random orbital sander.

Trigger_Andy · Post by **Trigger_Andy** » Sun May 16, 04 3:09 pm

i have taken the advice of a helpfull guy who on the old board recomended that i use the a random orbital sander instead of the angle grinder pads. what i would like to know is whats the best pads to use and whats the best grade? im finding it very slow going and the pads just clog up after a few minutes. its a bosch 400 modle with vacuum dust extraction.
any help will be much appreciated.
cheers andy

Ivor · Post by **Ivor** » Thu May 20, 04 2:17 pm

Sorry I haven't replied to this earlier, I've been out and about working and didn't spot it until today.
There is a bit of confusion over what a random orbital sander and a dual action (DA) sander is, but generally, the professional automotive refinish industry uses DAs, which usually have a stick on or velcro backed circular disc and the woodworking/domestic market uses the square based random orbital sanders that take strips of abrasive.
DA discs supplied by manufacturers like 3M and Mirka for DA sanders are designed specifically for automotive finishes and should be fast in use and will take a fair while to clog.
As an example, I've removed nearly all the paint from the Road Runner with a standard National Detroit DA Sander and Gold 80 grit discs.
The paint came off like a dose of salts and the surface finish on the steel isn't deeply scratched because of the dual action of the sander and only needed a light whis over with a 15 disc to achieve a nice clean finish and a key for two pack epoxy etch primer.
I'm guessing that your Bosch sander is designed for home use and if that's the case, you'll be there for a month just trying to do one panel...if you can describe the sander and the abrasive you're using, I'll see what I can do to help.

Dave-R · Post by **Dave-R** » Thu May 20, 04 3:45 pm

Is this it?

http://www.tool-net.co.uk/data/index.php?ToolID=314209

Ivor · Post by **Ivor** » Thu May 20, 04 6:07 pm

Good ol' Dave, he always knows where to find this sort of thing.

If that's the baby, it's certainly better than the square things you get in the hardware store, but the disk is an inch smaller than the professional disks.

Ideally, you need the six inch backing disk to take the pro disks, so you can get the performance...to really take the paint off, you need a DA rotation of about 5/16".

Dave-R · Post by **Dave-R** » Thu May 20, 04 6:29 pm

I have an interest in this topic as I will be attacking the Challenger with my domestic orbital sander next winter. Mine is a Black n Decker I think? It is covered in so much sawdust/dirt/paint/plaster you cannot tell any more!

I might have found someone local who can do me a good deal on the painting as long as I do all the major prep work. Would I need to go back to metal or just down to primer?

I was hoping that I just need to flattern the areas of good paint and only need to get down to metal in the rust spots.

Here is a photo of my garage as it is at the moment!

It does need just a little more work!

Ivor · Post by **Ivor** » Fri May 21, 04 8:54 am

Please...don't use your home orbital sander, your painter won't thank you for it!
By the way Dave, I'm no builder, but I reckon your garage roof leaks

Dave-R · Post by **Dave-R** » Fri May 21, 04 10:02 am

OK Ivor! I will stick to the old angle grinder then.

Hey! The garage might let a little water in mate but it has hot and cold water plumbed in already!

Blue · Post by **Blue** » Fri May 21, 04 2:43 pm

And the shelves are up!

Trigger_Andy · Post by **Trigger_Andy** » Sat May 22, 04 12:47 am

cheers for the advice ivor,
what a pain in the neck! ive just went out and bought the thing plus 50 sanding discs!! the reason i bought the sander is that it said it is good for car body's. it was the sander in the link so cheers for that. where do you pick up DA's? are they air or 240v driven? i dont have a compressor but if i have to buy one what size will i require? and can you hire these sanders? im only gonna be using it for one car(hopefully) so its hard to justify the expence.
any thought on this will be well recieved.
cheers all

Dave-R · Post by **Dave-R** » Sat May 22, 04 9:38 am

I would check out your local tool hire company. It is amazing what they have for hire.

Trigger_Andy · Post by **Trigger_Andy** » Sat May 22, 04 11:17 pm

i will do when i get home,im off-shore just now. i hope they do do a DA.still dont know if they are avaliable in 240v yet though. any one know?
cheers andy

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Sun May 23, 04 1:04 am

i've had a 240 volt DA for 10 years, you can't go wrong it. Try your local car paint refinnishers thats where i got mine 8)

Trigger_Andy · Post by **Trigger_Andy** » Sun May 23, 04 2:05 am

cheers derik,
do you have any ides of how much they are these days?
cheers andy

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Sun May 23, 04 6:47 pm

Andy
a 240 volt da will cost about ?150, an air da will cost about ?35 but only any good if you have a compressor to work it from .

Trigger_Andy · Post by **Trigger_Andy** » Wed May 26, 04 7:47 am

ok,ive just bought a ingersol-rand DA sander which is still in the post.
does anyone know where to buy the sanding discs from and what size of compressor will i require to run it? ie hp and ltr of tank?
cheers all,
andy