FWIW, I utterly *HATE* those pads! The recesses are nothing but trouble and diminish the working surface area (with zero upside). Just mentioning that for future reference, sorry to start off with something negative.
No worries about rambling
More info is good.
I hardly ever use one pad for a whole panel.
IME, yes. Although how many you`ll need depends on the specific product. As noted, more/fresher pads are always better.
Should *NOT* need more than one pad as long as you don`t:
-use way too much product, which IMO most people do
-overwork the product so the pad gets packed with dried-up product
-get the pad contaminated
I find Dawn quite ineffective for this and it lacks both lubricity and encapsulation. Not hating on it, but I don`t use it on my vehicles because there are infinitely better options.
I wouldn`t use cotton towels. The softest ones I have (KoalaSoft, CBT/DFT) are still much more aggressive (i.e., abrasive) than MF and I predict that if you CD-test them you`ll find they`re not soft enough for use on autopaint.
The air gun is great for a quick-clean of the pads, but I wouldn`t use it on the vehicle. There shouldn`t be dust anyhow and that`s all it`s good for. All the abrasive products I use these days work best if wiped off while still a bit "wet", before they flash off. All the product gets wiped off and onto the Microfiber buffing towel. And you`ll need plenty of those MFs.
I use different brands of pads, but generally the "more aggressive" MF ones are still much more gentle with regard to scouring up the paint (compared to yellow foam cutting pads, which I *NEVER* use). The MF cuts better, finishes better, cleans better.
Some of us like these discussions and heh heh...if you`re bugging people you`ll know by the lack of responses
I wouldn`t worry about that.
Find a good representative Test Spot area and work on that so you get squared-away before doing big areas (let alone the whole car)
My Search Fu is also weak, so please feel free to ask Qs.
Oh, and Welcome to Autopia!
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