gel coat restoration

[illiniboarder88]

I wetsanded my transom on Saturday, but I still need to hit it with the buffer. The wetsanding seemed to do wonders. Now I'm hoping the buffing makes it glossy.

[kko]

no worries she will shine right up.

[wake454]

So I got the porter cable buffer out there today to compound the back of the boat and I noticed the pad doesn't spin when I touch it to the boat. It's a "dual action" buffer so it still vibrates in a small circle, but the pad stops spinning once a small amount of pressure is applied to the boat. Is the buffer bad or am I doing something wrong?

The funny thing is, I didn't notice the pad not spinning until about half way through the job. Even with the pad not spinning, it turned out pretty good. I want to get the buffer working (if it's broke) and go over it one more time.

[TeamAllen]

It oscillates and does not spin like a rotary buffer. Rotary buffers can be nasty and actually harm the surface if you are not experienced in it's use. The PC should be working fine. You want to apply enough pressure to keep it barely rotating. I made a few black marks on my backing plate so I could tell.

[wake454]

Ohhh gotcha. Thanks.

[adamsjstt]

I will be starting my gel coat restoration this weekend and I'm curious how important it is to use a buffer like the porter cable? I have a 6" oscillaing buffer that I use on my cars will this work or do I need something like the porter cable

[kko]

Got a pic or make and model of what your going to use. Is it one of the ones with handles on each side.like this-http://www.lanescarproducts.com/wen-10-random-orbital-waxer-polisher.html.Then I would say no. You will need something different. Its hard to say without knowing what you have.

[kko]

I dont know why that link isnt working!

[ajholt7]

I dont know why that link isnt working!

you have a dash right before the http

[kko]

http://www.orbitalpolisher.com/
try this one

[ajholt7]

http://www.lanescarproducts.com/wen-...-polisher.html

[TeamAllen]

Yeah, show us what you have to work with. If it is a rotary buffer, it will do the job, but it is best left to experienced operators. You can do a lot of damage with a rotary buffer, if you don't know how to use one. The Porter Cable (PC) is very novice friendly.

[adamsjstt]

Here is what i use on my cars.

[kko]

I would say no that will not work for compounding.

[TeamAllen]

Well, on the box it states 2400 opm. The specs on the PC are:
Amps: 4 Amps
Orbits/Min: 2,500-6,000 opm

As you can see, the PC can't even go that low. The amps are important. It also has variable speed for different jobs. You can interchange pads as needed.

I would say your Waxmaster is fine for applying and removing wax and that's all. The end result is you can still use it. It won't hurt anything. The only thing you might be waisting, is your time and product that you use. If it gives you the results you want, then you're good to go.