Polisher

Clyder

Clyder

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Hi, does anyone have any advice regarding the purchase of an electric polisher for their boat? I've been trawling the net and am now suffering information overload......

I am confused over the differing load speeds and types / colours of pads and their applications...Help!!! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
what you need is a next door neighbor who sells them for a living who can just pop round and do a demo (result ;-) ) what I do know is they can be bloody heavy by the end of the day, and the mops and pads from 3m are all colour coded for use with their polishes they are good but very expensive. I would seriously think that for the amount of use its gonna get you would be fine with the likes of sealey. somebody with more knowledge will no doubt be on to shoot me down soon.
 
Force 4 at Bristol sell a small 2 handle job, but frankly do not recommend it. Cost about £20. They recommend a larger unit, looks like an angle grinder. Costs about £50 plus mits. Have not checked EBay yet. I am going to try the elbow grease route first, but if this does not work will invest in a polisher.
 
I have one of the two handled machines and they should be refered to as buffers. They are fine for the final buffing of polish, they are no use for cutting or polishing. I am about to buy a new polisher and, as said before, I'm looking for a light one. I think I may end up with a sealy.
Allan
 
Hi allan I use a Freud I think its how you spell it, machine mart and the lightest one I think its 1.3kg ,I find it a good machine. Cheers
 
just had a thought, will have a word with nieghbor, see if he has any ex demo units to flog off, I Know the stuff he sells is serious pro kit and his polishers are not much change from £300. but he may take an offer on a "nearly new" one. I dont want to buy one otherwise he wont be polishing my boat next season in exchange for a couple of jollies on the boat ;-) Oh and they do a fantastic job on windows too all my glass and perspex looks like new!!
 
First, be clear what its for..
Starting at the end of the process.. waxing, I d say up to 35ft or so, just do it by hand. A good wax is easy to put on and buff off.
Going back, polishing, or even compounding, then yes, you need some mechanical assistance, unless the boat is quite small. And for any gel repairs, you need something with some grunt.
The two handled orbital jobs that look like un upside down bowler hat, are totally useless in my experience, though others have found different.
Silverline do a £50 variable speed job which is heavy, but for DIY work on a medium sized boat is pretty good. Its about double the weight of a pro tool but then its a fraction the price. They have a web page that list dealers.
Key is low speed, and dont let the gelcoat get hot/too dry. And if using compounding or abrasive polishes, be careful around "high" points and curves, as its easy to cut back through too much gel, especially if its coloured.
Use a sponge head for the more agressive polishing, and then buff off with a soft mop type.But the shine comes from the polishing itself, not the polish, if you see what I mean. Slapping on polish and wax wont give you a shine unless the gel itself is polished back to a shine.
But Id still say the biggest risk is getting carried away with cutting back the gel
 
I find the orbital polishers work well, and are lighter and easier to use, and you can't burn the gel coat with them. The trick is to use a cotton pad to apply the polish, not the lambswool that they usually come with. The lambswool is not designed to work wet, you get too much friction and the motor grinds to a halt, it's only designed for buffing up wax after it's applied.

With the cotton pad, you apply moderate pressure with plenty of polish applied. Leave the polish to dry then wipe it off with a dry cloth and you have a nice shiny finish. You can then wax by hand, and buff it using the lambswool pad.

If the boat is heavily oxidised, you may need something more industrial
 
Thanks one and all for your sound advice. I've just ordered a 300-1200 Rpm industrial grade machine and a shed load of Farecla G3. I'll keep you posted as to how I get on.

Thanks again,

Clyde.
 
Just did this exercise last weekend..

Brought this CLARKE 9" plus a 3M double sided polishing head & fitting kit for another £14 from HERE also got the cutting paste & polish from same.

Result = top top top job!! Most incredible finish to a blue hull…

All told about £80 spent incl polish etc etc.
 
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just ordered a 300-1200 Rpm industrial grade machine

[/ QUOTE ]

You certain thats sufficiently fast enough, 1200rpm?
 
Yes thanks I know what it is... And no you do not need variable speed, its not essential.

Its what came recommended from within the trade, and like I said the results are indisputably professional in its finished appearance.

Sure, I suggest you spend a tad more on a lighter and quieter unit… But that would cost you more!
 
Incidentally I agree on doing the final wax / fine polish by hand. This part of the job isn’t really for machining.
 
been using the clarks polisher all day VV Good and cheep from Machine Mart. People say this machine is too heavy I would say it's sturdy and thes same machine has now done around ten boats cheep as chips.
 
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