Rotex 90 for shaping, honing and polishing stone

[Rob Z]

An FYI for anyone here working with stone....

We  recently got some Platin discs from Tom Bellemare for the RO90, and weren't sure what we would do with them (we already have platin for the RO150).    It turns out that the RO90 does a fine job shaping and polishing softer stone such as travertine.

We have a job now where it's dificult to set up outside and do much of anything, and with the cold weather my alpha wet polisher and profiling gear for the wetsaw aren't that attractive of an option.

We used various abrasives to shape bullnosed and chamfered profiles on travertine and then used Platin to hone the cut and sanded edges to match the honed finish on the stone.

Very handy, done onsite in the bathroom we are remodeling, no mess, and best of all----no freezing hands from using the wetsaw in the cold!

 

[greenMonster]

That's very good to know!

What grit did you use? I'd be curious to see a video, if you're bored next time  [smile]

 

[Rob Z]

We'll have to see about the video......I might be the only person in the US that hasn't made a video and posted it on youtube!

I recall Eddy (my employee-seen in the picture) told me that platin 500 was good enough for honing.  We've used the finer grits (down to 4000) to polish glass.  The roughing-in was done with (I think) Rubin 80 grit.

 

[Sparktrician]

The RO90 with Platin also does a spectacular job of buffing out well-worn polycarbonate headlight lenses so that they put light where it is needed once again.  I did my 13+ year-old truck's lights recently and was very pleased.  I also did a friend's truck's headlights with great success.  Nearly gave my friend a heart attack when I started using the 500 grit until I told him that it would look worse before it looked better.  When I got to the 4000 grit, he really started smiling.  A finish with Meguiar's PlastX on a felt pad on my RO125 brought things looking almost new. 

[smile]

 

[fatroman]

Just saw Rob and he says it was 180 Rubin and not 80 that he used for the rough part.

 

[Rob Z]

Steve, thanks for the assist!

Willy, have you ever used the Platin to polish painted metal surfaces on a vehicle?

 

[Sparktrician]

Willy, have you ever used the Platin to polish painted metal surfaces on a vehicle?

In a word, no.  I've wondered if the 4000 grit Platin would clean up clearcoat, but I've never tried it.  It's something to consider, though.  I do wonder if the clearcoat residue would clog the Platin, either wet or dry.  I did the headlights dry so the dust from the polycarbonate lenses would fall away rather than clog the abrasive pads.  The PlastX finish was done wet, since that's how it comes. 

[smile]

 

[Rob Z]

Willy, thanks, I'll ask Tom about this.  I have a few stains and other thingss on our work trucks which I would like to make look better. I don't need a super finish like someone might want on their sports car, but at least I would like to keep the trucks looking decent (without buying a Shinex!)

 

[Rob Z]

We ended up using coarser grits to hog out more material and make travertine  base trim.  The Platin then honed all the roundovers nicely.  Again, it was great to do this inside, no water, out of the cold.

One mishap occurred when Eddy was cleaning the grout joints.  He scratched the surface of a piece of stone, which normally would mean having to cut the tile out and then replace it with a new piece of stone (a real PITA).  

It was a real bonus to learn that he could polish out the scratch in place with various grits, then hone and blend the finish in to match the surrounding stone.   It's not practical to do this in place with the Alpha wet polisher because of the machine slings water all over the place .

I went by on Thursday, and Eddy showed me an area which contained a dozen or so tiles. I couldn't find the area which had been scratched, and I couldn't detect any difference in the honed finish.

 

[live4ever]

I've got some edges of marble backsplash on which I need to hone a bevel/chamfer and the backsplash is already installed.  I tried my RO90 with 60 grit Granat in rotex mode (speeds 1-2) and it actually does a fine job of honing the chamfer.  However, I'm a bit worried about wearing out the pad - I tried this for about 5-10 minutes and already the pad was loosing its grip in a few spots around the edge (and it's a fairly new hard pad).  Any tips?

