, cleaner, conditioner, and towels
If your car has many deep scratches, this may be the best car polisher for you. This is a high-speed buffer that offers an RPM speed of up to 7,800, which is enough to buff out any imperfections capable of buffing.
Why Do Cars Need To Be Polished
There are four main layers in a vehicleâs paint:
- Substrate: your vehicleâs body metal
- Primer: used to help prepare the substrate for paint
- Basecoat: highly pigmented, this is the color layer
- Clear coat: pigment-free paint thatâs designed to protect and preserve the basecoat and provide an appropriate level of shine
Over time, the clear coat can become scratched, oxidized and marred by everything from the sun to road debris. As a result, the paint will look dull and lack the shine the vehicle had when it was new. On a microscopic level, dull paint is actually caused by myriad scratches on the surface of the clear coat that block the base coat from shining through.
Polish eliminates these tiny surface scratches by removing a small amount of the clear coatâs dull surface. This leaves behind a lustrous shine. Think of sanding down a piece of rough wood to make it smooth.
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Random Orbital Polisher: Questions And Answers
What is a random orbital car polisher?
The random orbital buffer is what is also called a DA, or dual-actioncar buffer. It is called a DA as it has two types of movement. Theeasiest way for people to understand this is to think of the sunspinning on its single axis point, while simultaneously rotating aroundthe sun while it is spinning. The reason it is called random is becausethe spinning is controlled by a free floating spindle that will stopspinning if enough pressure is applied to the head.
Sincethese buffers are made with a free floating spindle, if too muchpressure is applied while polishing, the spinning of the polishing padwill cease to spin and only continue to vibrate. While this may firstappear as a problem, it is this very reason that makes these randomorbital polishers so safe. Unlike a rotary or high-speed polisher thatcontinues to spin regardless of the pressure, the free floating spindleis essentially a safety mechanism that allows true beginners to enjoythe potential results that can only be produced by use of a carpolisher.
Why would a person choose a random orbital polisher over a high-speed polisher?
For most people it is simply a matter of inexperience and safety.Dual-action, random orbital polishers are simply the easier and saferchoice. This makes them very appealing to any beginner. But withadvances in engineering, the latest versions of these random orbitalshave far more power than the first generation DA polishers.
How To Polish A Car With A Buffer 7 Steps With Tips
Hand polishing takes a lot of effort and time, whereas the same job can be done quickly in less time. Just grab a good quality buffer and cut off all the hassles with hand polishing. A buffer will not only remove scratches but also, youll get a shinier surface for a longer time. Buffers are comparatively lower in price and versatile to use. You can wax, buff, or polish your car at various levels only using this one tool. With every use, youll get admirable output if you know how to polish a car with a buffer.
If youre new in the buffing world and dont know how to polish a car with buffers, this article will be your ultimate guidance.
Contents
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The Dual Action Polisher Or Buffer
This equipment is ideal for buffing out or removing light scratches on the clear coat. Its called dual action because the brushes or pads spin in two different ways. The first spinning motion moves the brush or pad in a circular action on a spindle, which, in turn, spins in a wider circulating motion. The most popular comparison would be the motion of the planets. Earth spins around its own axis the same way as the brush or pad spins on the equipments spindle. While spinning like this, Earth also moves in a wide circular orbit around the Sun . Likewise, the spinning brush or pad orbits in another circular motion. This is the reason why this equipment is also called an orbital polisher or buffer.
The rotating and orbiting of the pad produces what many refer to as a jiggling or wobbling motion. The uneven movement prevents the brushes or pads from staying on a single point for an extended time. This lessens the friction and heat buildup. If left uncontrolled, this will lead to paint burning or removal of paint below the clear coat surface. The friction or heat from the jiggling and wobbling motion is just enough to remedy light to moderate paint blemishes, scratches or imperfections.
Choose a Dual Action Polisher or Buffer for:
Buffing Your Car Safety
Buffing your vehicle isnt a particularly dangerous job, but you do need to take some precautions. For example, youre going to work with an orbital buffer, so remove any rings, watches, necklaces, and bracelets. Since youll also use chemicals, its wise to wear a respirator, especially if you plan on doing this job frequently.
Thats everything you need to keep your car shining year-round. Hopefully, you have some of the general detailing equipment lying around your garage.
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Which Type Of Polisher Is Best For Applying Wax
In my opinion, the only type of buffer you should be used to apply wax to your car is dual-action or random orbital polisher. Due to the nature of their action, they are a much safer tool for the job.
Rotary polishers are much too aggressive in terms of power and ability to generate heat on the paint, and should only really be handled by someone who has experience with these machines.
Some great dual action polishers which are safe to use by less experienced detailers are
Basic Instruction To Polish Car
The very first thing you need to do to polish your car with a buffer is to wash it with clean water thoroughly. Then, you need to make the mixture that you are going to use in polishing the car. There are many types of mixture types with an instruction manual that you need to go through carefully before using them.
The mixture youre going to use on the car for polishing must be chosen according to its color. It is very important to make circular moves using the paste you selected, and the polishing procedure must be a continuous process with equal movements.
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When To Polish Your Car
We recommend only polishing as needed, which is typically around one to two times per year during a full detail. After a thorough multiple step polishing process has been completed you can maintain the finish properly using the correct washing and drying products and techniques. Keeping the paint in good condition will ensure it needs less frequent polishing.
How To Use A Car Polisher
Once youve got your polisher with the buffing pad apply a few dabs of polish in a few spots across the pad.
Next press the pad onto several spots on and around the area youll be working on without turning on the polisher. The idea is you want to splotch the polish evenly around the working area so that it wont fling off when you turn on the polisher.
Once the polish is fairly evenly distributed and there isnt too much left on the pad itself to fling off you can switch on the polisher to a medium setting and begin polishing.
Youll want to work in a small area and apply just enough pressure to audibly hear the polisher change pitch from the applied pressure. Gently move the polisher back and forth over an area and then move on to an adjacent area and overlap significantly with the area you were just working on.
This will blend the polishing in and prevent having unpolished gaps. You should work out from the spot you started and polish the entire area that needs attention.
Once youre satisfied you should then switch to a finishing pad and finishing compound.
If you havent achieved the results you were hoping for you may need to switch to a more aggressive pad and/or more aggressive polishing compound.
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