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Mike Phillips · 05-09-2013, 01:58 PM

Ship Shape TV - Cleaning Buffing Pads the EASY WAY!

In this segment John and I show how when using compounds to remove oxidation with wool cutting pads on rotary buffers the oxidation as well as spent compound residue builds up on the face of your buffing pad.

Some guys use a screwdriver to clean their pad, I call this the Caveman Method, it works but the screwdriver tears up the pad and there are better ways to clean your pad without causing damage to the pad or creating a safety risk.

Next we talk about a better option and that is to use a spur to clean your pad but if you really want to get your buffing pads clean then the best way to do this is with a Marine 31 Pad Cleaner and Marine 31 Polishing Pad Cleaner.

By cleaning your pad often you save time and make buffing a lot easier on you plus you make wiping off the residue as it won't be as gummy on the side of the hull like it is when you don't clean your pad effectively.

You also save money because fresh compound will cut better than mixing fresh compound with all the oxidation and spent compound that builds up on your buffing pad.

A pad washer also enables you to get more use out of your pads, again saving you money.

First thing we did was buff out the oxidized gel-coat on the sides of John's Boston Whaler.

Here I am compounding the side of the hull...

Here's John compounding the front of the hull...

Behind the scenes shots as we work through the segment...

John's pointing to both the screwdriver and the spur...

John's asking me about the different ways to remove oxidation...

John's talks about working by hand and explains as everyone knows that to try to remove oxidation by hand will not only be a great work out but a great way to get a tan...

Next we talk about tool options and discuss the benefits and features of a Porter Cable 7424XP but how a more powerful tool like a rotary buffer would be a better and faster tool for this type of project.

Here I'm explaining that the Porter Cable is incredibly safe for working on gel-coats but like mentioned previously the rotary buffer will provide more power and thus do the job better and faster...

In this shot I'm talking about the Flex PE14 and that it's a compact, low weight rotary buffer made in Germany to the highest quality standards...

Next John and I remove the oxidation off the gel-coat sides of the hull...

To do this we're using Marine 31 Gel Coat Heavy-Cut Oxidation Cleaner. You can use this product in direct sun...

The side of the hull started out dull and chalky and as you can see it's now reflecting like a mirror as we restore a hard, shiny surface.

This is what a brand new pad looks like, it's clean and the fibers are fluffy, not matted together...

Here's the same pad after buffing a 2' by 2" section till all the oxidation was removed. You can see the pad is gunked up with dirty, oxidized gel-coat and the fibers have matted together. To try to keep buffing with this pad is going to not only tire the person doing the buffing but it will also make buffing more difficult and require more product while doing less work.

Here we're adding one scoop of the Marine 31 Polishing Pad Cleaner to the Marine 31 Pad Washer in which we've already added water to create the pad cleaning solution.

Next you place the buffing pad into the pad washer...

After placing the pad into the pad washer you close the lid...

Next you run the Flex PE14 around 1000 RPM while pumping it up and down against the grill insert inside the bucket.

Here are the real-world results after less than a minute of cleaning time in the pad washer...

Anyone buffing out a boat will be time, money and energy ahead by using a pad washer with a high quality polishing pad cleaner.

On Marine31.com

Marine 31 Pad Cleaner
Marine 31 Polishing Pad Cleaner
Marine 31 Gel-Coat Heavy-Cut Oxidation Cleaner
Flex PE14 Rotary Polisher

05-09-2013, 01:58 PM	#1
Mike Phillips Status: Director of Training Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 675	Ship Shape TV - Cleaning Buffing Pads the EASY WAY! Ship Shape TV - Cleaning Buffing Pads the EASY WAY! In this segment John and I show how when using compounds to remove oxidation with wool cutting pads on rotary buffers the oxidation as well as spent compound residue builds up on the face of your buffing pad. Some guys use a screwdriver to clean their pad, I call this the Caveman Method, it works but the screwdriver tears up the pad and there are better ways to clean your pad without causing damage to the pad or creating a safety risk. Next we talk about a better option and that is to use a spur to clean your pad but if you really want to get your buffing pads clean then the best way to do this is with a Marine 31 Pad Cleaner and Marine 31 Polishing Pad Cleaner. By cleaning your pad often you save time and make buffing a lot easier on you plus you make wiping off the residue as it won't be as gummy on the side of the hull like it is when you don't clean your pad effectively. You also save money because fresh compound will cut better than mixing fresh compound with all the oxidation and spent compound that builds up on your buffing pad. A pad washer also enables you to get more use out of your pads, again saving you money. First thing we did was buff out the oxidized gel-coat on the sides of John's Boston Whaler. Here I am compounding the side of the hull... Here's John compounding the front of the hull... Behind the scenes shots as we work through the segment... John's pointing to both the screwdriver and the spur... John's asking me about the different ways to remove oxidation... John's talks about working by hand and explains as everyone knows that to try to remove oxidation by hand will not only be a great work out but a great way to get a tan... Next we talk about tool options and discuss the benefits and features of a Porter Cable 7424XP but how a more powerful tool like a rotary buffer would be a better and faster tool for this type of project. Here I'm explaining that the Porter Cable is incredibly safe for working on gel-coats but like mentioned previously the rotary buffer will provide more power and thus do the job better and faster... In this shot I'm talking about the Flex PE14 and that it's a compact, low weight rotary buffer made in Germany to the highest quality standards... Next John and I remove the oxidation off the gel-coat sides of the hull... To do this we're using Marine 31 Gel Coat Heavy-Cut Oxidation Cleaner. You can use this product in direct sun... The side of the hull started out dull and chalky and as you can see it's now reflecting like a mirror as we restore a hard, shiny surface. This is what a brand new pad looks like, it's clean and the fibers are fluffy, not matted together... Here's the same pad after buffing a 2' by 2" section till all the oxidation was removed. You can see the pad is gunked up with dirty, oxidized gel-coat and the fibers have matted together. To try to keep buffing with this pad is going to not only tire the person doing the buffing but it will also make buffing more difficult and require more product while doing less work. Here we're adding one scoop of the Marine 31 Polishing Pad Cleaner to the Marine 31 Pad Washer in which we've already added water to create the pad cleaning solution. Next you place the buffing pad into the pad washer... After placing the pad into the pad washer you close the lid... Next you run the Flex PE14 around 1000 RPM while pumping it up and down against the grill insert inside the bucket. Here are the real-world results after less than a minute of cleaning time in the pad washer... Anyone buffing out a boat will be time, money and energy ahead by using a pad washer with a high quality polishing pad cleaner. On Marine31.com Marine 31 Pad Cleaner Marine 31 Polishing Pad Cleaner Marine 31 Gel-Coat Heavy-Cut Oxidation Cleaner Flex PE14 Rotary Polisher __________________ Made by boat people for boat people...