The body on my Mercury is really straight, but there are some chips in the paint here and there and some deep scratches. I am not set up to paint, but I can do simple body work and prep for paint to save money. Where is the best place to buy sandpaper and sanding discs for this type of work? The MAACO paint on the car right now is not real smooth when you get up to it so it will need a good sanding all over. Also, my compressor is marginal for running an orbital sander. What do you guys recommend as far as getting good sanding on the car? I see the round pad that chucks up in a drill, but that seems unwieldy. I have a DeWalt 5 inch angle grinder with variable speed. Is there a pad that will go on it to attach sanding discs to? What else am I looking at?
Do it the traditional way,you don't need a orbital sander or a compressor,,grab you a few paint paddles and some sandpaper,a bucket of soapy water and go to work,,it doesn't get much cheaper than that. HRP
^^^^^ What he said, sand by hand. The small amount of sand paper you use to do one car limits the need for any price shopping other than calling around town to find out who is the cheapest.
If you use an orbital sander for anything short of stripping to bare metal for a complete repaint, your once "really straight" body will be waving at you from end to end.
Block it out by hand... wet sand if you just want to smooth it out. Auto Body Toolmart has pretty good prices if buying in quantity....
Right on. I have elbow grease to apply. It's pretty cheap around here!! LOL I'll get on the sanding block.
My thoughts exactly. Then I see guys doing bodywork on tv shows like Car Warriors and they're using one to level filler or prep for paint and I'm like WTF am I missing?
You can make just about anything to use as a tool to get into tight and curved spaces,as an example the edges of a bondo applicator wrapped in sandpaper will bring you closer to your inside seams and curve endings for a better job,and buy the good paper as it will last longer. n
To save the most money and do a good job in the least time buy QUALITY paper. Flint paper and all that stuff is really cheap but meant for wood. Best to go to an autobody supply and get automotive grade paper.
I buy mine on line at Online Industrial Supply. Just google it. I am sure it will pop up. I buy the Indasa brand of paper and have been pretty happy with it. I buy it in bulk rolls and cut to fit my boards and blocks. I agree with others do it by hand using a long board and blocks for the best results. I have no use for an orbital type sander.
If all you want to do is take care of the chips and scratches and get a coat of paint on it, spend the money and buy a D-A sander. Screw the paint paddles and 2x4s. There is nothing traditional about working your ass off for nothing. When is the last time any of you tried feathering out a paint chip or scratch with a piece of wood? Unreal.
Sonnaofab"``°ch,,, I thought I was a tight azz.. go spend $65 on paper. Wait till you need a quality paint. And not some BS flat black in a rattle can
Lets see your paint job!,,I always use the paint paddle method to achieve a good looking paint job,where it's a chip or the entire paint job,it takes time to do nice work! HRP
you also have to watch DA sanders. they will leave little circle marks in your paintjob say if you pick up a piece of dirt or the crappy paint wads up on the paper. Itll leave marks behind. It depends on the quality you want. you can do a pretty nice job with a DA if you experienced with it. But Hand sanding is the only way to get things perfect perfect. As far as sandpaper you can purchase it at your local paint store. Buy name brand
I agree with the others block sand by hand using a paint stick and a pail of soapy water. It's worked for years and it will work for you. Just take your time and realize it won't get done in a day or ever a few days. Jimbo
i use this from home depot..it holds up and is on good paper..doesnt rip to pieces after a couple of runs...on the other hand i got some from harbor freight was a cheap price and fell apart..who would of saw that coming....stick with better quality
hand sand wet. we have a local auto paint jobber that sells Fandeli paper. it's very inexpensive and seems to have very consistent grit that lasts well. only problem with it is the backing paper is pretty hard and requires that you soak it overnight. for .25 a sheet I don't mind for the 600-1200 grit range. when I get down to the 1500 or 2000 I spend the buck+ a sheet for 3M paper. softer backing and lasts well. only need to soak 20 minutes or so. YMMV Russ
X2, I am currently doing a 26 T coupe using the indasa paper from Online Industrial Supply. It is very good sandpaper at the best price I could find. And don't use a DA. You will end up with a friendly body. (It's waving at you.) Use the longest block appropriate for the area you're working on.
I have always had good luck with Lehigh Valley Abrasives. http://www.lehighvalleyabrasives.com/servlet/the-Sanding-Discs-&-Paper/Categories
I'll tell you where not to buy, that would be Harbor Freight ! I had some really rusty angle iron I wanted to dress up and paint with a brush. One swipe of that cheap ass sand paper all the sand fell right off. It did burn pretty good in that night's fire though.