Getting Started with Polishing and Buffing Pads
When your vehicle is showing scratches, swirls, and imperfections, it’s time to get polishing. With the exception of the Hand Pads, which are made for polishing tight spaces by hand, these Hex-Logic polishing and buffing pads attach to a rotary polisher or dual-action polisher. Understand the differences between the colored polishing pads in our blog post.
When you’re ready to start and the vehicle is clean, the first step is to make sure the pad is centered on the polisher so that it doesn’t rotate off-balance. Apply 5 dime-sized drops of polishing product to the pad. Then spray pad conditioner onto the pad (two sprays will do). This reduces friction between the pad and the surface.
Next, press the pad onto the vehicle surface in several spots, all over the first section you’re going to polish. This gets a bit of polishing creme all over the surface that you’ll be going over with the polisher shortly.
Tip: Keep the pad perfectly flat as you polish. This prevents any digging that would have a marring effect on the paintwork.
Repeat over the full surface of the vehicle and repeat with light-duty polish and polishing pads as needed. Follow up with glaze, seal, or wax to get a highly protected, high-shine finish.
How much pressure to apply to the polisher
As you’re polishing, let your hand rest freely on the top of the polisher (or on the handle for that purpose, if there is one), which is about 5 lbs of pressure. If it’s too light, you’ll just be skimming over the surface and not actually cutting or polishing.
How to clean your polishing and buffing pads
Your buffing and polishing pads will be covered in wax, compound, or polishing product after the job is done. To avoid damage to the pad and caked-on residue, use our Foam & Wool Polishing Pad Cleaner. It’s a citrus-based cleaner that breaks down polishing creme and wax and removes any leftover product (plus whatever dirt it picked up).
You’ll just spray the cleaner onto your polishing pads, scrub them with a stiff brush, and rinse with warm water. Leave out to dry and you’ll be ready for the next time you need them.
Learn More: Exterior How-To's
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