Want polish but got question

[Nctom]

I'm looking at clar bar my car then polishing it then waxing it but question is I can't use one them flex or the cyclo. So I was wanting see can you polish a car with a drill and it still be safe?? Becuase I was thinking I can use a 6" plate on the drill for the paint correction and polishing..

[Dan@Adams]

I will have to say no, sorry.  Paint correcting and polishing an entire car with a drill would be very time consuming, and I've also found that when I use my 4" focus pads with a drill on some tough scratches, it can leave fine micro-marring that I then have go back over with the Flex or Cyclo to get the finish back to perfect.  I'm just curious, why do you say you can't use a Flex or Cyclo, cost or some other reason?

 

A dual action random orbital polisher is much more forgiving and easier to use than a drill too - with a drill you are just getting a rotary motion with no oscillations, just like a rotary buffer, so you have to keep it moving around to not generate heat in one spot and do damage to the panel.  I would imagine that a 6" plate on a drill would also be difficult to control.

 

If you don't want to immediately jump into something like the Flex or the Cyclo, Adam's just brought back the Porter Cable 7424XP at a more friendly price point than the other two machines

Edited April 11, 2015 by psu goat

[Nctom]

Oh well truth be told I can't really use my right arm and trying find best way I can do it without doing it by hand becuase it takes me so long with one hand doing it.so trying find way do it right but can use with one hand

[mc2hill]

You can use a Porter Cable Dual Action Random Orbital polisher with one hand (I often do at the end of a finishing polish section pass or when applying LPS), but you will not be able to apply as much pressure as you could with 2 hands.  

[rkj4243]

Agree with mc2hill above regarding the Porter Cable, or even the Cycle (due to lack of vibration) about using one hand. It will require less pressure, and may require more passes to correct the paint, but it can be done.

 

There are some videos here in the forum showing both machines in operation by children, etc. to demonstrate just how easy some of them are to operate.

 

My 8 year old nephew has operated the Cyclo but has limited reach capabilities due to his small size, but he was able to work on the panels he could easily reach without the machine "over powering" him.

 

Look around here, and decide what may work best for you.

 

 

[Ricky Bobby]

Short answer, no, don't polish your car with a 6" backing plate on a drill.

 

Buy the proper tool for the job, Adam's brought back the PC at a $150 price point and that will be all you'll need to gain entry into machine polishing.

 

Do it right or do it twice, and don't be a cheapskate by not using the proper tool to correct your paint.  It will cost more in time and effort later on to correct your mistakes.

[GXPaycheck]

Hate to say it, but it will be very difficult to do with one hand. Might be best to find someone to do it for you.

[Dan@Adams]

Oh well truth be told I can't really use my right arm and trying find best way I can do it without doing it by hand becuase it takes me so long with one hand doing it.so trying find way do it right but can use with one hand

 

Ah ok, that does make it tricky then.  I didn't mean to intrude, so I hope I didn't offend you. 

 

The Cyclo does have near zero vibration, but I could see it or any other polisher getting heavy to use one-handed after a while on vertical areas, and as others mentioned you wouldn't be able to put as much pressure down onto the surface.

 

Where are you located?  There might be some forum members nearby that would help you out.  If you were anywhere near me I would gladly help out free of charge.

 

Another option could be to apply Revive Hand Polish by hand with a blue hex applicator.  It won't correct all of the swirl marks and imperfections, but it does do a very nice job with a little elbow grease and you can apply it one-handed.

[Nctom]

Psu you good man I'm not offend any man lol but I live in olive branch ms which 5 mins from Memphis tn.. And yeah think I just buy the poter cable try use it..

 

Ricky not sure if you read everything but not once did I say anything about not wanting spend money just trying find best way do it with one hand lol..

[mc2hill]

I was polishing the hood of my neighbors car today and tried using the PC with just one hand.  It was a little awkward, but it worked ok.  Since the PC has the power switch on the top, it makes it easier than other polishers with the switch on the side or a trigger.  I was able to put enough pressure on it to make it slow down,  I could also lean on the polisher with my other arm (no guiding, just more pressure).  

 

Nctom, feel free to PM me if you have any questions.  I wish I was closer so we could get you sorted! 

[Nctom]

Thank.. Mc2hill for trying it out for me that's awesome.. Thanks for the offer yeah be cool if there people live close just so we can clean or help each other out.. But yeah going buy PC and use it see how it does becuase tell you doing it all buy hand SUCKS... Lol becuase I do my show truck by hand all time but now I got that and new car plus do my mom car for fun.just don't think I do all 3 by hand anymore lol

[Mnitetrain]

Must also be starting to get a little of the Missy humidity.

 

Revive polish is a good suggestion but working under a sprinkler doesn't help any.

 

Let's hear about that show truck. 

Edited April 18, 2015 by Mnitetrain