DA polishers

Jazzthat

I will be buying DA polisher next month or so .
This is mainly for guitar body , so I have figured , mini version would suit best the scenario .

Are they all pretty the same or there is a huge gap in between them ?

Some links 

https://www.autofinesse.com/en/mpx-dual-action-polisher

https://www.in2detailing.co.uk/products/in2detailing-da12-mini-dual-action-machine-polisher

https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/vertool-12e-mini-dual-action-polisher?sort=p.price&order=ASC

https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/shinemate-ex603-mini-dual-action-polisher?sort=p.price&order=ASC

https://www.rupes.com/product/lhr75e/

The obvious choice would be to go with Rupes as I use their compounds etc , and  it's apparently one of the best .
But it also cost twice as much as any other listed here .


What machine  do you use and why ? 

Georg_Figel

those should all do for polishing guitars

there isn't much of a difference between these polishers as far as I know. They all just rotate, with an eccentric motion

and they usually include an extra set of motor brushes at that price range

getting the expensive one might make no difference

GoldenEraGuitars

More importantly, what finish are you planning to buff?

Jazzthat

GoldenEraGuitars said:

More importantly, what finish are you planning to buff?

It will be for general use and for both poly and nitro lacquer .

GoldenEraGuitars

You shouldn’t need a DA sander. It’s more to do with the speed, buffing compounds and wheels/mops you use to buff. 

Are these guitars you own/bought or ones you’re building/finishing yourself?

Corvus

With DA I think a smaller throw ~2.5mm is better for sanding, bigger throw better for polishing. In practice both can work.
I did order the Vertool but sent it back, it felt too heavy & unwieldy to me, against the small head/pad.
With cars you don't need to manoeuvre the thing about so much and weight is less of an issue, even a help.

I use a 6" Aircat DA, big orbital throw so have to watch cavity edges. It runs off a DC transformer so the unit isn't bulky, less than half the weight of those typical all-in-one tools. Used it for raw wood and paint sanding. and buffing
And a mini air polisher that takes 3" pads (and 2" but never needed them). Cheap to buy, at least if you have comp air, and small & light. Purely orbital so you do have to watch what you do.

Jazzthat

GoldenEraGuitars said:

You shouldn’t need a DA sander. It’s more to do with the speed, buffing compounds and wheels/mops you use to buff. 

Are these guitars you own/bought or ones you’re building/finishing yourself?

Well , I personally think I do need one . On the first guitar I used just a drill and pads etc.
I thought this would do , but it was uncomfortable to use because of its vertical position .

I am re finishing my own guitars . This is a second one and there could be more in future .
The machine will also help me to buff up existing ones too .

Jazzthat

Corvus said:

With DA I think a smaller throw ~2.5mm is better for sanding, bigger throw better for polishing. In practice both can work.
I did order the Vertool but sent it back, it felt too heavy & unwieldy to me, against the small head/pad.
With cars you don't need to manoeuvre the thing about so much and weight is less of an issue, even a help.

I use a 6" Aircat DA, big orbital throw so have to watch cavity edges. It runs off a DC transformer so the unit isn't bulky, less than half the weight of those typical all-in-one tools. Used it for raw wood and paint sanding. and buffing
And a mini air polisher that takes 3" pads (and 2" but never needed them). Cheap to buy, at least if you have comp air, and small & light. Purely orbital so you do have to watch what you do.

Good to know your opinion on Vertool . Was it a mini  or big one ?
 The mini is just under 2 kg , so I would have thought it would be good weight and balance ratio .
I am probably going to get shine mate one , though not decided yet .
Unfortunately I don't have an air compressor so I will need to stick with powered tools .

Corvus

It was that 12e - not just the pure weight but the control/balance of it I didn't like. My 6" weighs less than half that and is like a palm sander sort of shape, so no overhang/balance to manage. No doubt other people find them perfectly usable though.

It's probably not worth going down the air route if this is the only use, but a comp and mini polisher could be similar price range (£30 polisher, around £110 comp, plus sundry bits).

TrentGuitars

Hey bud I use this one off Slims, which I assume is a patterned Chinese model but does get excellent reviews, quite a substantial orbit at 8mm but my sander that I use to prepare the body is a much smaller orbit (I use a Deros) so it’s not really an issue for the buffing,

https://www.slimsdetailing.co.uk/collections/polishing-machines/products/das6-power-with-koch-chemie-polishing-kit

unit seems solid, I think the fact that you get top quality polishes with it really helps. The vibration comfort isn’t excellent, I imagine a Rupes is less vibey like my Mirka and Festool sanders are 

Jazzthat

TrentGuitars said:

Hey bud I use this one off Slims, which I assume is a patterned Chinese model but does get excellent reviews, quite a substantial orbit at 8mm but my sander that I use to prepare the body is a much smaller orbit (I use a Deros) so it’s not really an issue for the buffing,

https://www.slimsdetailing.co.uk/collections/polishing-machines/products/das6-power-with-koch-chemie-polishing-kit

unit seems solid, I think the fact that you get top quality polishes with it really helps. The vibration comfort isn’t excellent, I imagine a Rupes is less vibey like my Mirka and Festool sanders are 

It seems Das6 pro is the most recommended da machine out there ,but I am looking for mini one .
I know few people use big 150mm pads for polishing and buffing guitars , though I find them too big .
The benefit of mini da ,  is that  they weight less ( more control ), you can use smaller pads 40-75mm that will be good on doing sides on guitar body , neck etc .

