Advice on polishing/buffing bonnets for random orbital polisher/sander

[HadEnuff]

I have a variable speed random orbital sander and I want to use it to polish and then buff my faded, chalky gelcoat on my 15 year old fiberglass boat.

None of the stores around me seem to carry the bonnets. When I go on Amazon, I see a myriad of wool bonnets, but in every case, 15-20% of the reviews are scathing, saying things like, "Garbage, fell apart in 30 seconds",,,

One local NAPA shop who did not carry anything said "most folks are going with foam now"...

I am hoping that someone with professional or serious hobby experience can educate me on what I should be using to work the rubbing compound, and to buff off the paste wax.
Information on brand and where to find would also be appreciated.

thanks

 

[MissMolly]

I will be very interested to see what advice you receive. We have a fiberglass pool slide that has certainly seen better days and I would think whatever advice you receive for your issue could be applied to my situation. At least I hope so.

 

[Sunset]

I wanted to polish some paint, but when I looked into it, there is a big difference between and orbital sander and a polisher orbital tool.

People did report using the wrong one will leave scratches.

OP - do you know the difference and can you educate us on this ?

 

[mrWinter]

I don't doubt you will get some feedback here, but I can only imagine you'd get more feedback from direct experience asking this question on cruisersforum, sailnet, or some other boating forum.

 

[Fired Up]

Never got good results, until I bought a polisher like the one listed here. The right equipment made all the difference. https://www.amazon.com/Makita-9237CX3-Variable-Polisher-Sander-Polishing/dp/B00OKEDW0M

 

[HadEnuff]

I wanted to polish some paint, but when I looked into it, there is a big difference between and orbital sander and a polisher orbital tool.

People did report using the wrong one will leave scratches.

OP - do you know the difference and can you educate us on this ?

I'm not familiar with those specific terms.

From what I can gather on YouTube, you can use a random orbital tool as a sander, or a polisher. My random orbital tool is also variable speed. I can use it with abrasive discs ( I used it on my Corian counter top), I can also use it with rubbing compound with either a foam pad or a wool pad, or a micro-fiber pad, with various grits of compound, and it can be used with a wool pad or micro-fiber pad to buff paste wax or other final surface treatments.

They make ROS in a variety of powers, and other features that make them more or less efficient, depending on if you are a guy like me who does a small job once in a while, or a pro who does it all day every day. The more powerful and efficient the machine, the faster the job goes, but without the proper skill level, the easier it is to scratch or burn the surface.

 

[HadEnuff]

Never got good results, until I bought a polisher like the one listed here. The right equipment made all the difference. https://www.amazon.com/Makita-9237CX3-Variable-Polisher-Sander-Polishing/dp/B00OKEDW0M

is that a random orbital or does it rotate around a fixed axis (simple spinner)?

 

[bjorn2bwild]

In my experience, in order to keep the compound contained to the working area and reduce friction generated heat, it is important to keep the surface speed low, i.e. low RPM.
With a lot of surface area, a larger diameter buffer will be more efficient. You should be able to source quality materials at a local automotive paint store.

 

[Fired Up]

is that a random orbital or does it rotate around a fixed axis (simple spinner)?

Fixed axis. I do have a random orbital, but did not get good results. The fixed axis one also has constant speed control, so regardless of loading it maintains the same speed.

 

[Fired Up]

Here is one of the how to videos. I probably watched about 5 different ones and took the advice that they had in common.