Auto Detailing - Proper Machine Buffing With Compound

It is recommended that you use a variable rotary buffer/polisher. Four ply buffing pads from Buff and Shine or 3M Company are the easiest to use in corner and angled surfaces. You may also use foam pads if you find those preferable and easier to use for yourself. After the boat has been thoroughly washed, properly tape off with a very high quality masking tape, the striping, the rub strip that runs along the hull of the boat, and any areas you feel may get hit by the polisher and make a blemish or mark. It actually saves time and you'll be happy that you did it. It takes a few extra minutes but it is the proper way to buff a boat.

To begin the buffing on a cool clean surface, lay down a strip of compound and run buffer at a fairly high rate of speed between (1800 to 2500 rpm) to break the abrasives down and get a brilliant shine. As you finish the section that you are buffing, back off on the pressure as you start to see the compound disappear. You'll get a higher gloss when you perform this properly. Imagine a grid pattern as you buff the hull, side to side, then top to bottom. This helps to ensure you don't miss a spot. To get the product to work a little longer you can mist, distilled water only, on the product itself as you're buffing. It will work a little bit longer and you can actually a little more gloss out of it. It will make the abrasives in it work just a touch longer. You can get some really nice results by doing this.

Be very careful when working near exposed antennas, lines, horns, and as mentioned before, especially striping. Slow the speed down when buffing on stripes and use less pressure on the buffer. Remove as much of the product as possible, then wipe residual by hand. It is also recommended that you tape off areas, tops, exposed seats, etc. that may be in the path of flying compound. You can do this using towels, old sheets. There are also different areas you may want to cover up like the dash if it's an exposed top boat. It just saves time on cleanup later.

Optional Second Step

If you follow the buffing step with Blue Magnum Carnuba from Monsters, you will achieve a brilliant reflective shine and long lasting protection. In the buffing process an optional second step is to add Meguiar's #45 polish by hand or orbital polisher to the area just buffed. This will help feed the pores of the gel coat and add an additional amount of gloss to the surface. With this you have to use the product as directed and do one section at a time. It does not work well as a wax to just let it sit on there, haze, and then try to remove it. It's something that you put on and remove almost immediately. As mentioned, it is an optional step to use in this process. This also is a product that you'll want to keep away from the anti-skid portions of the boat, usually the side railings or the top deck where the anti-skid is mostly found. It just does not work well with anti-skid.

Auto Detailing - Proper Machine Buffing With Compound

It is recommended that you use a variable rotary buffer/polisher. Four ply buffing pads from Buff and Shine or 3M Company are the easiest to use in corner and angled surfaces. You may also use foam pads if you find those preferable and easier to use for yourself. After the boat has been thoroughly washed, properly tape off with a very high quality masking tape, the striping, the rub strip that runs along the hull of the boat, and any areas you feel may get hit by the polisher and make a blemish or mark. It actually saves time and you'll be happy that you did it. It takes a few extra minutes but it is the proper way to buff a boat.

To begin the buffing on a cool clean surface, lay down a strip of compound and run buffer at a fairly high rate of speed between (1800 to 2500 rpm) to break the abrasives down and get a brilliant shine. As you finish the section that you are buffing, back off on the pressure as you start to see the compound disappear. You'll get a higher gloss when you perform this properly. Imagine a grid pattern as you buff the hull, side to side, then top to bottom. This helps to ensure you don't miss a spot. To get the product to work a little longer you can mist, distilled water only, on the product itself as you're buffing. It will work a little bit longer and you can actually a little more gloss out of it. It will make the abrasives in it work just a touch longer. You can get some really nice results by doing this.

Be very careful when working near exposed antennas, lines, horns, and as mentioned before, especially striping. Slow the speed down when buffing on stripes and use less pressure on the buffer. Remove as much of the product as possible, then wipe residual by hand. It is also recommended that you tape off areas, tops, exposed seats, etc. that may be in the path of flying compound. You can do this using towels, old sheets. There are also different areas you may want to cover up like the dash if it's an exposed top boat. It just saves time on cleanup later.

Optional Second Step

If you follow the buffing step with Blue Magnum Carnuba from Monsters, you will achieve a brilliant reflective shine and long lasting protection. In the buffing process an optional second step is to add Meguiar's #45 polish by hand or orbital polisher to the area just buffed. This will help feed the pores of the gel coat and add an additional amount of gloss to the surface. With this you have to use the product as directed and do one section at a time. It does not work well as a wax to just let it sit on there, haze, and then try to remove it. It's something that you put on and remove almost immediately. As mentioned, it is an optional step to use in this process. This also is a product that you'll want to keep away from the anti-skid portions of the boat, usually the side railings or the top deck where the anti-skid is mostly found. It just does not work well with anti-skid.

Auto Detailing - Choosing the Correct Buffing Pads for the Job

It is important to have the correct backing plate and buffer pad. You should find a durable Velcro backing plate and Velcro foam pads and wool pads. Look for a backing plate with holes in it to redistribute heat from the surface of the paint. Another cool design is the three leaf clover design which has great gripping power and cooling capabilities.