TrentGuitars

Jazzthat said:

TrentGuitars said:

Hey bud I use this one off Slims, which I assume is a patterned Chinese model but does get excellent reviews, quite a substantial orbit at 8mm but my sander that I use to prepare the body is a much smaller orbit (I use a Deros) so it’s not really an issue for the buffing,

https://www.slimsdetailing.co.uk/collections/polishing-machines/products/das6-power-with-koch-chemie-polishing-kit

unit seems solid, I think the fact that you get top quality polishes with it really helps. The vibration comfort isn’t excellent, I imagine a Rupes is less vibey like my Mirka and Festool sanders are 

It seems Das6 pro is the most recommended da machine out there ,but I am looking for mini one .
I know few people use big 150mm pads for polishing and buffing guitars , though I find them too big .
The benefit of mini da ,  is that  they weight less ( more control ), you can use smaller pads 40-75mm that will be good on doing sides on guitar body , neck etc .

Apologies if I missed that’s what you were after!

now you mention it, I wouldn’t mind one either!

GoldenEraGuitars

This is mine -

https://i.imgur.com/k7BtGsL.jpg

Ive used it for 5 years, it’s never missed a beat. White wheel for coarse and this black wheel for bringing it to a shine

https://i.imgur.com/ejuAUgL.jpg

And if you’re finishing your guitars to a good standard (as in, if you’re after glass flat finishes) then the buffer is really only a minor part of a lengthy finishing process.

In my experience, the right compounds and hardness of the wheels is more important than the type of buffer you’re going for.

https://i.imgur.com/McFMcz3.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/NL94SyP.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/BnlBN1P.jpg

Its also worth noting that your nitro finishes will require a softer touch than your urethane finishes. 

Jazzthat

TrentGuitars said:

Jazzthat said:

TrentGuitars said:

Hey bud I use this one off Slims, which I assume is a patterned Chinese model but does get excellent reviews, quite a substantial orbit at 8mm but my sander that I use to prepare the body is a much smaller orbit (I use a Deros) so it’s not really an issue for the buffing,

https://www.slimsdetailing.co.uk/collections/polishing-machines/products/das6-power-with-koch-chemie-polishing-kit

unit seems solid, I think the fact that you get top quality polishes with it really helps. The vibration comfort isn’t excellent, I imagine a Rupes is less vibey like my Mirka and Festool sanders are 

It seems Das6 pro is the most recommended da machine out there ,but I am looking for mini one .
I know few people use big 150mm pads for polishing and buffing guitars , though I find them too big .
The benefit of mini da ,  is that  they weight less ( more control ), you can use smaller pads 40-75mm that will be good on doing sides on guitar body , neck etc .

Apologies if I missed that’s what you were after!

now you mention it, I wouldn’t mind one either!

TrentGuitars

It’s certainly in the prep, gotta get really good at flatting and not going through!

https://i.ibb.co/KjKB6Ry/85-DD145-D-F0-E5-4-FEE-A33-F-FA6-EEFA0901-B.jpg

Jazzthat

GoldenEraGuitars said:

This is mine -

https://i.imgur.com/k7BtGsL.jpg

Ive used it for 5 years, it’s never missed a beat. White wheel for coarse and this black wheel for bringing it to a shine

https://i.imgur.com/ejuAUgL.jpg

And if you’re finishing your guitars to a good standard (as in, if you’re after glass flat finishes) then the buffer is really only a minor part of a lengthy finishing process.

In my experience, the right compounds and hardness of the wheels is more important than the type of buffer you’re going for.

https://i.imgur.com/McFMcz3.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/NL94SyP.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/BnlBN1P.jpg

Its also worth noting that your nitro finishes will require a softer touch than your urethane finishes. 

I am well aware , that skills , technic is most important when it comes to finishing guitars .
You obviously poses all the factors needed for it looking at the stunning finishes ! 

Thanks for the tip about going a bit softer on nitro , much appreciated and noted .

Is that sealey machine a rotary or dual action ?

Jazzthat

TrentGuitars said:

It’s certainly in the prep, gotta get really good at flatting and not going through!

https://i.ibb.co/KjKB6Ry/85-DD145-D-F0-E5-4-FEE-A33-F-FA6-EEFA0901-B.jpg

Nice one ! This looks really good .

I did manage to get nice gloss on neck , though the body wasn't as good ( gloss was ok ) .
I am not sure what I did wrong , but ended up with lines under the lacquer , which they weren't there before . 

GoldenEraGuitars

The sealey buffer is rotary, £85 from memory. The pads are £8-12 each. I use 2 compounds, one for each pad. 

It’s worth noting that I also bought (and sold) the (awful) stewmac buffer which not only turned my workshop into a dust factory but also didn’t work anywhere near as good as the sealey. Once you’ve bought a machine and compounds you’ll become use to how it works on the different finishes. Single pack cellulose finishes will burn through very easily if you build up too much heat.

But anyway, good luck on your polishing journey. Tis a minefield.

TrentGuitars

GoldenEraGuitars said:

The sealey buffer is rotary, £85 from memory. The pads are £8-12 each. I use 2 compounds, one for each pad. 

It’s worth noting that I also bought (and sold) the (awful) stewmac buffer which not only turned my workshop into a dust factory but also didn’t work anywhere near as good as the sealey. Once you’ve bought a machine and compounds you’ll become use to how it works on the different finishes. Single pack cellulose finishes will burn through very easily if you build up too much heat.

But anyway, good luck on your polishing journey. Tis a minefield.

I also tried a stationary buffer and couldn’t get on with it. This man speaks wisdom! Unfortunately it is a lot of trial an error to find out what works for you 

euan

Pro tip, do all your trial and error on a bit of waste wood. You have four main sides you can practice on trying different techniques.