rmcswain Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 Seems like a lot of us are waxing or soon will be waxing our trucks. This is a lot of work (that most enjoy?) and Buffers can cut the time in half. You guys in the know, what buffers do you reccomend, and where can you purchase them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creaker Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 Though it takes longer and gives you a good workout, you'll probably get better results doing things by hand. If you're dead set on using an orbiter I'd recommend Porter-Cable 7424, but it's a bit on the expensive side. Whatever you get make sure it's a random or offset type (sometimes called dual action). If it's not you will find it much more difficult to stop swirling which is one of the downsides to using orbiters. You can find it at Lowes and probably some other local hardware stores but online it can be found online much cheaper (around $119). Coastal Tool http://www.coastaltool.com/a/port/pr7424.htm Toolmart http://www.toolmarts.com/pc_7424.html I'm sure there are plenty of other places out there that carry it as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 rm, yeah it is a lot of work but keep in mind, if you don't use soap to wash your truck, you only have to put multiple coats on the first time. As to doing it by hand, creaker is right. With Zaino they recommend, for maximum optical properties and reflection (their words), that you put the wax on in straight lines, not in a circular motion. As they should know their product best I took them at their word and did as they suggested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinisterSS Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 On the affordable side (i.e. disposable when it dies) I bought this Craftsman 10" buffer at Sears last year. BTW, it is on sale with $10 off right now which makes it $29.99 until June 14. No complaints from me as it beats doing it by hand! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcswain Posted June 13, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 Thanks guys for the info I have never used a buffer, only hand. If it saves half the time, I was thinking about a buffer. Never using a buffer, I am concerned about swirls, burnt paint, etc The SS isn't what I really want to learn the fine art of buffing on as a guinea pig. I have been in some messes before w/o a buffer Are the buffers pretty much mistake free or do you need some experience before tackling the likes of the SS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinisterSS Posted June 14, 2003 Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 The do-it-yourself buffer such as the Craftsman mentioned previously pose no real threats to your paint job unless you have a dirty bonnet. This is true of any application device whether done by hand or with a power tool. The Craftsman is more of a power-applicator/remover than a buffer which saves some elbow grease. "Professional" buffers ($100+, much higher rpm, usually non-orbital) can eat through the paint on the corner of a hood or fender very quickly and deserve some respect when operating them. If you actually needed to "buff" the paint out on say an older car with faded paint, a pro-model would be the way to go. If it is purely for the already shiny SS, the Craftsman or similar would be a good place to start your buffing career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcswain Posted June 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 Thanks, Sinster for the advice. Makes sense to me, the Craftsman or similar device seems like what I need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Posted June 14, 2003 Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 IMO ( Which usually doesn't mean much) waxing is best done by hand. I have used the porter cable 7424 to apply swirl remover and had a lot of success and then applied the zaino by hand.It's alot of work but look's good in the end. Right Lee! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted June 14, 2003 Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 That's my man. Right on, Dale. By hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcswain Posted June 15, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2003 That's my man. Right on, Dale. By hand. I guess you guys have conviced me ..................by hand I getting a little age on me...............by hand............guess I better stock up on the FLEXALL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted June 15, 2003 Report Share Posted June 15, 2003 Just an after thought here. I swear to God I could care less how anyone applies wax to their trucks. I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do. If you guys want to use a buffer that's cool but here's something to think about. I too have spent most of my life not reading instructions. Hell, I was raised on Mars. We are taught NEVER to ask for directions or read instructions. Right? Damn right! And proud of it, too! [pounds fists on table] Then about five years ago I had this epiphany after something I did didn't come out as well as I had thought it would. Then I read the directions and it hit me. Mfg's spend hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars (depending on the size of the company) researching, manufacturing and distributing their products. When they take the time to put the directions on the container they only have one goal in mind. To get the customer to have the best possible experience with their product. Why? Easy. So you'll come back and buy more and you'll tell your friends. They win both ways. Zaino strongly "suggests" that you ignore old ways of applying wax in a circular motion. Their research shows that their product will look it's best if you apply their wax in a front to back motion on the hood and up and down motion on the sides of the vehicle. I doubt very seriously if they are telling us this for grins. I'm sure they know what they are talking about when using their wax So, if you want to use a buffer, that's cool but don't complain if the end result is not as good as you heard it was. Just a thought. Rock on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creaker Posted June 15, 2003 Report Share Posted June 15, 2003 Today I used Zaino for the first time ever. The truck had no previous wax/polish at all. To make a long story short, after using it myself I have no qualms about recommending Zaino to anyone. The stuff works! Having used Meguiars, Zymol, Mothers, various Carnauba waxes, Pinnacle, and more that I cannot remember - Zaino is by far the best. There may be better for pure show cars, but it'd be hard to beat for use on daily drivers. I ordered Z7 (car wash), ZFX accelerator, Z2 (polish), and Z6 (gloss enhancer) from the Zaino Bros online website. The stuff arrived promptly and I waited until this weekend to use the it. I considered using the PC but following advice on the instruction sheet they sent with the order (which is also available on their website) I decided against it. The main reason not to use it is because it wastes too much polish. Considering how little Z2 I needed to do the job, I can understand now. I'm pretty sure you could use the polisher with Zaino and get excellent results, but you'd be using a lot more of it. It's just not worth it. The first coat of polish went on with just a bit of difficulty. I suppose this is because the paint was squeaky clean (no previous polishes/waxes and just washed with Z7). Even so there wasn't much effort putting it on. I used one mixing bottle supplied with the ZFX filled half-way. That was exactly the amount I needed (ended up opening the bottle and "dumping" what little remained to finish the job). I can attest to the fact that the ZFX makes the polish cure very quickly. I let the first coat stand for 30 minutes and then removed it using lots of smaller 16" x 16" extra plush terry cloths. Taking it off was extremely easy! BTW, I hate using large towels (which Zaino recommends) because you need to keep turning/folding them else you put old polish right back on the paint. After removing the first coat I used the Z6 enhancer and boy, talk about some shine! I definitely recommend using the Z6 - that stuff works as advertised. It was almost a shame to start the second coat with such sparkly clean & shiny paint. Zaino makes the paint feel very slick and slippery (I can personally attest to this! ). This helped dramatically when putting the second coat it. It went on with almost no effort and the results were even better than before. I used less polish and it took much less time on the second coat. After letting it sit for 30 minutes I removed it using more small terry cloths (I have more than I care to count). And again I followed it up by using Z6. I went back over the truck with a CCFL light to see if there were any swirls, which stand out like a sore thumb on black paint and saw none. I'm impressed. If it works that well for black paint then it will work on any color. I cannot recommend this stuff enough. In the future I may try using the PC to apply Zaino, just to see what happens. I'm pretty sure I'll wind up using more than when doing it by hand, but we'll see! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcswain Posted June 15, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2003 I believe it is safe to say that creaker is one more satisfied Zaino customer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenKey Posted June 15, 2003 Report Share Posted June 15, 2003 I believe it is safe to say that creaker is one more satisfied Zaino customer I don't know.......I may need a little more No..seriously, thanks for your experiences, creaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted June 15, 2003 Report Share Posted June 15, 2003 Alright creaker. Rock on, dude. Glad you're as happy as I was. Here's to shinny trucks. If you look at it in the sun be sure to wear your I've heard it's kinda like looking directly at the sun. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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