Got burned on an eBay counterfeit rotary polisher

shop for a lightweight buffer. any of the grinder/polishers will wreck your back.
i have a Flex which weighs 4lbs.
 
After scouring this site regarding the cut & buff process I don't quite have my head around it. Let me first say I don't have the courage to use a DA on single stage for sanding so it's going to be hand blocking and sanding.

That said what grits, types and brands of products step by step has anyone used with success? Please include what grits are used dry and which are wet?

After sanding I have have no issues using a rotary buffer with an aggressive pad. I have a fair amount of experience using an old heavy Milwaukee Electric polisher. Any recommendations on wool pads? Do I need two pads, one more aggressive than the other? Recommendations on foam pads and & compounds?
 
After scouring this site regarding the cut & buff process I don't quite have my head around it. Let me first say I don't have the courage to use a DA on single stage for sanding so it's going to be hand blocking and sanding.

That said what grits, types and brands of products step by step has anyone used with success? Please include what grits are used dry and which are wet?

After sanding I have have no issues using a rotary buffer with an aggressive pad. I have a fair amount of experience using an old heavy Milwaukee Electric polisher. Any recommendations on wool pads? Do I need two pads, one more aggressive than the other? Recommendations on foam pads and & compounds?
Oh, you've got the worm can wide open now ;)

I did the same scouring last year when I was wrapping up the Suburban project. Decided that 3M trizact system was the way to go and went and spent ~$200 on trizact pads only to see a post the next day that Jim C. had "moved on."
I used them and they did the job. I also used the 3M line of cutting/polishing compounds. Expensive, did the job, but very messy and hard to clean up.

I copied this post from @Jim C and will use it for the current project:

"i recently ditched the 3m 3000 trizact in my process for the blue bufflex. so much better. so i start with 1000 dry then do pink assilex which is 1500 then blue bufflex (2500) then 8000 trizact. so far this has been the most fool proof and quickest method for me."

Now I see he is experimenting with the sunmight finishing film. I'm just going with the previous.

Bottom line is there are a lot of products and approaches that will work. And just as many opinions. You will have to read and make your own decision.

The one thing that is consistent: DO NOT BURN THROUGH. That will be a major headache. Tape edges, go easy, do whatever you have to do to not burn through.

Oh, and none of this stuff is cheap. Expect to lay out some real money for the pads, discs, compounds, etc.
 
If we are going to get technical DA stands for Dual Action. RO stands for Random Orbital. A true DA sander will have a mechanism to lock the sander so that it becomes a rotary sander. A random orbital does not have that feature and only works as a RO sander.
Ro's are by far much more common these days. An example of a DA sander would be the Snap-On PS100 (NLA). National Detroit made several popular DA sanders, Dynabrade still makes one and there are several offshore clones of the ND sander. They have fallen by the wayside to the lighter RO sanders we have today though,
 
I believe National Detroit had a trademark on the term "Dual Action," therefore you won't see that exact term on other brands afaik. But typically random orbital and dual action mean the same thing, at least where I come from. ND's DAQ was the first random orbital sander afaik and they wanted to differentiate their product from the popular at the time "jitterbug" which was stictly orbital. So they took "orbital" out of the name, and a legend was born. I had a DAQ when I was a kid.
 
After scouring this site regarding the cut & buff process I don't quite have my head around it. Let me first say I don't have the courage to use a DA on single stage for sanding so it's going to be hand blocking and sanding.

That said what grits, types and brands of products step by step has anyone used with success? Please include what grits are used dry and which are wet?

After sanding I have have no issues using a rotary buffer with an aggressive pad. I have a fair amount of experience using an old heavy Milwaukee Electric polisher. Any recommendations on wool pads? Do I need two pads, one more aggressive than the other? Recommendations on foam pads and & compounds?

I can't speak to cut and buff on Single Stage because I have never done it. If it's anything like buffing clear coat, then get ready for a variety of methods and products.
 
I can't speak to cut and buff on Single Stage because I have never done it. If it's anything like buffing clear coat, then get ready for a variety of methods and products.
Far as I know single stage and clear coat are similar. Even if they are not so much I still would like to hear detailed step by step process that has worked well for some of you with clear coat.

All of the products available and how they are specifically used is a difficult thing to master if you are not a seasoned professional.
 
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I believe National Detroit had a trademark on the term "Dual Action," therefore you won't see that exact term on other brands afaik. But typically random orbital and dual action mean the same thing, at least where I come from. ND's DAQ was the first random orbital sander afaik and they wanted to differentiate their product from the popular at the time "jitterbug" which was stictly orbital. So they took "orbital" out of the name, and a legend was born. I had a DAQ when I was a kid.
I still use the ND DA (black rubber top), 2 DAQ (red plastic domed covers. I’m too lazy to change discs sometimes so each has it’s somewhat specific grit) and the ND geared mud hog I bought these all as a kid too lol. In fact I still have a brand new DAQ I bought at same time just in case but with a little care and oiling they won’t die. I also have a DA (Airvantage?) that I use just for my finish papers (Eagle). Been doing this since 1980 but a lot less now.
 
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