Polishing Machines (1 Viewer)

[LesW]

I've read Charlie's guide to polishing machines, and decided I'd like to get one.

So can anyone recommend a 'cheapish' one, say around the £50 mark, I won't be going into business or anything, just occasional (maybe just the once) use on our Inca and maybe my car..

I Thangyow..

 

[Alistair33]

The wife Is good at polishing. Sadly nowhere near your £50 budget

 

[ambulancekidd]

Please be careful, these machines work well, but it is very easy to "burn" the paintwork.
The heat generated is considerable & lubrication with water is important.
There are lots of useful video's on YouTube that you should find helpful.
Good luck & please keep us informed on the results?

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[two]

I have a cheap one, somewhere in my workshop. It was a Christmas present. Never used it but I do recall the box describing the case it came in as being made of "genuine imitation Alligator skin".

 

[Zains Pops]

Silverline 264569 - 1200W 180mm (7") DIY Sander Polisher 230V [Energy Class A]

by Silverline




|

RRP: £51.11
Price: £39.90 Delivery at no additional cost for Prime Members

I bought one of these. It's good, very speed controllable and for £40 fine for occasional amateur use..

I Aldo bought a couple of foam polishing heads.

It all works well and for someone who suffers from recurring tennis elbow it brings polishing without pain.

 

[LesW]

Silverline 264569 - 1200W 180mm (7") DIY Sander Polisher 230V [Energy Class A]




I bought one of these. It's good, very speed controllable and for £40 fine for occasional amateur use..

I Aldo bought a couple of foam polishing heads.

It all works well and for someone who suffers from recurring tennis elbow it brings polishing without pain.[/I]

Just what I was after, thanks for that..

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[Zains Pops]

I omitted post that I bought it from Amazon UK.

Good luck.

 

[Donkster]

Hi this is the one I use works well. £59.93


DESCRIPTION
Heavy duty polisher
• No load speed: 600-3,300rpm
• Spindle thread: M14
• Support handle
• External changeable brushes
Complete with wool polishing bonnet.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Brand Draper
• Voltage 230
• Wattage 1200

 

[two]

My goodness, those are mean beasts. No wonder@ambulancekidd said to take care!

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[Chipster]

Suggest a random orbital polisher.(Porter Cable or the like) . It won’t do anything like the damage a rotary can do without the skill involved in using one.

 

[JeanLuc]

I have an orbital polisher that works very well. Previously I had a fairly cheap one and it was cr*p. This is the one I have, a bit over your budget, and the place I bought it from is out of stock at the moment, but it will give you an idea of what I am referring to. Broken Link Removed

 

[Charlie]

There are many types of machines. All are safe so long as you know what your doing.

Random orbital are best for beginners as they do not spin so do not create heat or very little.

Rotarys are fine and best so long as the beginner uses very slow speeds and soft pads. It’s when the pad / polish combination is wrong things go wrong. There is a bit more to it than just the machine selection.

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[jezport]

Avoid a rotary if you are a beginner, go for a random Orbital as Charlie has said.
They may be dearer but you are far less likely to cause expensive damage to your van.

 

[LesW]

I ended up getting a variable speed rotary item, I've used them before, many (Many) years ago when in the motor trade so have an understanding of the possible hazards..

Thanks for the replies...

 

[emjaiuk]

@Charlie what is the lightest polisher that's worth getting? I'm aware that none of them rate very highly compared to professional/semi-professional machines, but please bear in mind that I wouldn't be physically able to hand polish a MH and would probably struggle with buffing up wax. I've got an 800rpm rotary that I used to use successfully when I had a RV, but I'm unable to use it on vertical surfaces now because of the weight.


Malcolm

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[Geo]

Hi Malcolm
I think something like Broken Link Removed from Argoose at £28 and a 100 + positive reviews might be the answer.
Interestingly the first review is a 1 x star he should have bought the 8" rotary version that throws you over the bonnet as I use being in the trade also
Given your restrictions the Argos one is more to your requirement read a few of the reviews at least

 

[emjaiuk]

Thanks for the link, I've seen these before, but was put off by the apparent lack of choice in the polishing heads. My old rotary used to benefit greatly by changing the sponge grade for different jobs. Also I didn't like some of the comments that it was difficult to hold steady. I'll keep looking.


