GeoffT
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posted on 21/12/09 at 11:53 AM |
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Power polishers...?
My nephew is asking me for Xmas gift suggestions (for me) and another thread on here has given me the idea of a power polisher to maybe take the
drudgery out of keeping the ali looking good.
What's the opinion on these - do they do the job? I was kinda worried that with ali the pads would get clagged up pretty quickly - is this the
case?
Also any suggestions to a relatively inexpensive model would be welcome......
Cheers! Geoff.
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steve m
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posted on 21/12/09 at 12:24 PM |
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watching thread with interest !!
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mangogrooveworkshop
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posted on 21/12/09 at 12:25 PM |
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Silverline
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Mr Whippy
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posted on 21/12/09 at 12:30 PM |
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I bought one like this from Halfords and tbh it was like trying to hold on to a wildly out of balance 2 stroke engine with my bare hands. A few
minutes of it and my hands were in agony.
Fame is when your old car is plastered all over the internet
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Agriv8
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posted on 21/12/09 at 12:36 PM |
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I bought a silverline variable polisher ( basically a 4,500 Max rpm 'girty grinder' ) from the bay and some mop heads and never looked
back.
regards
Agriv8
Taller than your average Guy !
Management is like a tree of monkeys. - Those at the top look down and see a tree full of smiling faces. BUT Those at the bottom look up and see a
tree full of a*seholes .............
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GeoffT
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posted on 21/12/09 at 03:44 PM |
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Thanks for the feedback guys, Father Christmas has been informed and is bringing me a Silverline jobbie.....
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steve m
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posted on 21/12/09 at 04:16 PM |
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Is the silverline a dual action, or permantly spinning like a grinder ?
i have a small bosche grinder, could that not be addapted to polish ?
Steve
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Findlay234
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posted on 21/12/09 at 04:41 PM |
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you can buy pads for use with an electric drill. a cordless drill would probably be best but i think you have to keep the think moving across the
surface of the paint to get the best finish. Think its to do with the rotation around a central axis while the orbital polishers allow for a slower
movement
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MikeRJ
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posted on 21/12/09 at 05:13 PM |
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quote: Originally posted by steve m
Is the silverline a dual action, or permantly spinning like a grinder ?
i have a small bosche grinder, could that not be addapted to polish ?
Steve
No, it spins far too quickly (probably 10,000-12,000 RPM, rotary polishers use 1000-2000RPM) and won't have sufficient torque to turn a
polishing head. The Silverline polishers aren't that expensive and are pretty well made for the money.
Avoid the cheap plastic polishers like Mr Whippy has shown, they are pretty useless IME.
quote: Originally posted by Findlay234
Think its to do with the rotation around a central axis while the orbital polishers allow for a slower movement
Random orbit polishers are less likely to do damage in the hands of a doofus, but they are very slow to cut paint and a rotary is perfectly fine to
use if you apply a modicum of common sense and care.
[Edited on 21/12/09 by MikeRJ]
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mad-butcher
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posted on 21/12/09 at 06:42 PM |
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For alli don't think it matters all that much, grinder with lambs wool bonnet and solvol autosol. paint is a completely different kettle of
fish. silverline ones are great problem is it spins in the one place and is very easy to burn the paint, I prefer my random orbit for cutting laquer.
do a search there is a link to I think detailing world and an articleon the pros & cons of both types and these guys should know what there
talking about
Any Article here by DaveKG is worth reading
tony
[Edited on 21/12/09 by mad-butcher]
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rusty nuts
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posted on 21/12/09 at 08:57 PM |
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Another vote for the Silverline polisher.
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MikeRJ
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posted on 22/12/09 at 10:00 AM |
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quote: Originally posted by mad-butcher
silverline ones are great problem is it spins in the one place and is very easy to burn the paint,
This simply isn't true unless you deliberately stop in one place whilst applying lots of pressure. Used properly the chances of damaging paint
are minimal. You won't find many (if any) of the professional guys using dual action polishers.
[Edited on 22/12/09 by MikeRJ]
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GeoffT
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posted on 26/12/09 at 10:25 AM |
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That nice Mr Claus was good to his word and delivered me a Silverline polisher - a substantial piece of kit it is too, looks like it should be well up
to the job.
Just wondered exactly how you guys use yours - sounds a bit of a numpty sort of question I know, but I'm presuming you apply the polish by hand
cloth and use the polisher to buff it to a shine - or do you use the 'tool' to apply the polish too?
Also, any preferences for the mops i.e. sponge or wool or other? Seems quite a few types available on the bay, any tips would be welcome...
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rusty nuts
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posted on 26/12/09 at 01:05 PM |
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I tend to put the polish on the mop and then apply mop to body work but others may do it differently?
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David Jenkins
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posted on 26/12/09 at 06:37 PM |
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I was surprised by the lack of info in the instruction sheet that came with my sander/polisher - plenty of stuff about how to fit the backing disc and
wool bonnet, how to set the speed, loads of safety stuff etc. but nothing about how to actually USE the thing.
Anyone know where I can find general hints and tips on t'internet?
UPDATE - found this one!
[Edited on 26/12/09 by David Jenkins]
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Dave Ashurst
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posted on 26/12/09 at 07:28 PM |
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quote: Originally posted by David Jenkins
I was surprised by the lack of info in the instruction sheet that came with my sander/polisher - plenty of stuff about how to fit the backing disc and
wool bonnet, how to set the speed, loads of safety stuff etc. but nothing about how to actually USE the thing.
Anyone know where I can find general hints and tips on t'internet?
UPDATE - found this one!
[Edited on 26/12/09 by David Jenkins]
........and here
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rusty nuts
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posted on 26/12/09 at 08:04 PM |
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How many men ever read the instructions ?
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MikeRJ
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posted on 26/12/09 at 11:39 PM |
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How to use a rotary polisher in agonising detail. From a forum full of OCD
sufferers
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GeoffT
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posted on 27/12/09 at 04:21 PM |
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Cheers guys, some useful links there. Mostly concerned with treating paint finishes though which obviously needs a bit more care than simple alu
polishing.
Think I'll have a play with it and see which method works best - if I come up with any great revelations I'll let you know.......
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MikeRJ
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posted on 27/12/09 at 05:16 PM |
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I've polished a few cars with my Silverline polisher and my brother used it on his wife's car and neither of us had problems with damaging
paint. If anything I found the G3 cutting compound I used wasn't aggressive enough on the (fairly ropey) paintwork of my Fiat Coupe, and it
took ages to take some of the swirls out.
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