Lake Country Wool Pads

Out of the wide range of wool pads Lake Country currently produces for various automotive applications, we favour the foamed wool and pre-washed lambswool designs for detailing purposes. Foamed wool is a brand new patented concept that takes pre-washed lambswool fibres and coats them with microscopic foam particles. This results in a pad that not only cuts aggressively, as you might expect, but that also finishes down well, meaning that less compounding is subsequently required to correct any pig-tailing. The pre-washed lambswool offers a less aggressive alternative to foamed wool in situations where less intensive correction work is required, and produces a high gloss finish that requires relatively little refining during the subsequent final polishing step. In the past we used to avoid using wool due to the mess it usually creates (in the form of lint and sling), but these pads have changed all that because their super dense, plush design works brilliantly without creating any mess whatsoever. Furthermore, the two grades of wool available seem to be ideally suited to intensive correction work on harder European paints, and run a lot cooler in use than hard foam compounding pads, which means the risk of overheating the working surface is greatly reduced. In short, Lake Country Wool Pads are superb in every respect, and highly recommended for professionals in need of extra rotary cutting power on harder paint types.

Lake Country produce a wide range of wool pads for various automotive applications, but the two grades that stand out for detailing purposes are the foamed wool and pre-washed lambswool offerings. Foamed wool is a brand new patented nanofoam design concept that takes pre-washed lambswool fibres and encapsulates them with microscopic polyfoam particles. This results in a pad that cuts aggressively like natural sheepskin but finishes down without hazing like a foam compounding pad. Further benefits of this design include significantly reduced linting (because the fibres are locked in by the foam) and greater resistance to caking and matting (which means the pads last longer). Pre-washed lambswool offers a less aggressive alternative to foamed wool in situations where less intensive correction work is required. Using a proprietary process, lambswool is initially knitted into a synthetic backing material before being intensively washed. This process blossoms the individual lambswool fibres and results in a nearly lint-free pad which will not matt down as quickly as other wool pads. Best of all, pre-washed lambswool produces a high gloss finish that requires less refining during the subsequent final polishing step.

General usage notes: (i) always select the least aggressive pad you think you will need to achieve the desired result, and step up one grade at a time if more cut is required (ii) always ensure that you centre each pad properly on the backing plate (this can take several attempts to get right, but is vital if the machine is to remain perfectly balanced during use); (iii) always use an appropriate sized pad for the backing plate you are using (the pad should always protrude past the edge of the backing plate, never the other way around); (iv) always ensure that spent polish residue on the face of the pad is brushed off regularly during use using a Meguiar’s Triple Duty Detailing Brush (failure to follow this advice can lead to micromarring of the finish, so don’t be lazy!); (v) after use, soak each pad in a bucket of Lake Country Snappy Pad Cleaner solution for 15 minutes and then rinse under fresh running water (using your fingertips to massage out any remaining polish residue) and allow to dry naturally, and; (vi) whilst not in use, store in a dry, dust-free environment (lidded plastic storage boxes are ideal in this respect).