Make sure to buy foam pads that correspond to the holes on the backing plates. Look for a backing plate with a harder outer ring that is slightly beveled. This feature strengthens the plate and allows flexibility when buffing on the exterior step ribs of the hull.

You will find that air circulation is much better on these types of pads than on 'waffle' type pads which tend to fling more product. This is wasteful and also makes a mess causing extra taping, clean-up and a slight environmental situation if working on a boat in a slip. These pads have a very 'tight' hook and loop system which can grab the Velcro on the back of the pad too tightly. If you are not careful, you will completely rip the felt back off the pad. This is why we recommend a backing plate that uses a looser or more spread out design.

Unlike cars, which have a 1 to 3 micron thick clear coat, a gel coat on a boat is 10 to 15 times thicker and on more expensive boats as much as twenty times thicker than the clear coat on cars. For this reason a wool pad is preferable unless you are doing such light oxidation removal that you are simply trying to save hand motion. Double sided wool and synthetic fiber pads work great as well. They allow speedy change when you are on top of the boat and want to save time getting off the boat to change the pad. Just flip it over and go. They also have the right flex to allow proper buffing technique. S.M. Arnold is a place to get them.

Now there are a variety of wool pads to choose from. The jobs they perform best range from heavy cutting and compounding to light cutting, polishing and finishing. When finishing you may wish to switch to a foam pad. But if you feel comfortable with it stay with the wool. The wool pad may be made of 100% wool or a blend of synthetic and wool or natural lamb's wool for finishing purposes. The colors of the wool pads tend to vary from company to company, so disregard the color of the pad since it's only a dye. The features that make a wool pad appropriate for different types of jobs are:

Ply - Wool pads can be single ply, four ply, whatever. Ply is the number of twists per strand of yarn. The more twists the stronger and more aggressive the pad becomes. Pile Height - This refers to how tall the yarn is. It can range from 1 1/4" to 2". The shorter the height the less it gives and the more aggressive it becomes.

Description - Ply and pile height are important factors to determine how aggressive a pad will be but also the make-up of the type of wool is a significant factor. As you get away from 100% wool to synthetic and from four ply to one ply and increase height, the pad becomes softer and better for producing a finer finish.

Take good care of your finishing wool pads. Keep them clean and use a spur tool to clean them not a screwdriver. If you have synthetic wool pads you can wash them, but 100% wool pads will knot up and shrink. Four plys are the worst for this. Whenever possible or practical replace the pads. Save old pads for the tug boats and things that are rough and might ruin a good pad. With foam pads, you can easily tell their aggressive nature by density. The more dense the more aggressive. Also, they have ratings. Parts per inch (PPI). Most range from 40 to 100 PP. The higher the number the softer they are. 40 to 50 PPI is for swirls in clear coats of cars and light cuts. Foam pads tend to stick and grip more than wool pads and can heat up quicker. At 1700 rpm's foam pads tend to max out in temperature unless they have heat holes. Cleaning foam pads is simple. Use warm soapy water, spur tool, tooth brush and wring them out to dry. Do not use real hot water because it delaminates the glue on the Velcro.

Catalog for Pads

S. M. Arnold Inc.

1-314-544-4103

Auto Detailing - Choosing the Correct Buffing Pads for the Job

It is important to have the correct backing plate and buffer pad. You should find a durable Velcro backing plate and Velcro foam pads and wool pads. Look for a backing plate with holes in it to redistribute heat from the surface of the paint. Another cool design is the three leaf clover design which has great gripping power and cooling capabilities.

Make sure to buy foam pads that correspond to the holes on the backing plates. Look for a backing plate with a harder outer ring that is slightly beveled. This feature strengthens the plate and allows flexibility when buffing on the exterior step ribs of the hull.

You will find that air circulation is much better on these types of pads than on 'waffle' type pads which tend to fling more product. This is wasteful and also makes a mess causing extra taping, clean-up and a slight environmental situation if working on a boat in a slip. These pads have a very 'tight' hook and loop system which can grab the Velcro on the back of the pad too tightly. If you are not careful, you will completely rip the felt back off the pad. This is why we recommend a backing plate that uses a looser or more spread out design.

Unlike cars, which have a 1 to 3 micron thick clear coat, a gel coat on a boat is 10 to 15 times thicker and on more expensive boats as much as twenty times thicker than the clear coat on cars. For this reason a wool pad is preferable unless you are doing such light oxidation removal that you are simply trying to save hand motion. Double sided wool and synthetic fiber pads work great as well. They allow speedy change when you are on top of the boat and want to save time getting off the boat to change the pad. Just flip it over and go. They also have the right flex to allow proper buffing technique. S.M. Arnold is a place to get them.

Now there are a variety of wool pads to choose from. The jobs they perform best range from heavy cutting and compounding to light cutting, polishing and finishing. When finishing you may wish to switch to a foam pad. But if you feel comfortable with it stay with the wool. The wool pad may be made of 100% wool or a blend of synthetic and wool or natural lamb's wool for finishing purposes. The colors of the wool pads tend to vary from company to company, so disregard the color of the pad since it's only a dye. The features that make a wool pad appropriate for different types of jobs are:

Ply - Wool pads can be single ply, four ply, whatever. Ply is the number of twists per strand of yarn. The more twists the stronger and more aggressive the pad becomes. Pile Height - This refers to how tall the yarn is. It can range from 1 1/4" to 2". The shorter the height the less it gives and the more aggressive it becomes.

