So is there a reason to go with the 7424? Cause I found a PC 7336 in the tool trailer at work and I was gonna try it out on my paint? Ive never done it before and I dont want to screw up my paint... My truck is black too

 

Glad you're moving into machine polishing! I don't want to throw a monkey wrench in your plans but if you are still looking for polish recommendations I would suggest sticking with Meguiars. Poorboys make some good products but Meguiars are every bit as user friendly, IMO, and they don't dust the way Poorboys SSR line does. An added bonus is that Meguiars polishes cost about the same as Poorboys and you get 32oz instead of 16. The only real advantage I can see to the SSR line is that they are sun friendly.

I would also suggest either 5.5" or 5" Lake County pads. Get a couple of Orange light cut pads for more severe swirls and a couple of white polishing pads for lighter defects and/or final polishing. I would avoid using yellow cutting pads via PC. Sometimes using a pad that harsh with a PC can leave behind swirls that is very hard to remove. It doesn't happen on all paints but it happens often enough that I would instead use a more aggressive polish than a more aggressive pad.

Here is what I would suggest:

Meguiars #83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish via Orange pad for heavier swirls

Megs #80 Speed Glaze via white pad for lighter defects or to follow up after #83/orange

If you need something stronger than the #83/Orange combo pick up some Meguiars #95. It's a stout compound that's pretty user friendly and leaves a decent finish. Use it via orange pad and follow it with #80.

FWIW, I've used Menzerna, Optimum, Mothers, Meguiars, 4 Star, Zaino, Poorboys etc. etc. and liked pretty much all of them. I've also found that the end results are often more dependent on the skill and amount of work the user puts in than the products themselves. HTHs!

 

The 7336 is the same as the 7424 with different counterweights. Both work fine for polishing paint.

 

I might just use the Meguiars stuff that I have so it doesn't go to waste, and to help familiarize me with the PC. Then I'll try some PoorBoy's for my next project.

Question time...

Does the polish go directly on the pad or what? I've watched guys detail at the dealership here and they squirt the stuff (compound I guess?) directly on the paint. How much do I use at a time?

Once again, thanks!

 

cool thanks,

In all the videos Ive watched online showing how to polish they put the compound on the pad, then wipe it around on the paint with the polisher off and then start polishing.

 

I guess my point was that after using both I don't really consider Poorboys polishes to be an upgrade over Meguiars Mirror Glaze line.

Anywho, it depends on the polish/compound but the vast majority of them you will put the product on the pad. Typically you want to start out with a quarter sized amount of product, but that varies depending on the product. After the first time you can cut the amount of product used by quite a bit since the pad will be primed with product. After putting it on the pad, spread the polish around with the PC off or set on a lower speed (3 or so). Then start polishing at speed 5-6.

 

Ah ha, gotcha My Porter Cable 7424 arrived yesterday and the flexible backing plate and pads showed up today...I'm actually looking forward to detailing mom's car now

Another question...how big of an area to I do at once? I did 2' squares when I was working by hand...

 

I totally agree about the quality of Meg's MG line - it's awesome. IMO it's not quite as intuitive as Poorboy's, which is the main reason I recommend PB for first-timers...that and the sun-friendliness. The dusting is definitely an inconvenience, but you have no doubt as to when the product is broken down.

Anyway, great advice from Frito Bandito!

2' squares are fine. I'd start on a fender or door panel - some vertical surface where you can really see what you're doing. You can work across or up/down, but go for ~ 50% overlap.

 

Awwww, shucks. The SSR line is easy to use and provides good results but Megs comes in larger sizes for the same money and you just work it until it clears out basically. I guess it's a toss-up.

I agree with VroomVroom, 2' square is perfect.