[67Elcamino]

I purchased a few buffing pads a while ago at a local swap meet and forgot what brand they are. One is Green, one is Blue and the other is black. Is there a standard on the pad colors to tell which one is for what? I found two sources from two different brands that state;

Red- Heavy Cut
Orange- Medium Cut
Blue-Light cut
Green- Soft polish
Black Final finish

are these colors standard? if not is there any other way of telling which one is finer?

[mitmaks]

Yes, they're color coded.

[67Elcamino]

Every brand uses the same color code?

[tech69]

what color green was it? Was it a blue green?

[mitmaks]

Most common are red, yellow, white. I have foam pads too, one is yellow and another one is black for finishing polish.

[67Elcamino]

If i remember correctly the green (not blue green) was from a company called buff n shine. My blue and black might be from
chemical bros. or chemical boys

[deadbodyman]

Here I am at a loss I didnt know they came in different colors other than white and black,black is always for polish white is for cutting ...I remember seeing a detailer using a blue one to apply wax but I dont know if he knew what he was doing or not ,I just thought it was interesting that it was blue...I havent even seen a wool pad in years those were easy to tell ,they are noticably softer.

[67Elcamino]

here is an image displaying all of the colors

[deadbodyman]

I dont care who you are or how much you know ,you just cant help learning something on this site every day...And you thought this was a stupid question ...Well,I'm glad you asked it...now I know something I didnt know yesterday..

[BarryK]

Nothing stupid about this question at all.

Bottom line is in last 10 years the compound companies has made great strides and all the compounds are just excellent but where the problem comes in is the buffing pads.
Years ago a white wool was a cutting pad, yellow a polishing pad, not no more and I don't care what compound you use, use the wrong pad for the product and you are wasting your time and money.

Colors mean NOTHING except to the company that makes that pad.

I use presta, my heavy cutting pad is black, my (1500) medium cut is blue/green, the 2000 cut is blue and for final polishing in wool is the white pad.

You must know the rating of each pad and the color be it a heavy cut (your first) or medium cut as all the compound company's tend to use different colors.

[John long]

Barry, are you saying you do your final buff with wool?

John L

[BarryK]

John,
Yes, I cannot use a foam pad to save my life, as a matter of fact I had a collected of around 30 pads and each one I would try for 30 seconds to three minutes and throw back in cupboard and it was about four years ago I offered them to someone on here that uses foam.

Love my wool!

[deadbodyman]

Well first of its great to see you back barry,its been a while.
what exactly is the problem your having using the foam pads? I'm exactly oppisite I wont buff with a wool pad.actually I can buff with them ,thats what I learned with and used for years but the mess, omg I got so tired of all the hairy mess all over everything ,the first time I tried the foam pads I loved them and never looked back...

[deadbodyman]

Barry K. ,Theres a recent thread called "sanding before cutting and buffing" (or someting close to that ) check it out if you have the time and give us your two cents ,if you would...it's turning out to be a very good thread and your input would make it even better...Your names been mentioned a couple times..

[John long]

Originally Posted by BarryK

John,
Yes, I cannot use a foam pad to save my life, as a matter of fact I had a collected of around 30 pads and each one I would try for 30 seconds to three minutes and throw back in cupboard and it was about four years ago I offered them to someone on here that uses foam.

Love my wool!

LOL. There is proof there is more than one right way! One more question if I may Barry. You said you liked the white wool for final buff but when I went to the Presta web site they indicated their white pad is for aggressive cutting. Do you use their white pad or is there another brand you do your final buff with?

John L