Malcolm

 

[Silver-Fox]

As has been said buy a dual action machine.

You can pic them up second hand for around £50 they are around £100 new.

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[Charlie]

@Charlie what is the lightest polisher that's worth getting? I'm aware that none of them rate very highly compared to professional/semi-professional machines, but please bear in mind that I wouldn't be physically able to hand polish a MH and would probably struggle with buffing up wax. I've got an 800rpm rotary that I used to use successfully when I had a RV, but I'm unable to use it on vertical surfaces now because of the weight.


Malcolm

There used to be a random orbital called a Porter Cable. A small and very light machine with 5 speed options. A machine that if still available is so safe you would have to throw it at a vehicle to do damage.
I’m not sure if they are still available. I will find out and return.

 

[Charlie]

It seems they are but only from America....

My first ever polishing machine was a Porter Cable.... I still have it in it’s original box from near 40 years ago. Back then we used to buy nearly all our kit and equipment from the States as it was about 2 dollars to the pound and prices were far cheaper to start with anyway.

So still there and available and would be a marvellous machine for someone who requires small size lightness and great potential

 

[Ivory55]

If you’re a coward and nervous of doing wrong it’s not that bad to get someone to do it for you. If you deduct the cost of the polisher and pads polish etc then the cost of getting it done is not so bad.

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[Charlie]

Suggest a random orbital polisher.(Porter Cable or the like) . It won’t do anything like the damage a rotary can do without the skill involved in using one.

I think we need to qualify what is mean and nasty or likely to damage ????

Firstly a Rotary polishing machine.

This type of machine is in no way ever going to do damage providing it’s used with care and properly.
A good machine MUST have a range of speeds and importantly the lower speeds must be slow. There are Zero gains from polishing at high speeds anyway but your low speeds absolutely must be low.

The Random Orbital.

Good machines but we are here on this forum talking about polishing large vehicles so we need a machine that brings results reasonably quickly.

Given say a car wing for example I could polish to a high standard a wing in half an hour using a rotary. To do the same with a Random could take 4 times as long and even then a Random may not have the clout to fully correct.

Most who buy a Random quickly realise this and upgrade to a Rotary anyway. I’ve seen this hundreds of times.

To sum up a Random is fine but less capable of a 100% result and they can be slow.

A Rotary MUST be a good quality and have good low speed ranges. It absolutely MUST have a slow start and maintain speed equally and evenly.

If I’m honest the beginner to Rotary polishing needs a high quality one as it’s far easier to use will be much better in terms of maintaining speeds and will have better speed ranges. So far far better all round.

FWIW. I use a Makita 9277 CB and a Milwaukee AP12 QE. Both machines have had really extensive use both are still as good as new.


I’m sure I’ve written an extensive guide on machine polishing on this forum ??

 

[emjaiuk]

If you’re a coward and nervous of doing wrong it’s not that bad to get someone to do it for you. If you deduct the cost of the polisher and pads polish etc then the cost of getting it done is not so bad.

As I said in my first post, I used to use a rotary, 800rpm from Machine Mart very successfully, it's now to heavy for me on vertical surfaces.


Malcolm

 

[Charlie]

As I said in my first post, I used to use a rotary, 800rpm from Machine Mart very successfully, it's now to heavy for me on vertical surfaces.


Malcolm

Malcolm Milwaukee’s AP 12 QE is a very compact lightweight Rotary polishing machine. It’s not cheap but has all the qualities I mentioned above. Great speed ranges. Slow start up and slow down. Light and small. A brilliant handle and the speed switch allows adjustments on the fly.

I use my one for vertical panels. The heavier Makita is for more general purpose use.

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[Charlie]

If you’re a coward and nervous of doing wrong it’s not that bad to get someone to do it for you. If you deduct the cost of the polisher and pads polish etc then the cost of getting it done is not so bad.

I think it’s down to the quality of the end result.

If you want full correction and a stunning flawless end result then the cost goes up. To fully correct a car say the size of a Jaguar XF ( i did one early December) could take 3 days. I’m taking a proper polish going through several stages here not a quick buff up.

To get that done on a commercial basis would run into a lot of money likely 500 nicker or more.

So the cost would cover a very decent machine plus a few bottles of quality German high grade polish.

Then factor in a MH is several times the size of the Jag and you have the machine and kit in your hands at the end.