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Lake Country CCS Circular Polisher How To

Lake Country CCS Circular Polisher How To

Welcome to our Lake Country Circular Polishing Guide. Learn how to polish out scratches and swirls using a circular/rotary polisher and CCS Smart  Pads™ by Lake Country.

If you've never used a polisher before, check out our Dual Action Polishing Guide. If you're familiar with the principles of polishing and you're ready to step up to a circular polisher, you've come to the right place.


What accessories do I need?
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You will need a rotary backing plate to attach Lake Country pads to your circular polisher. Lake Country pads and the backing plates listed here have Velcro brand hook & loop fasteners. You will see it described simply as "hook & loop" on pads and backing plates with this feature.  Choose from a 6 inch or 7 inch backing plate:

  1. Rotary 6 inch Hook and Loop Flexible Backing Plate:
    Use the 6 inch plate with the 7.5 inch pads. It fits perfectly within the pads' raised lip.
  2. Rotary 7 inch Hook and Loop Flexible Backing Plate:
    Use the 7 inch plate with the 8.5 inch pads. Again, the plate fits within the raised lip of the pad.


CCS Smart Pads™ Features:
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Easy on and off.

  1. The hook and loop backing allows you to pull off a used pad and replace it with a fresh pad in seconds. The hooks and loops provide a secure connection combined with the ability to change the pad almost instantly.

Flat, full contact surface.

  1. Lake Country's 6.5 inch pads are perfectly flat to provide maximum pad to paint contact. They have enough give to go over a vehicle's curves but they do encourage the operator to use the pads flat on the surface, as they are intended.

CCS Technology.

  1. CCS stands for closed cell structures, which are the small pockets the dot the front of the pads. These pockets enable the pads to absorb less product and keep it on the work surface. They act like little reservoirs where excess product is stored until its needed on the work surface. This improves operator control and lessens product waste. The pockets also reduce surface tension so flat pads move more easily across flat panels.

CCS stands for closed cell structures, which are the small pockets the dot the front of the pads. These pockets enable the pads to absorb less product and keep it on the work surface. They act like little reservoirs where excess product is stored until its needed on the work surface. This improves operator control and lessens product waste. The pockets also reduce surface tension so flat pads move more easily across flat panels.


Many varieties to choose from:
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Lake country 7.5 inch yellow cutting ccs foam pads

Yellow Cutting - Use this pad to apply compounds or polishes to remove severe oxidation, swirls, and scratches. It is the most aggressive and should only be used on oxidized and older finishes. Always follow this pad with an orange pad and a fine polish and then a white pad to refine the paint until it is smooth.  

lake country 7.5 inch light cutting ccs foam pad

Orange Light Cutting - Firm, high density foam for scratch and defect removal. Use this pad with polishes and swirl removers. It’s an all around pad that will work on most light to moderate imperfections.

lake country 7.5 inch white polishing ccs foam pad

White Polishing - Less dense foam formula for the application of waxes, micro-fine polishes and sealants. This pad has very light cutting power so its perfect for pre-wax cleaners.

Coarse Green Cutting/Polishing - This foam is of medium density with the ability to level very fine scratches and very light oxidation. Use light swirl removers with this pad. Note: This is a different green foam than the 6.5 inch green pad. This pad is coarser.

lake country 7.5 gray Finishing ccs foam pad

Gray Finishing - Composition is firm enough to withstand added pressure during final finishing to remove buffer swirls. It has no cut and will apply thin, even coats of waxes, sealants, and glazes.

lake country 7.5 inch Finessing ccs foam pad

Blue Finessing - This blue foam pad has soft composition for applying glaze, finishing polish, sealants, and liquid waxes. The soft pad has no cut, making it perfect for applying nonabrasive products evenly.

lake country 7.5 inch UltraSoft ccs foam pad

Red UltraSoft - This soft, imported foam is ideal for applying the final coat of wax or sealant. The foam works especially well when applying liquid waxes or sealants because it is firm enough to keep the majority of the product on the paint, rather than soaking it up. The red foam has no cut or cleaning ability.

So many choices! We'll narrow it down for you. Most vehicles with moderate swirls will require these items: an orange light cutting pad, a white polishing pad, a gray finishing pad, the a Rotary Flexible  Backing Plate and of course, your circular polisher.


How do I polish out swirls and scratches?
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The following is a general guide to polishing. It will take you from compounding to polishing to finishing. If your paint problems do not require compounding, skip to polishing. If you’re not sure, start with polishing. Always take the least aggressive approach first! If you don’t get the desired results from polishing, then use a swirl remover and light cutting pad.

The pads pictured at the beginning of each section indicate what pads can be used to perform the job described.

  1. Please note:  If your fingernail catches the scratch or swirl, it will require painting and must be repaired by a professional. Attempting to remove deep blemishes like this could result in cutting down to the primer, which would be an expensive repair.


