# Introducing a Newbie to DA Polishing



## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Another part of the "Introducing a Newbie" series of posts - which, once complete I'll compile into a large "guide" to compliment the other great guides from many posters on the site 

This time, DA polishing.

The DA (Dual Action) polisher is considered by many to be the machine to use if you are new to machine polishing, though as discussed elsewhere, this is not always the case - rather, you should try wherever possible to try both styles of machine (DA and rotary) and see which suit your style the best as many will find the vibrations of DA polisher unsettling and this struggle with the control of the machine can actually make it more dangerous than the smoother rotary.

Additionally, you can often read on forums that DA polishers are not capable of correction, especially on hard finishes... this, in my opinion, is just a complete myth and one which needs to be busted! Used correctly, the DA polisher is a very capable machine - a little slower on some paints (but not all!) than a rotary, but no less capable in most cases! The key is in the technique and there are a few key points to keep in mind...


Pressure - you need some! Enought to slow down the pad rotations, or change the tone of the motor of the machine but not so much as to stop the pad rotating altogether (about 10lbs of pressure)
Slow movement speed - yes, very slow - about 1" per second maximum when correcting
Small work area: be focussed on this, no more than 1' square ar the start extending to a maximum of 18" square.
Long work times - longer than you think, work until the products are fully broken down (for diminshing abrasives), circa 3 - 5 minutes work time

Putting this all into practice, Gordon starts off by demonstrating a typical DA set to our willing newbie, Allie 

Polish on the pad - new pad of the day, so in addition to the two blobs of polish we have a line of polish which will prime the pad through the first set:



















Select a low speed of around 1 - 3 for spreading the polish:










Always start and stop the machine on the paintwork, otherwise polish and pad will take off in all directions! Funny the first time, embarassing the second...










Gordon is right handed, holding the back of the machine in his right hand which will control the movement of the machine. The left hand deals with the pressure and is placed over the head of the machine to push down for the required pressure. Note the mark on the backing plate which allows you to see easily whether or not the backing plate is spinning.



















Once spread, the machine is moved to its working speed of between 4 and 5.5, and slow steady passes made to work the polish... this series of pictures shows the residue as the polish (Menzerna PO85RD Final Finish in this case) breaks down, getting clearer and clearer...





































Last picture shows the polish, fully worked with just an oily glazing residue left - at this stage, the polish abrasives have broken down and the only refining you will be seeing is from the pad working with the glazing oils: you can prolong your set beyond this (ideally at a slower speed) so long as these oils do not break down, a technique many refer to as jeweling, and on some finishes this may deliver an extra advantage in terms of gloss enhancement.

Speeded up to double-speed (perhaps slightly faster), this is how the set looks on video:



Note at the end, when the pressure is released, you get additional lubrication return to the finish and this can be used if desired to lengthen the set for additional jeweling: pressure compresses this into the pad. The release of these is a key to the "rejuvenating technique" that we use for PO85RD3.02 Intensive Polish which will be a subject of another thread . Note the small working area, slow movement speed (this video is sped up remember!), long working time and the pressure over the machine and what this looks to be doing to the pad movement.

Now, over to our newbie:



Note the initial newbie mistake - machine off the paint switched on! Own up, seasoned machiners, how many of us have done that? :wave:

Gordon keeps Allie on track for her first go with the DA polisher - I'm sure she'll share her feelings of the DA, she didn't seem to enjoy it compared to the rotary in terms of comfort! But she made a good go at getting the machine to do its job, and demonstrated that a newbie can get going with a DA polisher...























































:buffer::thumb:


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Amusingly, the pictures and the sound in the videos are offset - Gordon is the technology expert as its his camera and all of his hard work to prepare the videos for uploading so I can't explain why! :thumb: Still, hopefully they do demonstrate the key points


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## davZS (Jul 3, 2009)

Very good post dave, I enjoyed that read, 

When you have written all your new guides/walkthroughs will you be converting them into PDF format so we could put them into things such as iBooks for the iPod/iPad/iPhone you get the picture  I think it would make good reading and also easy to access at any given time instead of logging onto the pc. :thumb: but if that's not in the plans I understand  :lol:


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

We haven't actually thought that far ahead yet of how we will compile the guides, but we will certainly consider this when compiling  They are just rough guides of techniques we would recommend rather than hard and fast rules for how to do things, just guides to get folk started and give ideas


