Dry sanding nitro?

davros

I'm in the latter stages of finishing my es-335 build and thinking about flattening and polishing the nitro finish.

Previously I have used wet and dry with low odour white spirit instead of water to prevent swelling of holes. It works ok but is smelly and unpleasant.

I have been using Mirka Goldflex pads for flattening sanding sealer, and that has worked well with minimal clogging.

Does anyone here dry sand nitro? If so what papers do you use? Any tips? Or, should I stick with wet sanding?

WezV

The mirka goldflex is a good option, no coarser than  600g to start  it only goes to 1000g, but micromesh is a good option after that as long as it is only used for lacquer, or use the higher grade wet and dry papers.  1500 micromesh is equivalent to 600g in normal abrasive grades, but I still find the mirlka a better starting abrasive for the worst orange peel

You can also wetsand with IPA instead of white spirit.  Isopropyl Alcohol, not India Pale Ale.  It's not as unpleasant as white spirit. Ventilation is still a good idea though

I find the white spirit smell gets worse the older the bottle.

Kittyfrisk

WezV said:

The mirka goldflex is a good option, no coarser than  600g to start  it only goes to 1000g, but micromesh is a good option after that as long as it is only used for lacquer, or use the higher grade wet and dry papers.  1500 micromesh is equivalent to 600g in normal abrasive grades, but I still find the mirlka a better starting abrasive for the worst orange peel

You can also wetsand with IPA instead of white spirit.  Isopropyl Alcohol, not India Pale Ale.  It's not as unpleasant as white spirit. Ventilation is still a good idea though

I find the white spirit smell gets worse the older the bottle.

Stating the blindingly bleeding obvious here, but wear suitable protective gloves. As well as being a respiratory sensitiser,  Isopropyl will remove oils from your skin very efficiently 

rexter

Used to always use Mirka Microstar dry with a DA sander. Usually 1000 grit to start, just keep wiping the dust off the sanding disc with a soft cloth. Can do the curves and roundovers by hand if you have a vicious sander.

The Mirka Abralon disc pads are good for the finer polishing stages after the initial cut. Can use those dry or slightly dampened. 

it’s an incredible feeling when you realise you can be free of wet sanding by hand! 

davros

Thanks chaps, the microstar looks good, might see if I can get a variety pack off ebay. The micromesh looks good to but expensive. I'm not brave enough to use a RA sander on paint yet, but I can use them by hand.

rexter

Microstar still good by hand with a block, but really good with a sander. I think that’s a wise call though - I maybe wouldn’t use a sander on a finish I’d sprayed with aerosols. Especially with flakes! The 335 is looking amazing - can’t wait to see it finished!

davros

Thanks, hoping to have 3 more cans arrive soon so I can get the last coats on.

MikeP

rexter said:

Used to always use Mirka Microstar dry with a DA sander. Usually 1000 grit to start, just keep wiping the dust off the sanding disc with a soft cloth. Can do the curves and roundovers by hand if you have a vicious sander.

The Mirka Abralon disc pads are good for the finer polishing stages after the initial cut. Can use those dry or slightly dampened. 

it’s an incredible feeling when you realise you can be free of wet sanding by hand! 

What's a DA sander and what model/ brand do you use?

davros

Dual action / random orbital. Goes around in small circles like an orbital sander but also spins to mix it up a little.

I expect Rexter has a nice mirka sander or something! Mine is a crappy mac allister POS, need to upgrade.

MikeP

Dual action, not heard that. I'm hoping he's got something cheaper...

rexter

MikeP said:

rexter said:

Used to always use Mirka Microstar dry with a DA sander. Usually 1000 grit to start, just keep wiping the dust off the sanding disc with a soft cloth. Can do the curves and roundovers by hand if you have a vicious sander.

The Mirka Abralon disc pads are good for the finer polishing stages after the initial cut. Can use those dry or slightly dampened. 

it’s an incredible feeling when you realise you can be free of wet sanding by hand! 

What's a DA sander and what model/ brand do you use?

Multiple Mirka sanders back in the day but I used the 2.5mm orbital one for sanding lacquer and the finer jobs. 

5mm one for bare wood and stripping (can also eat through a poly finish in a matter of minutes).

Killed my last Mirka sander on a floor last year and I can’t justify buying another now I’m not doing finishing on the day to day. 

Recently I’ve been using an ancient Wickes eccentric sander that’s a bit heavy and clumsy but still
good for sanding lacquer dry. It has a 5mm orbital but is surprisingly ok for dry sanding lacquered flat tops. Used it on two bodies recently. 

I use it to flat the penultimate clear coat back with 1000 and then spray a final flash/levelling coat with lots of retarder. Avoids final wet sanding and buffing and i think that super thinned final coat makes checking and ageing more natural and quicker to appear if you want it.

MikeP

I killed my dewalt on floors... more interested in affordable recommendations for wood prep than finish sanding, sorry for butting in on your thread!

rexter

MikeP said:

I killed my dewalt on floors... more interested in affordable recommendations for wood prep than finish sanding, sorry for butting in on your thread!

I was using my Mirka on the floors to see if I could save £150 hiring a floor sander. Of course I couldn’t… I killed a £450 sander and still had to spend that £150 hiring the machine!!

If I was going to get a new sander now I’d look at getting one of the Mirka clones from Ali Express - Maxxxt or something is the brand name. 

I know it’s maybe not the most ethical, respectful
of IP (hot topic this week!) but by all accounts they come very close to the Mirka but will save you £ 3-400.

The best thing about the Mirka and the army of clones now is the dust extraction. Amazing tool to have for diy, sanding plaster walls etc with zero dust. 

Honestly though, for woodworking this Wickes thing that I got from my dad is great, apart from lack of dust collection/vacuum port. 

Going from having literally everything at my disposal to very modest tools has reminded me that getting the most out of more humble tools is quite satisfying and you don’t need to spend hundreds and hundreds to make a guitar, it just helps with speed and consistency. 

MikeP

Thanks, they're all air compressor powered aren't they? I don't have one of those... and you're saying you want the matching vacuum?

rexter

MikeP said:

Thanks, they're all air compressor powered aren't they? I don't have one of those... and you're saying you want the matching vacuum?

No all 240v - you can get the air powered versions which are much much cheaper but they are very air hungry. Even with my old compressor which was a huge 250l industrial beast it wasn’t worth using an air powered one.  Tried a Mirka air powered one for a while but it wasn’t worth running the huge compressor to use it.

you don’t need a special vacuum - Henry hoovers work brilliantly actually!