I was looking at ads today and for the application for the g100, the polishing and finishing pads were used a lot, but never the cutting pad. What exactly is the cutting pad and what is it used for?

 

The pads you mention can vary in color according to the manufacturer...megs and lake country i believe have different color codes for their similar pads...i am a lake country man so i will speak on these..they are available at ADS

The White polishing pad is a very versatile pad...i prefer to apply sealant/wax by hand because the softer pads tend to absorb way too much product and less of it ends up on your paint (which i guess can have its benefits lol)...but anyways now on to your question...a cut pad can be used to tackle moderate to severe imperfections such as swirling, scratches, etc. They are bottom lined firmer pads that will remove a tad more clear in resolving these issues...sometimes they will need to be followed by a lighter pad/polish combo because they have a tendancy to haze/dull the finish in performing their duties....just think of it as a firmer, more agressive polishing pad..hope this helps

Lake Country pads in order of cut....yellow, orange, green, white..then finishing with very little to no cut...black, blue, red...im not 100% which order between the black and blue but i think you get my drift....

 

THe keys to think about when choosing a pad are pretty simple...

1) What are you trying to accomplish?
2) What products are you going to utilize to accomplish that task?
3) What type of machine are you going to use with the pad?


After you've asked yourself those very simple questions, you're ready to roll.

Reference this chart:



Remember, the 9006 pad is a 6.5" FINISHING (Meguiar's - TAN) pad whereas the the 8006 pad is the POLISHING (Meguiar's - YELLOW) pad. You'll note that, with the PC, you do not see the 7006 (Meguiar's - Maroon cutting pad) because, simply put, the PC does not generate the RPMs nor does it have the power to really utilize a cutting pad correctly.

You see, the cutting pad (with Meg's or any other vendor) is a much more dense type of foam and to properly utilize the pad/product combo, you have to have a higher level of RPM as well as additional power. The PC doesn't really have either options there and thus, it's not recommended by any vendor for use on the PC.

Traditionally, the cutting pad is used to remove wet sanding marks, repair severely oxidized paint (with the proper compound product combo) as well as other 'intensive' repairs on a modern painted finish.

The polishing pad is used for more of your 'day to day' problem repairs. For example, if you're dealing with light to moderate swirling -- which most people do - a polishing pad is the way to go. I use polishing pads more than any of the other pads... the reason being is that I'm typically dealing with light to moderate problems in the paint (swirls, scratches, etc). Honestly, I rarely find the opportunity to use a cutting pad on a rotary as I'm not having to wet sand with any frequency nor am I typically working on a vehicle that has been severely neglected.

The finishing pad is just as it sounds; used for last step products (ie: pure polish or wax). It has the lightest cutting action and, as such, should be used with the products that have a VERY low cut or no cut at all.

A last type of pad - a wool pad - is the highest cut pad and is strictly for rotary use ONLY. I use a rotary frequently on client vehicles and, in a rare instance, will go to a wool cutting pad to really get through a dense oxidation or to work through some wet sanding that I did on specific areas; it is very rare though.

I hope that helps a tad.

-RP-

 

That is a lot of good info Rock...

If you happen to use Lake pads here is their application chart...granted its an eye chart.

I'll put a link to it at the bottom of the post



http://www.lakecountrymfg.com/padappguide.html


EDIT: That system 2000 pad cleaner looks pretty cool....

 

wow, you guys are trully amazing and you really know your stuff. A plus guys. thanks for the help!!!!

 

I know that isn't directed toward me. Agree, RockPick does know his craft.

 

Oh hush up, you two are the two i turn to when i have a question about detailing. you BOTH know your stuff well.

 

LOL

What's funny is that I have both of those charts printed out and tapped to my detail cabinet in the garage. In addition I have several paint conditions with attack plans listed too.

Part of the OCD I guess.

Every time I put a product on a pad and pad to a surface I learn something new. I just try to get better and better but to echo what Rock, Gip, Boss keep saying, patience is the key and know the product you are working with. I am prob the least patient of all of them....

 

Thanks for the kudos but, like any person who is passionate about their obcessive compulsive disorder, there's always more to learn and newer/better ways to accomplish tasks.

Many of us are comfortable within certain product lines, specific products, and other aspects and thus, you'll hear us refer to those products on a more frequent basis. What you don't hear, lots of the time, are the failures that we've had with specific products because we're trying them out and just seeing what we can accomplish.

I have a decent array of products that I've used once and haven't gone back to them because I couldn't accomplish what I wanted to do... various brands, various types of products. On the flip side, I've got a few 'testers' that were sent by some manufacturers (various) to 'try out' and give an opinion... many of those aren't on the market (and man I wish a few of them were).

While I generally adhere to the paradigm of finding a product and using it, I like to step outside the box on occasion as well... many of the products that I use today were recommended by someone else or found by accident.

There really is a great selection of ultra-high end stuff available out there! Try several.... use a few!