All the gear, no idea

[Night Runner]

Morning all,

For various reasons I have free access to some good kit, makita 9227cb, 3M perfect-it polishes etc.

I have a wee bit of experience on a orbital before, but never in a rotary. I'm planning to have a play on some spare panels I have, with the ultimate aim to be to clean up my mk1 MX5.

Anyone have any tips? It appears I should work on 1/2(ish) a panel at a time, starting with a mild polish and soft pad, building up where necessary and then working my way back down.

[PJ S]

24" square area at a time
3-4 pea sized drops of polish on the pad
Clean pad periodically with a stiff toothbrush while running at low speed or wash/spin "dry" the pad
With them Makita, and the MX-5's paint, you'll not really need to venture onto the green pad and fast cut plus - the extra fine and yellow waffle should be more than sufficient with speed 2-3
Move the pad slowly over the area being worked, and level - 1" per sec approx
Polish until polish goes translucent/clear

[TallPaul]

I'll just add a few points to PJS, keep away from any panel edges or sharp swages, mask them off if it helps. Mask off any black plastic trim, windscreen, grilles etc as they can get stained/burnt by the compound. If you have to polish off a panel edge, make sure the mop is spinning off the edge, not onto it. Dont hold the mop in one place, keep feeling the panel to check on temperatures, the friction from the mop will generate a fair bit of heat. Always start the mop on the job, dont start it spinning & then put it onto the panel.
Practice makes perfect, but even the pro's will occasionally burn through the paint, so be careful!