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## davZS (Jul 3, 2009)

Dave KG said:


> We haven't actually thought that far ahead yet of how we will compile the guides, but we will certainly consider this when compiling  They are just rough guides of techniques we would recommend rather than hard and fast rules for how to do things, just guides to get folk started and give ideas


Ok I wasn't sure if you would have thought about it or not just thought I would ask the question . As far as them just been guides of techniques I see these guides becoming very popular especially for people who are just starting out, it is nice to have something to go by when first taking the leap of faith so to speak. I'm all for these guides and look forward to more and more videos it is good to see what you are talking about been put into practice, I feel it gives people a better understanding of the techniques. So thanks again. :thumb:


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## pebblemonkey (Jan 30, 2011)

Interesting post Dave(as usual!) and much appreciated by us beginners especially as I am using the exact polisher/polish combo. 
With that in mind I have a noob question for you. Once you have primed your pad do you just add the two small pea sized blobs for the next sections? Does it depend on type of paint and level of correction needed or is it just experience as to the amount of product to use? The reason I ask is Im guilty of going a bit ott on my last session and totally saturated the pad.

Thanks

Andy


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

pebblemonkey said:


> Interesting post Dave(as usual!) and much appreciated by us beginners especially as I am using the exact polisher/polish combo.
> With that in mind I have a noob question for you. Once you have primed your pad do you just add the two small pea sized blobs for the next sections? Does it depend on type of paint and level of correction needed or is it just experience as to the amount of product to use? The reason I ask is Im guilty of going a bit ott on my last session and totally saturated the pad.
> 
> Thanks
> ...


For most polishes, just a couple of beads after the initial priming of the pad is all you need - any more I would consider as too much polish personally (for my technique) and would leave you with more time to be working the polish to break it down


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## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

good guide again dave..
would like to hear allie's thoughts on it.. you say she preferred the comfort of the rotary.. which I have to agree.. its much more of a pleasure to use.. 
i prefer rotary.. sold my DA to geoff.. who im sure will like this guide when he stumbles upon..
will get another one at some point as they still have uses.. and want to try the mf pads..
but getting a kranzle from mark at the end of the week.. so moneys not stretching to one atm...
i only used the buff daddy once in the whole time i had it.. and that was to sand my car.. not polishing lol..
used it for glazing the car after polishing to see if it added anything(tested on the wing and door.. and not a noticeable change... so didn't do the rest)


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Allie will be on soon to share her thoughts, I've chimed her into the thread


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## AllieCB (Jun 19, 2011)

Hey Craig, 

As David said, I much preferred the rotary for comfort, but that's not the only reason I like the rotary more. I found controlling the speed of rotation on the DA a bit of a nuisance, and for me, worrying about that as well as trying to think about all the other little things, which don't quite come naturally yet, is an absolute chore. 

On top of those complaints, I found the rotary easier generally as well. You have to put thought into keeping the pad flat at first, but the rotary moved with a lot more ease for me than the DA and keeping the pad flat is something you can feel on the rotary without having to concentrate on watching the machine all the time. I liked that with the rotary you can simply feel the machine and move with it, while focusing your visual attention on the product you're working. Much simpler for my brain. For me, too many things to think about means a half-assed job a lot of the time.

That said, pushing down on the DA for rotation purposes keeps it flat, so there was not pad flat-ness to consider. Also, I can understand people thinking the motion is easier to control as a result and such things decrease the chance of a newbie mistake. However, I would argue that the rotary is perfectly safe for a newbie as long as they keep themselves informed and don't attempt to use it as you would a DA.


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## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

thanks allie.. great insight there...

i echo the comments of finding the rotary easier to control with fluid motions, 

maybe i just needed more DA practice but I too felt it was awkward to use compared to the rotary.
trying to keep the pad perfectly flat and keep pressure constant on curved panels proved a nightmare lol..


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## GrahamKendall (Sep 8, 2009)

another great informative guide from the sensai! Loving the shiny E34 in the background too!:thumb:


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

GrahamKendall said:


> another great informative guide from the sensai! Loving the shiny E34 in the background too!:thumb:


We've got a soft spot for the BM too


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## Martin C. (Jul 1, 2011)

Thank you for this very useful post! I appreciate the time and efforts you put in it! :thumb:


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## dagoatla (Mar 14, 2011)

Thanks for this. Will be re read whenever I get round to buying a da


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