Splatter from DA Buffer

[Old Guy]

Every year or two, I do a little touch up on the paint with my dual action buffer and a 5.5" green or black pad with some Mequiar's M205. Polishing the horizontal surfaces is a snap; however, polishing the doors is a pain. Because of the swedge lines in the doors, every time I end up running the buffer to the swedge line or slightly over it, I end up with splatter over everything. The M205 being a lighter compound seems to be thinner / runny and really prone to spatter. I now do the doors and lower part of the car first to avoid cleaning up the splatter on the top parts after they have already been polished. Does anybody have any tricks to avoid or minimize splatter while doing the doors?

 

[clr1024]

Use less polish, don't pick the buffer up off the car while it's running as it will start slinging polish everywhere as you unload the polisher. I shut mine off prior to doing so.

 

[B2FiNiTY]

Sounds like you are using too much. As long as you properly spread it evenly and don't use too much, you shouldn't experience any splatter anywhere.

 

[Old Guy]

I do turn the buffer off and then lift. I don't have a problem with splatter on horizontal surfaces or relatively flat vertical surfaces . Its doing the vertical portion of the doors along the swedge lines in the door skin. As soon as I go over the swedge line with the pad I get spatter. If I stuck to polishing the flat surfaces of the door I could probably get by without any splatter. Because I run the pad up along or over the edge of the swedge line, the pad is momentarily lifting off the surface along its edge resulting in splatter. I am using a soft pad so that I am not getting any significant cut along the swedge line. Short of hand polishing, I don't see how else you can polish the angled portions of the swedge line.

 

[Vanishing Point]

Try less polish and make sure you aren't trying to cover to large an area at once. A door is usually divided into at least three sections depending on it's size. After you apply your polish to the pad, take your gloved finger and spread the polish, as if you were buttering toast evenly, over the pad. Some polishes tend to dry out over the course of use so I spray the pad lightly (before using) with QD or water to increase it's effectiveness. Using the QD on pads, especially with waxes, really makes applying easier and makes a smoother application using less wax.
Make sure you aren't bearing done on the polisher, you want a light touch for applications so the pad follows contours more easily and let the machine do the work.

 

[The King]

I think some splatter is probably inevitable. Do your best following some of the advice on here, and clean up the splatter that does happen properly, and you should be fine. Hand polishing in a few areas might be a decent option also. Check out ammonyc.com for some excellent videos on detailing. Larry knows his stuff!

 

[Alec_fields]

Also when your on a horizontal surface your pressure is even throughout the pad. When your on a vertical surface especially something skinny you have more pressure on one area of the pad. This will squeeze out whatever polish/compound you have in there and fling it all over. Try using a little less pressure when only a small portion of the pad is touching the surface you are polishing.

-Alec

 

[JoseJA1979]

3 small dots of polish is all you should need to use on the pad. Then spread the product out onto the section of panel you're working on (with the polisher turned off). There should be no splatter going on if you use the correct amount of product no matter what part of the car you're on.

 

[Old Guy]

Too much compound may be the issue. When working on vertical surfaces, I applied compound to the pad and smeared it over the work area before starting the buffer. However, being paranoid about running a dry pad I am definitely using more than 3 small dots of compound. The softer pads do seem to pick up and absorb more of the compound and when the edge of the pad gets deformed along the swedge lines, perhaps the excess is getting squeezed out of the pad and being flung off. Not a problem on the rest of the surfaces, just those nasty swedge lines.

 

[Alec_fields]

Also any time you are horizontal gravity is pulling the compound down into the surface being buffed and centrifugal force is going to the edge of the pad. When vertical gravity AND the centrifugal force are pulling the compound to the edge of the bad.

I just love buffing and polishing my car and then needing to clean it all over to get rid of any compound splatters.

-Alec

 

[JD Cross]

I have a DA buffer as well and got tired of the splatter so I tried the following.
I apply compound in a X shape across the pad with a few dabs around the outside edge of the pad.
Then I dab the pad in four or five places on the door panel leaving some of the loose compound behind.
Then I start the buffer, which doesn't have much loose compound on it now, and work it over the door panel picking up the dabs of polish as I go.
it works well and no splatter.