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Help selecting a buffer
Old 09-08-2016, 10:34 AM   #11
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Default Re: Help selecting a buffer

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Originally Posted by magRT496 View Post
Thanks for all the info Mike! All my detailing will be on a dry surface. If the Griot's polisher is more powerful then I'm in for that. Also I wouldn't mind doing some compounding if I needed to so I can get a nice shine back on it. As for the tough spots on the transom maybe some 3" pads would help?

Just added pictures to post #10


Hope this helps...


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Old 09-16-2016, 02:53 AM   #12
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Default Re: Help selecting a buffer

Hey Mike sorry for the delay in replying, I've been traveling.

Ok so this is what im thinking ill pick up so far

Griots Garage 6 Inch Random Orbital Polisher

Dual-Action Hook & Loop Flexible Backing Plate 5"

5.5 Inch ThinPro Orange Heavy Cutting Pad x3

3 Inch Dual Action Flexible Backing Plate (for tight areas)

3.5 Inch ThinPro Orange Heavy Cutting Pad x3

3.5 Inch ThinPro Grey Extreme Cutting Pad (maybe 1 or 2 of these for heavily oxidized areas? The only spots that are bad are on the transom and on top of the gunnels so a 3" should be ok right?)

Marine 31 Gel Coat Heavy-Cut Cleaner Wax 32 oz.

Marine 31 Spray Polishing Pad Care Combo

How does this look? Should i add anything else? I wouldnt mind going over the boat again with polish/wax to protect it better and add more shine. Unless you think its overkill.

Thanks agian for all the great info. I cant wait to order this stuff and get the boat cleaned up
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Old 09-21-2016, 11:34 AM   #13
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Default Re: Help selecting a buffer

any input on the pad selection Mike?

I also want to clean up the windshield with the eisenglass kit, will the orange pads work?
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Old 10-17-2016, 03:09 PM   #14
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Default Re: Help selecting a buffer

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any input on the pad selection Mike?

I also want to clean up the windshield with the eisenglass kit, will the orange pads work?

That looks good...


Sorry but I was travelling too... was at the Indy Motor Speedway teaching a 3-day class and the filming a new episodie of our TV show.

Back in the office all this week and until we leave for SEMA


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Old 02-14-2017, 03:10 AM   #15
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Default Re: Help selecting a buffer

Hey Mike,

I finally got around to working on the boat. I picked up the Griots 6" buffer, the lake country orange thin pro pads, and the heavy cut cleaner wax. This combo did a great job removing any oxidation and putting a smooth shine on the gel coat.
But it didnt seem to be cutting the gel coat much at all. There's some very faint yellow stains on the sides of the hull and the orange pad didnt touch it. It even had a hard time with the little black spots and stains.

Then I went and picked up the lake country thin wool pads as recommended in your detailing book. I did notice the foam/wool combo pads lets more swirls on the surface and still didnt really touch the stains.

Should I try the grey pad? If that wont help I may just pick up the Flex 3401 to get the job done right like i should have originally.

And last question.... Ive noticed the bottom of hull is taking on a slight yellowish tint. Occasionally its sits in the water over night because the marina closed before i got back. Can i use the cleaner wax and buff the bottom?

Thanks.
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Old 02-28-2017, 12:25 PM   #16
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Default Re: Help selecting a buffer

Quote:
Originally Posted by magRT496 View Post
Hey Mike,

I finally got around to working on the boat. I picked up the Griots 6" buffer, the lake country orange thin pro pads, and the heavy cut cleaner wax. This combo did a great job removing any oxidation and putting a smooth shine on the gel coat.
But it didnt seem to be cutting the gel coat much at all. There's some very faint yellow stains on the sides of the hull and the orange pad didnt touch it. It even had a hard time with the little black spots and stains.

Then I went and picked up the lake country thin wool pads as recommended in your detailing book. I did notice the foam/wool combo pads lets more swirls on the surface and still didnt really touch the stains.

Should I try the grey pad? If that wont help I may just pick up the Flex 3401 to get the job done right like i should have originally.

