[Todd@Autopia]

The Dual Action Random Orbital Polisher.

With the increased popularity of Random Orbital Polishers being used for everything from waxing to compounding it only normal to test Mother's Professional Heavy Duty Compound in this manner.

I used a Porter Cable 7424 XP with a 5 inch Lake Country backing plate and a 5.5 inch Cyan Low Profile H20 Cutting Pad.




I started by priming the pad, via the recommendations of polishing expert Kevin Brown. First apply an ample amount of product to coat the face of the pad.




Massage the product across the pad with your thumbs.




Some bare spots may remain.




Add additional product to the pad and work into any bare spots.




Allow to sit for approximately 5-10 minutes.




After sitting use a brush to remove excessive product by spinning the machine on speed 4.




For all remaining polishing use three small drops, applied around the outer third of the pad.




How effective would Mother's Professional Heavy Duty Compound be at removing the rough 2000 grit scratches from the black paint? I spread the product over a working section at speed 4 then increased to speed 6 and used moderate pressure (enough to slow the pad's rotation to approximately 1 time per second) and slow arm speed.




After 30 seconds of work time.




It took approximately 2 minutes for the Compound to begin to clear. Wiping the surface was easy.



While most of the sanding marks where remove there was some visible texture left by the DA sander. It took a total of three applications to remove 100% of the sanding marks and 95% of the sanding texture.

The surface had moderate micro hazing.





Using the similar technique to the rotary I cleaned the pad of any spent residue and polished the front section using speed 4. (left side of the hood in the photograph).




The result was a much finer haze.




Now it was time to test the finishing ability of Mother's Heavy Duty Compound by switching to a Crimson Low-Profile H20 Finishing Pad. I used speed 5 with moderate pressure and slow arm speed until the polish appeared broken down.








Once again the compound would not wipe away 100% clean and required CarPro Eraser to wipe-off completely.




Mothers Heavy Duty Compound Review:

Mothers Heavy Duty Compound is an excellent cutting liquid that is very capable of producing a high quality finish depending on the pad and application. When used with a foam pad it is leaves a surface that likely only needs one additional polishing step (on most paint systems). When used with a rotary and a wool pad it will leave surface scouring that likely will require an intermidate step prior to final polishing. Because Mothers Heavy Duty Compound leaves a high quality finish (for a compound) it can also be used when an aggressive medium polish is needed.

For best results via rotary: For maximum cut use higher speeds (1400-1800 rpm) and add slight pressure to the machine. The longer you work Mothers Heavy Duty Compound the better the finish (until the pad becomes loaded with abraded paint residue or the lubricant dries). Keep your compounding or polishing pad clean.

For best results via random orbital dual-action polisher: For maximum results use with a foam cutting pad. Prime the pad initially then add 3 small drops as needed. Mothers Heavy Duty Compound will produce more cut and a better finish with a longer work time. Use speed 5-6 with firm pressure until the compound begins to 'clear'. To increase the quality of the finish clean the pad with a brush and continue polishing at a slower speed while maintaining pressure.

Mothers Heavy Duty Compound Score Card:
Category: Compound
Scores are based from 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.
Scores are in bold. Average scores from similar compounds are in red.


Cutting Ability: 10 9
-Is capable of removing rough 2000 grit sanding marks from cured paint and 1200 grit from fresh paint.

Rate of Cut: 7 8
-Requires a longer working time for maximal cutting compared to some fast cut compounds.

Quality of Finish: 6 4
-Leaves a very nice finish for the level of cut which rivals most intermediate polishes.

Working Time: 8 5
-Has a long working time, although it does tend to gum up towards the end of the cycle.

Dusting: 7 4
-LOW dusting. It will dust if overworked with an extremely long work cycle. Dusting will not scratch during
wipeoff.

Ease of Removal: 7 5
-Most compounds can be difficult to remove if worked long or with soft pads. Mothers is not exception,
although it is easier to remove compared to most products in its category.