Description - Ply and pile height are important factors to determine how aggressive a pad will be but also the make-up of the type of wool is a significant factor. As you get away from 100% wool to synthetic and from four ply to one ply and increase height, the pad becomes softer and better for producing a finer finish.

Take good care of your finishing wool pads. Keep them clean and use a spur tool to clean them not a screwdriver. If you have synthetic wool pads you can wash them, but 100% wool pads will knot up and shrink. Four plys are the worst for this. Whenever possible or practical replace the pads. Save old pads for the tug boats and things that are rough and might ruin a good pad. With foam pads, you can easily tell their aggressive nature by density. The more dense the more aggressive. Also, they have ratings. Parts per inch (PPI). Most range from 40 to 100 PP. The higher the number the softer they are. 40 to 50 PPI is for swirls in clear coats of cars and light cuts. Foam pads tend to stick and grip more than wool pads and can heat up quicker. At 1700 rpm's foam pads tend to max out in temperature unless they have heat holes. Cleaning foam pads is simple. Use warm soapy water, spur tool, tooth brush and wring them out to dry. Do not use real hot water because it delaminates the glue on the Velcro.

Catalog for Pads

S. M. Arnold Inc.

1-314-544-4103

Auto Detailing - Choosing the Correct Buffing Pads for the Job

It is important to have the correct backing plate and buffer pad. You should find a durable Velcro backing plate and Velcro foam pads and wool pads. Look for a backing plate with holes in it to redistribute heat from the surface of the paint. Another cool design is the three leaf clover design which has great gripping power and cooling capabilities.

Make sure to buy foam pads that correspond to the holes on the backing plates. Look for a backing plate with a harder outer ring that is slightly beveled. This feature strengthens the plate and allows flexibility when buffing on the exterior step ribs of the hull.

You will find that air circulation is much better on these types of pads than on 'waffle' type pads which tend to fling more product. This is wasteful and also makes a mess causing extra taping, clean-up and a slight environmental situation if working on a boat in a slip. These pads have a very 'tight' hook and loop system which can grab the Velcro on the back of the pad too tightly. If you are not careful, you will completely rip the felt back off the pad. This is why we recommend a backing plate that uses a looser or more spread out design.

Unlike cars, which have a 1 to 3 micron thick clear coat, a gel coat on a boat is 10 to 15 times thicker and on more expensive boats as much as twenty times thicker than the clear coat on cars. For this reason a wool pad is preferable unless you are doing such light oxidation removal that you are simply trying to save hand motion. Double sided wool and synthetic fiber pads work great as well. They allow speedy change when you are on top of the boat and want to save time getting off the boat to change the pad. Just flip it over and go. They also have the right flex to allow proper buffing technique. S.M. Arnold is a place to get them.

Now there are a variety of wool pads to choose from. The jobs they perform best range from heavy cutting and compounding to light cutting, polishing and finishing. When finishing you may wish to switch to a foam pad. But if you feel comfortable with it stay with the wool. The wool pad may be made of 100% wool or a blend of synthetic and wool or natural lamb's wool for finishing purposes. The colors of the wool pads tend to vary from company to company, so disregard the color of the pad since it's only a dye. The features that make a wool pad appropriate for different types of jobs are:

Ply - Wool pads can be single ply, four ply, whatever. Ply is the number of twists per strand of yarn. The more twists the stronger and more aggressive the pad becomes. Pile Height - This refers to how tall the yarn is. It can range from 1 1/4" to 2". The shorter the height the less it gives and the more aggressive it becomes.

Description - Ply and pile height are important factors to determine how aggressive a pad will be but also the make-up of the type of wool is a significant factor. As you get away from 100% wool to synthetic and from four ply to one ply and increase height, the pad becomes softer and better for producing a finer finish.

Take good care of your finishing wool pads. Keep them clean and use a spur tool to clean them not a screwdriver. If you have synthetic wool pads you can wash them, but 100% wool pads will knot up and shrink. Four plys are the worst for this. Whenever possible or practical replace the pads. Save old pads for the tug boats and things that are rough and might ruin a good pad. With foam pads, you can easily tell their aggressive nature by density. The more dense the more aggressive. Also, they have ratings. Parts per inch (PPI). Most range from 40 to 100 PP. The higher the number the softer they are. 40 to 50 PPI is for swirls in clear coats of cars and light cuts. Foam pads tend to stick and grip more than wool pads and can heat up quicker. At 1700 rpm's foam pads tend to max out in temperature unless they have heat holes. Cleaning foam pads is simple. Use warm soapy water, spur tool, tooth brush and wring them out to dry. Do not use real hot water because it delaminates the glue on the Velcro.

Catalog for Pads

S. M. Arnold Inc.

1-314-544-4103