And last question.... Ive noticed the bottom of hull is taking on a slight yellowish tint. Occasionally its sits in the water over night because the marina closed before i got back. Can i use the cleaner wax and buff the bottom?

Thanks.

Well when it comes to this kind of work

More power is better


For anyone detailing neglected boats you really want to star with a rotary buffer and finish with an orbital if you don't want to inflict holograms into the gel-coat.


The FLEX 3401 has a TON more power than any free spinning orbital and that's just the reality of it.

And of course a rotary buffer has more cutting power than a FLEX 3401 it's just they tend to leave holograms in the surface when using fiber pads and aggressive compounds and polishes.


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Old 03-09-2017, 10:48 AM   #17
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Default Re: Help selecting a buffer

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Originally Posted by Mike.Phillips@Marine31 View Post
Well when it comes to this kind of work

More power is better


For anyone detailing neglected boats you really want to star with a rotary buffer and finish with an orbital if you don't want to inflict holograms into the gel-coat.


The FLEX 3401 has a TON more power than any free spinning orbital and that's just the reality of it.

And of course a rotary buffer has more cutting power than a FLEX 3401 it's just they tend to leave holograms in the surface when using fiber pads and aggressive compounds and polishes.


Thanks. I'm going to try a lake country thin pro grey pad and maybe some of the heavy cut oxidation cleaner. If that doesn't work I'll most likely be upgrading to the flex 3401.

Other than not touching the yellow stains I got some nice results with just the griots, orange pad and the cleaner wax. I'll post some pics below.
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Old 03-09-2017, 11:39 AM   #18
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Default Re: Help selecting a buffer


before

after


before

after


after


Here's the yellow streaks. They're hard to see but if you stand back a little bit they're there.






If anyone has any ideas let me know. The griots works well but it took a long time. My advice to anyone else is just get the flex. This was my first time and it's not very hard just time consuming.
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Old 04-26-2017, 06:54 AM   #19
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Default Re: Help selecting a buffer

I did my best to unscramble all your Google drive code for your pictures, download them to my computer. Then resize them to 800 pixels wide.

Then upload them to your free gallery here on this forum so they can be displayed correctly and won't disappear over time.




















Here's the link to your gallery here on Marine 31


http://www.marine31online.com/galler...-magrt496.html






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Old 04-26-2017, 07:04 AM   #20
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Default Re: Help selecting a buffer

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Originally Posted by magRT496 View Post


Here's the yellow streaks. They're hard to see but if you stand back a little bit they're there. If anyone has any ideas let me know.
My guess is the yellow streaks are a tannin stain. If the cleaner/wax didn't remove them then you'll have to go with a compound.

Removing stains is just a matter of removing more gel-coat. Gel-coat is somewhat porous and the tannin stains penetrate INTO the gel-coat. Thus abrading the surface will remove more gel-coat and thus remove the staining.


Quote:
Originally Posted by magRT496 View Post

The griots works well but it took a long time.

My advice to anyone else is just get the flex.

I think I stressed this in a friendly way in my boat detailing book. I know for a lot of guys it's easy to spend $100.00 on a tool versus $400.00 for a FLEX 3401 but the GEAR DRIVEN FLEX 3401 will work both faster and better since the pad won't stall out and stop spinning.

When you use free spinning tools like the Griot's, Porter Cable, Meguiar's MT300, etc., when the pad stalls out or stops spinning - you're not doing anything.

There are actually some "gurus" in this industry that will argue with you that a free spinning orbital polisher can remove swirls when the pad is NOT rotating and for the most part only vibrating or jiggling against the surface I'd say they've drank the Kool-Aid.




When I wrote my how-to book, I included all the tools sold by Autogeek/Marine 31 but for the cover, I purposefully chose the tool that I believe is the best all-around tool for boat detailing for the cover.

The cover of the book is the MOST VALUABLE piece of book real-estate if you think about it.

See the tool I chose for the cover? Also the pad?






Quote:
Originally Posted by magRT496 View Post

This was my first time and it's not very hard just time consuming.

Yep... boat are big, gel-coat is hard and the work is time consuming.

You done did good though!


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