Small hand-held MOP
Discussion
In the excellent Ch4 documentary "How to build British - Morgan", several of the scenes show factory workers with small (sometimes one-handed) polishing MOPs. Anyone know where to get them ? (I have one of the large, mains-powered 2-handed ones, but it's a bit clumsy for detail work).
The yellow Mirka will be a dual action / random orbit sander rather than a polishing mop. though nothing to stop you attaching a polishing head, (just if your googling you will get more hits with the right name), the smallest versions like pictured will be compressed air powered.
The red one looks to be a Milawaukee M12 cordless polisher (or similar)
The red one looks to be a Milawaukee M12 cordless polisher (or similar)
https://www.detailingworld.co.uk/
Website for all things car sprucing up.
Have a look in there in the equipment and the “how to” sections.
It can be a bit overwhelming at first!
Tip.....a dual action machine is safer than pure rotary in preventing learners damaging the surface.
Polishing takes time. Don’t expect instant mirror finish. You gradually move to finer polish grades to get the final finish. Basically creating finer scratches removing some surface at each change. Sounds crude but that is what it is.
My dad was a coachbuilder and taught me a lot and got me practicing on scrap panels for car paintwork, progressed to a fridge before he let me loose on a car!
Thanks for the tips and weblink. I'm not planning to tackle any fridges (although I did like that bit !). In a previous incarnation I owned many TVRs and made what I thought was a competent job of entire bonnets, using good ol' elbow grease in the early days, and later a mains orbital polisher / MOP. It's smaller jobs on my current Morgan Roadster for which I need the mini-polisher (orbital logic duly noted).
lordofthewings said:
In the excellent Ch4 documentary "How to build British - Morgan", several of the scenes show factory workers with small (sometimes one-handed) polishing MOPs. Anyone know where to get them ?
I solved my own problem. The trick is to search for a different description, I got mine on Ebay "Mini Nano Dual Action & Rotary Battery Paint Correction Polisher Machine". It is supplied with two power packs and a charger (UK adaptor), and a variety of pads in 1" and 2" diameters. Reasonably priced IMHO for what it does, and works a treat !
lordofthewings said:
I solved my own problem. The trick is to search for a different description, I got mine on Ebay "Mini Nano Dual Action & Rotary Battery Paint Correction Polisher Machine".
It is supplied with two power packs and a charger (UK adaptor), and a variety of pads in 1" and 2" diameters. Reasonably priced IMHO for what it does, and works a treat !
It would be interesting to see how you get along with it. It is supplied with two power packs and a charger (UK adaptor), and a variety of pads in 1" and 2" diameters. Reasonably priced IMHO for what it does, and works a treat !
TBH I’d only ever use that for very confined areas (numberplate insets etc) and for fiddly jobs like headlight restoration and would be looking at a three inch or more diameter DA (Rupes or similar) for the main body work.
EDIT - I think dewalt does a compact cordless DA but it might be hard to find at the moment.
Correct, that's exactly what I need it for. A already have a mains-powered MOP which works well on bonnet-sized areas, as per my previous posts. I'll try to do some pics of "before and after" areas on the Roadster, there are still a couple to do but (a) they are very small, and (b) my photographic skills may be lacking. I also have an entirely different polisher for alloy wheels, not applicable to the wires on the Morgan, but it did a good job on the corroded alloys on a previous TVR. Incidentally the wires on the Roadster have Morgan-logo valve caps, I can't convince myself whether they are highly desirable or totally unnecessary and will get stolen some day.
Edited by lordofthewings on Wednesday 25th August 12:25
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