Lake Country Mfg. Wool Pads for Painted Automotive Finishes

Lake Country wool pads for painted automotive finishes.

Many enthusiasts have used wool pads in the past, been disappointed with their performance and never tried them again. That's a shame because, properly made and used, wool pads produce results that can not be duplicated with foam pads.

Wool pads are not created equal. In fact, they are custom crafted for specific tasks by carefully selecting the grade of wool, length of cut, twist and blend of auxiliary fibers. We offer custom designed wool pads for polishing metal and compounding and polishing gel coat (marine fiberglass). Never use these pads on automotive finishes. The pads listed below are specifically made for compounding and leveling automotive finishes with or without a clear coat.

Note on machine polishers: Wool pads require a forced rotation to create the heat needed for "cutting" the finish. While some wool pads can be used with a dual-action machine like the Porter Cable 7424 for lightly polishing aluminum, automotive and marine compounding requires a circular machine polisher. The pads listed below should only be used with circular machine polishers.

Machine Speed: Set machine speed according to the compound or polish manufacturers recommendation.

Three different grades of "cut" are available.

77-216, 6 inch, Prewashed, White Knit Lambswool Pad Mild cut for fresh paint.

Part number 77-216 is a 6 inch diameter pad which requires your machine polisher be fitted with a 6 inch Hook and Loop Backing Plate. We do not recommend using this pad with the 6-1/4 inch backing plate that comes on the Porter Cable 7428 or the 6-1/2 inch backing plate that comes on the Makita 9227.

This is the lightest cut of all our wool pads and is the only wool pad we recommend for use on fresh paint.

Lake Country Mfg. wool pads for painted automotive finishes

After a vehicle is painted, it is typically wet-sanded with 800 grit wet/dry paper, working up to a 1500 grit paper. After wet-sanding the vehicle will have a milky-white finish. A paint technician would then use this 77-216 pad with a compound such as Menzerna Intensive Polish to remove 2000 grit and higher sanding marks. This pad is widely used by automakers at the OEM level and by body shops nationwide. This is basically a disposable pad. When the pad starts to cake with compound residues it can be refreshed three or four times with a stainless steel brush. When the pad becomes so matted with residues that brushing does not restore the knap, discard the pad.

NOTE: 77-216 is a flat pad but it can be used with our FBP-6C Backing Plate even though this plate has a centering plug. The rubber plug will not affect the pads performance.

41-345, 7-1/2 inch, Yellow, 60/40 Wool/Acrylic Blend Pad Medium cut for reconditioning cured old paint.

Part number 41-345 is a 7-1/2 inch diameter pad which requires your machine polisher be fitted with a 6 inch Hook and Loop Backing Plate. This pad will not fit the 6-1/4 inch backing plate that comes on the Porter Cable 7428 or the 6-1/2 inch backing plate that comes on the Makita 9227.

This is a densely packed, longer-lasting, washable and reusable pad with a "medium cut".

This pad is designed for reconditioning whole body paintwork, removing 1500 grit defects and restoring a like-new look to older vehicles. This pad is widely used by car dealers and auctions to make older cars look their best. A vehicle would typically be compounded first using this pad and a compound such as Menzerna Intensive Polish. After compounding polish with a finishing polish such as Menzerna Final Polish II using a white or orange foam pad to remove compounding haze and restore surface gloss.

As pad begins to cake with product, refresh with a stainless steel brush. When the pad becomes so matted with residues that brushing does not restore the knap wash pad in a bucket with Snappy Clean Pad Cleaning Powder, rinse and allow to air dry. These wool pads are washable and reusable.

41-345 is a curved pad with a recess for the backing plate. This pad has a center opening which lines up with the centering plug on our FBP-6C backing plate for perfect alignment.

41-125, 8-1/2 inch, 4 Ply, Twisted, 100% Wool Pad Heavy cut for leveling and reconditioning old paint.

Part number 41-145 is an 8-1/2 inch diameter pad which requires your machine polisher be fitted with a 6 inch to 6-7/8 inch Hook and Loop Backing Plate. This pad will work with the 6-1/4 inch backing plate that comes on the Porter Cable 7428 and the 6-1/2 inch backing plate that comes on the Makita 9227. This pad can be used with our FBP-6C Backing Plate but our FBP-7C Hook-and-Loop Backing Plate perfectly fits the recessed opening in the back of this pad.

This is a densely packed, longer-lasting, washable and reusable pad with a "heavy cut".

This pad is designed for reconditioning whole body paintwork, removing 1000 grit wet-sanding marks, scratches and acid rain spots. This is the #1, most often used pad by body shops, reconditioning shops and professional detailers where maximum cut is desired. This pad will quickly remove the deepest paint defects. This pad should be used by persons with previous wool pad, compounding experience. Because of its cutting power, this pad can burn through the paint or clear coat if improperly used. This pad produces a haze on the surface that must be removed by subsequent polishing with a finishing polish.

With a little experience you'll absolutely love the cutting power of this pad but always exercise caution using this pad on edges.