Porter Cable Use and Tips

[OCDetails.com]

The Porter Cable 7424 (PC) is an incredibly versatile tool that anybody can use. With as soft and easy as our paint is to scratch and swirl, I think this tool should have come with the car. If you haven’t polished your car since you bought it then you likely have noticed the swirls and marring on the paint. A lot of that comes from what you use to wash and dry it with, but regardless of how the marks got there, they can be easily wiped out with the right tools.

There are a lot of differences between buffers, polishers, random orbit polishers, rotary, power buffers, and whatever else people name their polishing tools. Let’s just make it easy….

This is a Buffer:



Buffers are what I call ‘el cheapo’ products. You can get them from anywhere between $20 bucks and $80 bucks. Even the highest priced buffer is nothing compared to a PC. They are all the same and it just comes down to what they are made of. Some have metal gears and some have plastic gears. Obviously the plastic geared ones are the cheaper ones and will just break sooner. They will all cause you the same grief. For an amateur a buffer is only good for one thing and that is waxing. Try to use this to remove swirls and you may end up with the famous buffer burn that I’ve mentioned before. These things generally generate too much heat when turned up fast enough to break down polishes and they cause these funky 3D looking holograms in the paint. That is called ‘buffer burn’.

This is a Rotary:



All I can say about a rotary is that I don’t use them. They are a more effective version of a buffer that is capable of literally polishing the paint right off your car. While a buffer will just screw up the paint, a rotary can remove it. Sometimes you need power like that, but again… for an amateur these machines just create problems. Get experience with a PC before you step up to a rotary. Rotaries are professional tools that require some skill to use. I don’t use one because I simply haven’t ever come across a problem that I needed one for. The PC has always done the job for me.

This is a PC:



The PC is the safest of all the polishing tools. It is a random orbit polisher. What that means is that the pad spins while it rotates. Kind of like how the moon rotates while it orbits the earth. The pad on the PC does exactly that. On one hand the pad is spinning fast, but it is also on a second sort of off center spin that causes it to orbit. The effect is a kind of ‘jiggle’ of the pad that helps avoid burning the paint. The pad simply doesn’t spin in one place long enough to cause any damage. That isn’t saying that if you were using a cutting pad and a very aggressive product that you wouldn’t burn paint off the edges or even the middle of a body panel, but used with a little common sense and practice you will find that this tool is the safest and easiest to use out of all of them. If you gave this machine to a 5 year old with the right pad and a little wax then they could quite safely wax your car with it. I couldn’t say that unless I had tried it too.

You can use the PC either with two hands or one hand. In some cases it is necessary to use both hands, but when reaching across the roof or hood it is sometimes difficult to have both hands. The nice thing about this tool is that it isn’t going to get away from you if you are only using one hand. Just keep a grip on it and you should be fine. Here are some examples of what I’m talking about. You can tell by the pad on the PC that this is through 3 different stages of polishing. The red pad is my cutting pad for swirl removal. The green pad is what I use for applying the paint cleaner (in this case the Wolfgang Pre Wax Polish Enhancer) and the black pad is what I use for applying the final wax or sealant (Wolfgang).







The more you use this tool the more certain muscles will get a workout. Don’t be surprised the day after your first full polish job when you are sore in different places or if you have a blister on your thumb. That is just the way it is until you get used to it. Obviously I’m not the biggest guy in the world, but polishing a car is a good workout and you will definitely notice it in your arms and shoulders after awhile.

Very Important! Here are a couple tips on PC usage that you may not have considered. Never lift the PC off the paint while it is spinning. Always keep contact between the paint and the pad while the PC is on or else you will just end up flipping product all over the car, the walls, and yourself. Trust me on that. Turn the machine on and off while the pad is on the paint. Also, don’t wear anything that will scratch the paint. Necklaces, belt buckles, rings, watches, etc.. All of that can cause damage if you accidently rub against the car. I wear an apron for a couple reasons. Number one it is a great place to carry product around with me while I’m polishing the car. Number two is that my belt gets another layer of material between it and the car. When you are reaching across the hood or over the roof you don’t want to hear a grinding of your belt buckle and the paint. Especially on our paint. That is another reason to be careful with your watch. Large metal watch bands would love to scratch your paint. Take off your watch and rings while detailing if you feel they will be in the way. One more tip is regarding the cord. The best way to keep the cord from dragging along the paint is to throw it over your shoulder. That way you never have to worry about it. It is also much easier to move around the car when you aren’t trying to flip the cord out from under the tires or get it off the side mirror.

Continued...

[OCDetails.com]

Cleaning your pads on the fly is pretty easy. Pads are much easier to clean when they are freshly used than after they have dried. What I do with mine is simply spray them off, shake the water out, and then put them on the PC for a short spin on setting 6. That usually gets enough water out that you can get back to work. If you spray the pad with high pressure and only aim at the front, then usually the back doesn’t get wet. If the Velcro gets wet on the back then you will have a hard time getting it to stick back on the PC. I would also suggest letting the pad cool down a bit before washing it off. Right after use there is a lot of heat that has been transferred from the pad up to the backing plate. The glue on the Velcro backing might be a little soft and it is a good idea to let it cool down before you risk getting it wet.





Something else that you might want to consider when polishing your car is to tape off the plastic trim. Polishes stain plastic trim if you don’t clean it up right away. The only trim on the Legacy that I see problems with is the area around the sunroof. Everything else seems to clean up pretty easily. To mask off the trim you want to protect, just use normal blue painters tape. It doesn’t leave sticky stuff behind and it will protect anything you don’t want messed up. You can also use it to cover any seams you don’t want product getting in. Just keep in mind that anywhere you tape off isn’t going to get polished or waxed. If you need to mask off seams around the door handles or body panels, then you might want to consider using really thin strips so you don’t end up with swirls left underneath where the tape was.



