The high-speed buffer smoothes or cuts the surface and then heats the top few layers so it can safely melt and blend in with the lower layers. Even when deeply pitted, a drop or two of touch-up paint can often fill the gap so it can be smoothed and blended with the high-speed buffer.

Types of Buffers

There are two types of buffers:

• High-speed rotary buffer

• Dual-action or random orbital buffer

The wheel of an orbital buffer operates with two separate motions; a slow circular motion combined with an orbital motion. As the wheel spins, it also orbits slightly off-center around a point. This action imitates hand motion, but at a much faster rate. With an orbital buffer, there is virtually no build-up of heat, and it is difficult to cause damage to the paint surface, except with very aggressive compounds.

The high-speed rotary buffer, on the other hand, produces heat and friction with its high speed and continuous motion over a single point. The heat "softens" the paint so that the friction can work quickly and effectively to remove surface defects. This is also the reason why the rotary buffer can cause much more damage to the paint than the orbital buffer. In the final finishing step, the heat "melts" the paint, correcting minor paint damage left over from the major cutting steps.

Here are some things to consider when choosing a high-speed buffer:

• Power - you can choose a pneumatically or electrically powered device. Pneumatically powered buffers are lighter and require less maintenance, but they need a large compressed air source. Inadequate compressor strength will not only slow down the buffer, but it will also reduce its torque. Electrically powered machines plug into a standard wall socket, but they do need regular light maintenance. They are also a bit heavier than pneumatic units.

• Speed - A variable speed trigger means the farther you push in the trigger, the faster the machine goes. A speed limiter allows the operator to set the maximum speed at which the machine will rotate.

• Size - The larger the buffer (pad) size, the greater the heat because the outer edge of the pad is spinning so fast. The smaller sized buffers lack some cutting ability because they cannot generate as much heat as the larger units.

• Pads - A hook-and-loop style backing plate has a hook that allows easy switching of pads. Instead of having to undo and re-do a nut each time you want to change pads, you simply pull off the pad from the backing plate and put on another one.

Rotary and Orbital Buffers

Buffer Pads

Buffing pads or "bonnets" are round, and they come in several sizes with various compositions. Be sure to choose pads that match the size and type of backing plate used by your buffer.

Pads range in size from six to ten inches in diameter. The most common sized pad has a diameter of 7 inches. Keep in mind, the larger sizes are more likely to cause swirl marks and heat damage, while the smaller sized pads lack some cutting ability because they cannot generate as much heat.

Pad types for high-speed buffers include wool, foam and yarn, natural and synthetic:

• Wool pads are usually considered "cutting" pads. The fibers of the wool pad "cut" into the paint, removing top layers of paint much more rapidly than foam pads. The "finishing" wool pad is composed of genuine lambs wool or a combination of lambs wool and polyester fiber. Although it is more expensive, the genuine lambs wool is preferred over synthetic wool because the lambs wool contains lanolin. Lanolin is a natural oil that helps to lubricate the buffing process and keep the pad soft. This reduces the amount of micro-scratching left behind by the pad, especially on darker paints.

• Foam pads do a small amount of cutting, but instead rely on greater heat build-up to do their work. Foam pads are generally used for final finishing of the paint to remove minor damage and any remaining scratches. Because foam pads produce much more heat than wool pads, using aggressive polishes is not recommended. There are several sizes and textures of foam pads, considering the size of the foam cells and the surface configuration. Cell "openness" refers to the size of the holes in the foam, where a closed-cell pad has small holes and an open-cell pad has larger holes. Open-celled foam pads are considered cutting pads, while closed-cell pads are best for final finishing.

• The yarn cutting pad is actually white wool. It is perhaps the most aggressive type of pad, and it is not recommended on newer clear coat finishes.

• The blended pad, which combines both natural and synthetic fibers, is best for cutting newer clear coats.

If you do a lot of buffing, you may want to keep several extra pads in your toolbox. Otherwise, just when you're ready for that mirror finish, you suddenly discover you already used your last finishing pad!

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