Best bodge to get a 3” backing pad with existing kit?

Submariner1

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Got a nice Makita PO 6000C 6” DA with optional forced rotation. I Stupidly assumed being a Global Brand one could get the USA versions 5” backing pad. (that would just have got me by)
Sadly the 5” version is not sold in the UK and one cant order them from here, neither can Makita!

Ideally, I would have liked a 3” backing pad to pair with the 6”.
The issue is the Makita uses a DA style oval recess and an 8mm bolt through it!
So you cant use the generic M14 x2 threaded pads, and it appears Rupes and Flex use 6mm bolts on any backing Pad smaller than 5”. ( they use the similar DA Style lock system).

So options are as follows

1. Using the Makita polisher unit
Option A:
Buy a second 6” Makita Pad £5 and cut it down just inside the 6 vent holes.
476EBF32-2A4D-4DFB-A411-758D2448E447.jpeg
This looks difficult, and could create lots of swarf ref future clean working. Main issue is if I put it on a lathe, one is then cutting the middle out, with the important centre free to fly off as you break through :(

Any ideas how else to cut it down welcomed :)

Option B:
Buy the Rupes 3” Backing Pad £22.
A8B1FF6E-B1CF-4041-95C3-C8B9A80F9C72.jpeg
The only issue is enlarging the 6mm centre hole to 8mm. I have always found this difficult tomretain the centre trueness. Especially as where the whole is is circa 1 to 2mm thick, tends to grab like hell when the drill breaks through.
Likewise any tips to enlarge this hole and keep the hole central welcomed.

This atm is my prefferred option!
- uses the new clean Makita polisher
- gives a true circular backing pad, with little risk of the pad breaking up

- But can one drill it accurately enough to avoid future wobbly running?
maybe its me, but expanding holes like this has always been problematic.

2. Utilise my 450W Makita right angle drill. Variable speed 0-2450rpm
1C9DF0B0-A04E-45D0-9862-3F51282B98FF.jpeg

Slight concerns:-
Although The drill has only been used a few times, and only drilling wood, and imo is kept pretty clean; but it does draw air from the handle to the head, and blows air out up, left, right and down quite forcefully (designed to blow away swarf as you drill) . Hence I am concerned it might blow a spec of wood dust onto the panel covered in polish! Pig twils everywhere! :(
OK I can clean it scrupulously and blow compressed air in the vents etc ..... but!!!

I then buy a generic 3” M14 soft velcro Pad like this £15
B643B25E-687D-425D-B812-3DE77562DB4A.jpeg L
And a converter from M14 to 6mm drill
DDBEF36A-CCA7-4051-A378-B9D50973EE25.jpeg
Note the right hand drill does not have Soft Start but can have the speed increased as you go from 1 rpm .. to 2,450 rpm so yeah a really slow start up is possible.

Or

3. Use my 1400W 5” Makita Angle Grinder, 2,800- 12,000 rpm, soft start, and SJS sort of vibrarion damping from work to tool.
And use the above 3” pad as the grinder is M14.
I discounted this option, as although the gringer looks fairly clean; it was used to cut quite a few Natural Sandstone tiles ... about as abraisive as dust gets. Yes I did use the cowl and vacumn attachment, but as this too sucks air in the handle and blows it out at the head. So I felt it would be impossible to be sure the odd spec of sandstone dust wont get blasted onto the panel mid- polishing!
Plus 2,800 is a tad too fast.


Any views?

Obviously the best Solution is to buy the Flex 7-12 80 3” DA but they are like £360! So not really worth it, for just the difficult parts of the car.
 
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Crispian

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Use a 50 pence microfiber and some elbow grease.
 
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Submariner1

Submariner1

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Use a 50 pence microfiber and some elbow grease.

Ha
I once put 3 very fine surface scratches on my SL wing ( soft bush but with a few hidden cut off stalks !)
I was very proud of myself ... a mf cloth and some AG Super resin polish all dissapeared. But I was told manual polishing is more dangerous than more uniform machine polishing.

Not to mention a few sq meters on an S Class lol
 
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Submariner1

Submariner1

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I bought this item to use with some backing plates I already had.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-8-DA-A...-Plate-to-5-16-DA-Polish-Thread/162290636908?

Thanks,
The Makita uses a cute oval recess and a 8mm M8 bolt!
Nice and proprietory!

Basically the strain or rotational force is taken up by the recess, that the oval polishers drive shaft fits into, and that is locked tight together by the M8 bolt.
I found a few 3” backing pads from Flex and Rupes that would fit recesss wise, but they use a M6 bolt! Both those mfgs use M8 bolts when the backing pad is over 125mm!
 
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Submariner1

Submariner1

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Sorted!
F810E9FC-A6BF-40AD-9EC3-679897FCE11A.jpeg
You need the Flex Mini 3” Backing Pad from a 7-12 80 . It has the same sized recess and although they use a 6mm lock bolt, the Makita 8mm bolt does go through it. (Note the bolt wont go through the Rupes mini).

Due to the 6mm thicker Flex pad, you need to get a longer Bolt then the Makitas 14mm . Luckily thats a 20mm Bolt which is a std. length.

This bolt also needs to be a “Low headed” Cap screw. To sit recessed under the Velcro. Found them in Stainless steel for £1.75 form5 on eBay :)
Arrives on Saturday.

My Rupes Ultra Soft 100mm pad has a 75mm velcro ... and the 100mm just covers the rubber shroud on the Makita PO6000C body.

So all sorted
Just need to get the 5” backing pad from Germany and it will be a very versatile bit of kit. Handling
180mm 150mm and 100mm pads in DA or Forced DA Mode :):)
 
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Submariner1

Submariner1

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