One other tip that isn’t PC related is in buffing off the product. I use a towel under each hand so that I’m not leaving streaks or smudges on the car. I also use latex gloves while detailing since all those chemicals can dry out your hands. After you have spend a few hours polishing up your lady’s car the last thing you want is for her to be in the middle of rewarding you and then make a comment about how dry your hands are.



If you run into stubborn areas where the product just doesn’t want to buff off then you might want to spray a little quick detailer or even just water on it. I keep a bottle of Four Star Gloss Enhancer handy for those situations. If nothing is available then you just need to use a little pressure on the towel while buffing. This is also an effective method:



Please add any other tips that you can think of if you have used one before. The PC is a great tool and probably one of the best investments for the value of your car that you can make. Your paint is the most expensive part of your car and proper care is essential to retaining vehicle value.

This page has some good examples of PC work. You'll be amazed at how much better your car will look after using one.

[Mister2.2]

Good write up, I love my Rotary though.

[V6'er]

Excellent, please give recommendations for:

1. Place to purchase

2. Typical street price

3. What "kit" to buy for pads and whatnot

4. Do you recommend a 7424 over a 7336?

Thanks!
Mitch

[GR8MR2]

Very nice write up.

I've owned my PC for over 11 years now. I got it from Meguiar's way back when it came as part of a Concours kit of products. My unit is a 7336. The 7336 and 7224 are IDENTICAL polishers except for a balance weight a pad.

When buying a PC you need to get a good quality flexible backing plate and a few pads. Don't buy a cheap backing plate as it might come apart and cause damage to your paint. I like the Meguiar's polishing and finish pads as well as the Lake Country pads. You'll need a couple of each polishing and finishing to start with.

Meguiars polishing pads Softbuf 8006 and finish pads Softbuf 9006.
Lake Country orange polishing and white or grey finishing pads.


A couple tips to add.

• Clay your paint before polishing the first time. You don't wan the pads to pick up any bonded contaminants and marring the paint.

• Keep the power cord off of the paint. I usually keep it over my shoulders and around my back so it can't drag on the paint.

• Take your time and move the PC slowly over a small 2'x2' area until the polish has broken down. Move no faster than an inch a second. Apply 10-20 pounds of pressure to the PC as you polish. More pressure for harder paint, less for softer paint. You might find that you need to do a second or even a third pass over the same 2x2 area to remove all or most of the defects.

• Don't run the PC at speed 6 unless you want to risk ripping up your pads. The pad might stay together when you start using it but as it gets saturated with oils and product it gets heavier and more prone to separating from the velcro as it heats up.

Use the PC with a polishing pad initially at speed 2-3 to help spread the polish evenly to a 2' x 2' foot area then up the speed to 4-5 to work the polish till breakdown. If you apply glazes and wax or sealant with the PC use a finishing pad at speed 2-3. All you are after here is a thin even coat.

The PC is a really safe tool. About the only way you can damage your paint with a PC is by dropping it on your car.

I find a couple of Halogen shop lights on tripods to be really helpful when polishing out defects. Look for quality units that are stable and can extend to 70-80 inches in height. They are more expensive than the $20 units but will reward you with their added height and stability.

The PC is hands down the best detailing tool I've ever purchased. It is built like a tank and outside of a frayed power cord I've never had a bit of trouble with mine and I've used it a lot over the 11 years.

There is a good video of the process here.

YouTube - Car polishing featuring Porter Cable 7424

[Mister2.2]

Good info. You can also buy a cover for your cord.

[jdm ding-dong]

hey guys i use a makita rotaray buffer with NO problems ever in the last 9 years!

the key is being STEADY and following a brisk yet slow(if that makes sense) flow with yur buffer

NEVER keep it over 15 degrees of inclination on yur pad- this will create yur 3d holograms u were talking about

keep yur pad flat and use a proper pad for finishing and yu will never encounter holograms

cheers!

[GR8MR2]

A new tip for PC owners:

Recently Meguiar's introduced some new products using "micro-abrasive" technology. These products include #105, Ultra-Cut Compound and #205, Ultra-Finishing Polish in the professional line and Ultimate Compound, SwirlX and ScratchX2. These products make your PC much more effective at removing RIDs and scratches. They also can be used by rotary or by hand. The key to their effectiveness seems to be to properly prime the pad with the compounds or polishes. To do this apply product to the pad and work it in with your hands until it is evenly embedded in all the pores of the foam. Don't leave lots of excess on the pad. These new abrasives work FAST. What used to take two or three passes now are done in one. Begin with heavier pressure and finish off with light pressure. I'd have to say that since I started using these new abrasives I no longer even pull out my Makita 9227. To my surprise the PC now handles difficult paint correction as well as the rotary.

[Xyxyll]

Any thoughts on the new Porter Cable Orbital called the Ultimate Detailing Machine?

Car Polisher, Auto Buffer - The Ultimate Detailing Machine by Porter Cable
Porter Cable 7424 Ultimate Detailing Machine



Edit: It appears the Ultimate Detailing Machine is simply a 7424 with a flexible backing plate and white foam pad. Better to buy these items separately or combined?

[Reaper450128]

The Ultimate Detailing Machine looks pretty much like the setup I bought from your second link (properautocare.com) years ago when I got my 7424. I have older style pads from there, but I'd recommend that package. That place has been my detailing supply shop for years now, through at least three of the cars I've owned.

[Xyxyll]

Yeah, I priced out my first detailing package from them 3 or 4 years ago. I then actually bought alternative products from Autopia because I had a 20% discount.