I. Compounding & Swirl Removal
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Lake country 7.5 inch yellow cutting ccs foam padslake country 7.5 inch light cutting ccs foam pad

Compounding involves using the most aggressive type of swirl remover, called a compound. XMT Heavy Duty Swirl Remover 4 is a compound.

Swirl removers can range from light to heavy, as in the XMT Series of swirl removers. From lightest to heaviest, these swirl removers are: XMT Ultra Fine Swirl Remover 1, XMT Fine Swirl Remover 2, and XMT Intermediate Swirl Remover 3. Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover is versatile swirl remover that works on a wide variety of paint imperfections. The application of compounds and polishes is the same.


 

 

Compounding & Swirl Removal Procedure:

  1. Choose an orange light cutting pad and a swirl remover such as Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover or XMT Intermediate Swirl Remover 3. Heavy oxidation may require XMT Heavy Duty Swirl Remover 4, which is an aggressive polishing compound.
  2. Apply a bead of swirl remover around the edge of  the pad. Some will say apply a quarter size amount. You can even apply it directly to the paint. Ultimately you're going to spread it around so how the swirl remover gets on the paint is up to you. Spread the swirl remover over a small section  (about 2 x 2 sq. ft.) with the polisher turned off to prevent sling.
  3. Set the maximum speed at 1500 RPM. Turn the polisher on and work the swirl remover in a side to side, overlapping motion. Move slowly to give the abrasives time to work. KEEP THE POLISHER MOVING AT ALL TIMES.
  4. When the swirl remover turns to a transparent film, the abrasives have broken down. Turn off the machine and lift it off the paint. Buff away the residue with a soft Cobra Microfiber Towel and inspect your results. If you are not satisfied, repeat the process with the same product or a more aggressive compound. If you still see no results, upgrade to the yellow cutting pad. 
  1. * If you used a compound, a light haze or dullness is normal. The next step will restore the gloss.


II. Polishing
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lake country 7.5 inch white polishing ccs foam pad

Polishing improves the smoothness and gloss of the paint. Use Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish or XMT Ultra Fine Swirl Remover 1 if you’ve just compounded or if the paint has very light swirls or haze.

If your vehicle did not require swirl removal and has no significant imperfections, you may opt to use Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion or XMT Carnauba Finishing Glaze instead of a true polish. This prewax cleaner will clean the paint and improve its luster.


 

 

Polishing Procedure:

  1. Attach a gray or blue pad to your polisher. Apply the product to the paint or to the pad. Spread it around the paint in a 2 x 2 sq. ft. section with the polisher turned off.
  2. Set the maximum speed to 1000 RPM. You do not need speed to apply nonabrasive products. Spread the product over the paint until its sufficiently covered. There are no abrasives to break down. You are just trying to get even coverage.
  3. Buff off the product with a Cobra Microfiber Towel.


III. Finishing
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lake country 7.5 inch UltraSoft ccs foam padlake country 7.5 inch Finessing ccs foam padlake country 7.5 gray Finishing ccs foam pad

Once you've achieved the optimum shine, follow up with a wax or sealant to lock it in. A wax or sealant is only as good as the finish underneath it. Pinnacle Liquid Souverän™ or XMT 360 are great choices for machine application, but the paste waxes can also be used. Application of any of these products will be as follows:


Note: Because of the speed and potential heat generated by a rotary polisher, you may elect to do the finishing work by hand or with a dual action polisher. If you are comfortable using a rotary, use it at a slow speed with zero pressure. Keep the machine moving at all times. 

Finishing Procedure:

  1. Attach a gray or blue pad to your polisher. Apply the product to the paint or to the pad. Spread it around the paint in a 2 x 2 sq. ft. section with the polisher turned off.
  2. Set the maximum speed to 1000 RPM. You do not need speed to apply nonabrasive products. Spread the product over the paint until its sufficiently covered. There are no abrasives to break down. You are just trying to get even coverage.
  3. Buff off the product with a Cobra Microfiber Towel

Detailing Tips:

  1. Keep the polisher moving continuously. A circular/rotary polisher will burn the paint if it is left on the same spot for more than a second or two.
  2. Work at a slow speed. A slower speed will reduce the heat build-up and thereby reduce the risk of burning the paint.
  3. Work the pad flat against the paint or with the back edge of the pad tilted very slightly upward (that's the edge closest to you). This position will help you avoid dragging the edge on the paint, which creates holograms.

Foam & Wool Pad Cleaning

Pinnacle Wax

The easiest way to clean your foam and wool pads is to drop them in pad cleaner while they are still wet with polish or wax. Dried products are more difficult to remove from the pads. To do this, mix up a bucket of water and Snappy Clean at the start of your detailing session. As you finish using each pad, drop it in the cleaning solution to soak. When you are finished with your detail, use the Foam Pad Conditioning Brush to agitate the pads. Then rinse the pads and lay out to dry.

Note: Dry pads with the hook and loop backing facing up so water drains away from it. Standing water on the backing material could eventually cause separation.

When your clean pads are dry, put them in a sealable plastic bag or container to keep them free of dust until their next use.



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