How many cars did it take you before you felt comfortable with your unit? In other words, when you felt your like the machine didn't control you but you controlled the machine.
I have done one full car and a hood using my makita and I am starting to get the hang of it. The first few hours were weird but you just have to get through it. The Makita feels like it wants to move on its own when you first you use it. I like the Makita way better then the PC now after just a few uses. I can't wait to use it again soon. Have fun with it! You'll appreciated it more once you get the hang of it
yea absolutely, i did about 2 cars with mine before i really started to get the hang of it. it does want to go off and do its own thing but you gotta just be firm with it. smack it around a little, tell it to straighten up and be serious. you shouldnt have any problems after that. haha seriously though you do have to be firm with it, not too firm but firm enough that it doesnt run away on you, when i did my first car with the one i was using it seemed to want to jump off to the side, i found that a nice firm grip will help wiht this, but kind of work its movement into how you want to polish. taping is also important, as it tends to jump around and you can end up getting polish or glaze all over the trim. also dont use too much polish because it will get sprayed EVERYWHER and that is a REALL BIG pain, keep it flat until the polish is worked in. then go for things like corners and fenders, and dont forget to keep moving, you have to keep the paint as cool as you can
Ok, Ive only used it once and only with a white pad. I figured the paint would factor into the equation. Any tips when doing verticle panels?
I got to use one about 35 yrs ago. Learn the hard way by burning paint. But it was OK by my friends to do it. The car was going to be repainted. I would say after the second panel and when i was done with my 1st car. Don't let the machine control you, you control the machine and also using common sense too.
Well when I first started using my Metabo it took me five vehicles to get comfortable with the rotary. This is just my experience but when I finished my first vehicle with my rotary, I felt good I "thought" I was good to go but to be honest that was a false feeling. I mean sure I got through it, with out damaging anything but the second vehicle I was feeling way to confident and just about burnt an edge, the reason I say almost is because the paint faded. I got too confident and forgot to tape up the area, now this brought me back down to earth from the high I was on from the first vehicle. Nice thing is that the second vehicle was one of my vehicles, so I wasn't too upset. But it did make me realize that I really shouldn't be so confident on just my first vehicle. Well like I said, it took me five vehicles to finally be able to say I was confident to tackle any vehicle with any curve on it. For those new guys with rotary, take your time, don't be in a rush with the rotary. It's always best to learn things right the first time, other wise if you rush through things that's when mistakes tend to occur. Oh the other funny thing, again this is just my experience, I first started using a Metabo. The Metabo, too me five vehicles to get comfortable with. I then purchased my Makita and once again that took me five more vehicles to get comfortable with my Makita. I forced my self to polish those vehicles with the Makita. See what I was doing was, I would start a vehicle with the Makita, then when I would get to a horizontal panel that's where I would noticed the true weight of the Makita and would revert back to my Metabo. I would find any excuse to go back to my Metabo :giggle: so I forced my self to detail only with my Makita because I wanted to be just as comfortable with the Makita as I was with the Metabo. Sorry for the long winded response but just thought I'd share my experience.
I don't own a rotary but have gotten used to the makita from my summer job. I worked at a nissan dealership as a lot boy/detailer. The first time I used one, I was under the control of the rotary. After doing a few more cars I started getting used to it. I thought that rotaries were fire breathing dragons, but after a little practice, they're not so bad. Just got to be careful of what you do. Just keep practicing! I'm in no way a pro detailer though, but just my advice. Watch this video, I found it really helpful on how to use a rotary: YouTube - Wetsanding part 3 of 5 Start from around 3:40 for the good stuff
I just tried my Makita for the first time today and I was surprised at how it just wanted to take off and run away from me! It definitely needs some getting used to.
I can't really say that I was nervous when I first started using my Metabo. My logic at the time was if I feel that way, the machine will take over. So I essentially treated it like my PC but with more respect when it came to edges, trim, speed of movement, etc. Like D&D mentioned, it really does depend on what paint you're working with. There is some really picky paint out there!
More than likely, you aren't holding the pad flat on the surface. All it takes is a tiny little bit of tilt and the pad will pull the rotary in that direction. With the exception of finicky paint and/or pads (as Dan mentioned), it should be very easy. Although not recommended, you can control a rotary with one hand once you get the hang of it. Always remember to relax and breath. I see a lot of guys that have a death grip on the machine. Remember to "guide" the rotary, not force it.
That's funny as I did the same thing with my Flex 3403 rotary and it's cousin the 3401. I've been using the 3401 for well over a year now, so when I went rotary, I decided to go with the 3403 as it has similar design and feel as the 3401, although it is much lighter than the 3401! At first, horizontal panels were pretty straightforward, just went after it the same as I would the 3401, but kept it moving more. Vertical panels aren't too bad until you get to some that have various angles and bends, like wheel arches and such. Also, I'm keeping it off plastics and bumpers for the time being and staying with the 3401 for those areas.
You'll know when you finally got the hang of it when you can use it on awkward panels, side view mirrors, and small pillars. This is going to sound stupid, but you almost need to "dance" with it and you cant force it too much.