 

[tbellemare]

Is the CT at full power?

When you're on an edge, it can't pull the sander in to the work and it will offer more pad cooling.

Tom

 

[live4ever]

Thanks Tom, that's a good tip.  I'll run the vac (it's a Fein, gasp) at full power. 

Looking forward to getting past the honing and trying out the polishing with the platin assortment I got from you!

 

[jacko9]

I bought the RO 90 for sanding hardwood in furniture building but, this stone polishing has me interested.  I have a green/black marble fireplace surround facing that's getting dull after 30 years and was wondering what I would need to get the shine back?

Tom, do you have any recommendations? 

 

[tbellemare]

I'm thinking Platin is part of the trick, Jack. I would start with the 4000 and see if it worked. It may make sense to go a little rougher, say 2000, or even 1000 and work your way back up. I would start with the finest first as a measure of safety.

I know Rob (OP) uses Platin to finish glass tile edges and seems pretty satisfied and he's somewhat of a perfectionist.

I would certainly defer to his expertise because he does this stuff all the time. My personal experience with marble is that there appears to be a lot of difference in hardness from one sample/species to another. I'm guessing that to get a really nice sheen, you'll end up with a polishing compound and a sponge or felt.

Is there a spot on that fireplace that isn't too conspicuous so you can experiment a little?

Tom

 

[jacko9]

Tom, Can you set me up with a kit that includes the 4000 and 2000 Platin and some polishing material with either felt or sponge or both if you think I might use them.

I also have a another fireplace with travertine tile with some rough edges that I would like to round over and polish.

Thanks for your suggestions,

Jack

 

[tbellemare]

Jack:

If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to Rob and ask his opinion. I'd hate for you to go down a dead end...

Tom

 

[jacko9]

Thanks Tom,

Let me know what he thinks.  I also would like to polish my car headlight plastic cover that's turned very dull.

 

[tbellemare]

The RO90 with Platin also does a spectacular job of buffing out well-worn polycarbonate headlight lenses so that they put light where it is needed once again.  I did my 13+ year-old truck's lights recently and was very pleased.  I also did a friend's truck's headlights with great success.  Nearly gave my friend a heart attack when I started using the 500 grit until I told him that it would look worse before it looked better.  When I got to the 4000 grit, he really started smiling.  A finish with Meguiar's PlastX on a felt pad on my RO125 brought things looking almost new. 

[smile]

It sounds like Mr. Sparktrician has the formula for certain headlights, Jack...

I'll try to talk to Rob tomorrow. We had a conversation today and I know he's quite busy.

Tom

 

[FulThrotl]

The RO90 with Platin also does a spectacular job of buffing out well-worn polycarbonate headlight lenses so that they put light where it is needed once again.  I did my 13+ year-old truck's lights recently and was very pleased.  I also did a friend's truck's headlights with great success.  Nearly gave my friend a heart attack when I started using the 500 grit until I told him that it would look worse before it looked better.  When I got to the 4000 grit, he really started smiling.  A finish with Meguiar's PlastX on a felt pad on my RO125 brought things looking almost new. 

[smile]

It sounds like Mr. Sparktrician has the formula for certain headlights, Jack...

I'll try to talk to Rob tomorrow. We had a conversation today and I know he's quite busy.

Tom

i had a nasty snarf on the plex windscreen of the suzuki, and a replacement is $150...

sanded the snarf out with 1000 platin, then went 2000 and 4000, and some black
magic detailing liquid on a buff, and it's pretty hard to tell anything ever happened.

i've taken a thick layer of poly off a dining room table with 120 grit in the ro 90,
and didn't cut thru the veneer, and it was around .040" veneer....

bunch of folks are using ro 90's and 150's for car detailing....

Festool Rotex RO 150

 

[monstrol]

Hasselfactor has a whole series on how she cleaned up and polished the clear coat on her big sailboat with a RO125.  It was on talkfestool.
She has a ton of expertise. [smile]