Abrasive HELP

Messages
112
Location
Charlotte, NC
In the General forum there have been some questions regarding abrasives. I though I'd post over here in the finishing section and see if anyone has any good advice.

1. What brand & where do you buy 5" & 6" ROS abrasive pads used for polishing or rubbing out a finish? I'm talking about the series of finer & finer grits and finally buffing pads used with car polish.

2. If anyone has experience using water based finishes like Target USL etc...what type of sandpaper do you use. Looking for quality first, price second.

Thanks
John Whittaker
 
john, i`m a firm believer in the 3-m products.....best to find a local supply house....most body shop supply houses stock them....tod
 
3-M has great products... The Trizac and Micron discs are great for going to a polish. Mirka's Abralon is excellent as you get past 400 grit, and can be used dry or wet. I also like their Abranet products (no hole pattern necessary since it is a mesh) for normal ROS. A little more expensive, but doesn't clog. For bang for buck, I stock alot of Klingspor products. Many great buffing compounds out there -- 3-M marine paste, Farcala water based G systems. Are you polishing a woodend substrate with finish, or a solid surface like Avonite, Corian, or some form of stone?
 
John and I both are going to use some Target water based finishes and need stearate free products for these projects. Any information along these lines as well as answers to Johns origional questions would be of great value also.
 
John, I've sprayed about 6.5 gallons of Target USL and had good results with this "rubbing out" routine.

Spray 3 light and 2 heavier coats of USL lightly sanding between the 4th and 5th coats with 3M 400 grit paper (dry sanding). If you find a bunch of bumpies on the first couple coats, burlap will knock them down pretty quick. Use a damp towel to clean any dust off the piece.

Let the piece cure for a week or more.

Sand the final coat with 3M 600 grit wet/dry paper using water. Sand just enough to knock the nibs down and get a even scratch pattern on the piece.

I then get out the RO Polisher (PC 7424 is what i have) and the Meguiars Fine Cut Cleaner and give it a good going over. This should give you nice satin finish that can be further shined up with Meguiars Machine Glaze or polish if you wish. Final polishing is by hand using Renaissance Wax. The wax and polish i get from Highland Hardware.

The big thing is to let the finish cure for at least a week or you'll find it difficult to get a consistent sheen.

I'm no Flexner so I'm sure there are better or faster processes but I've had good luck doing it this way. YMMV

Brian :)
 
Hi Brian

Glad you are here and thanks for the info. This is exactly the type of polishing/finishing I'm looking for. (Allen too I bet)

Is the P/C 7424 a polisher only or is it the one that can also be used as an ROS?
 
I use USL all the time. I have a Festool Rotex Sander. First I sand with there Platin 500 grit. The switch to Menzenra compounds. with a Hard felt pad. It's sold though Traget Coatings website. Mostly the DD3, And 2L. Between coats I use Festool's Brilliant abrasive 400 Grit, It's Stearate free. With my 150/3 but for the most part after the first coat isn't necessary.
 
Last edited:
Glad you are here and thanks for the info. This is exactly the type of polishing/finishing I'm looking for. (Allen too I bet)

Is the P/C 7424 a polisher only or is it the one that can also be used as an ROS?

John, Thanks for the Welcome!! :wave:

The 7424 is sold as a 6" RO Polisher. I comes with a stiff Hook and Loop pad and a polishing pad but I'm sure to would perform well as a sander, albeit with no dust collection hook up. I envision using it with some 60 grit paper for shaping a chair set but with no DC...... :eek:

Here's a quote from Amazons discription.... The way it’s designed, most people will be able to control the tool with one hand, whether it’s being used as a polisher or as its original purpose, a random-orbit sander.

I used to use a 12" Craftsman Polisher and found the 12" pad did good on large open surfaces like a table top but became all but useless when working on installed shelves and such. The 6" pad on the PC fits much better and still does a good job on the large areas.

Although I haven't tried them yet, somebody (Lee Valley????) sells H&L polishing pads for a standard ROS. It may be a cheaper option than the $120+ PC, however, i also use it on my truck and the LOML's car. (Hmmm shouldn't that be the other way around????? She uses it on my truck and her car??)

Make sure you show us how your finish turns out!

Brian :)
 
For Target USL, I flatten with 320 or 400 grit, (Festool Brilliant, Mirka Abranet, or Norton), usually with a ROS. Then I quickly sand with 600 grit for satin, 800 grit for semigloss. Final step, rub with an old towel.

Ideal time for me to rub is the day after spraying... sooner and it is soft (but it works), later and it is getting hard (takes more effort).

I only use gloss USL - I got burned by having to rub out semigloss regular lacquer - it didn't work well. Jeff Jewitt said you "can't" do it. I now only use gloss, and get softer finishes by rubbing.
 
Charlie brings up a very good point; rubbing out a semi gloss finish to a gloss doesn't work that well. The reason for this is semi gloss contains "flattener's" which absorb/disperse light rays and cloud the finish. Since these flattener's are in the finish and not just on the surface you can't polish all of them to a sheen.

Some folks suggest using nothing but gloss finishes and if you desire a semi gloss, rub it out till you get the effect you're after. This is how i do it and I'm getting good results. IMHO

Also, sanding/rubbing out is a matter of degrees and personal preference. Some like the glass smooth finish you get by sanding the finish to the point there is no wave or variation in the finish, kinda like you'd want on a baby grand piano. I prefer to see some of the wood grain telegraph through the finish, thus i only sand enough to even out the high spots and knock off any dust/spray nibs. If you're after the smooth as glass look you might be well advised to add a couple more coats so you have more to work with. Nothing is worse than sanding through a cured finish. DAMHIKT :eek:

Brian :)
 
Called a buddy that works in a body shop and pointed me to a Sherwin Williams store in town that specializes in auto finishing and carries a wide range of items including some suggested here.

Thanks everyone for the good information.
 
If you are using water based finishes, beware of the auto finishing abrasives that have stearates in them. They reportedly will interfere with the flow of the water based finish.
 
Top