Re: Polishers, was Griot's Clay Alert

[tnas@dtpdirect.nl (Tom Nas, DTP Direct bv)]

(snip)

>This got me to looking at other sanders (random orbit) and wondering which
>would be good at polishing.  It seems to boil down to speed range, and
>herein lies the question.  What is the best speed range when using the
>large foam wheels that both Griot's and Imparts sell?  Is it best @ 2000 -
>2500 obm, or would it work as well at 4500 obm?  I really like the feel of
>a Bosch sander, but it only goes down to 4500 obm.  Thanks for any input.

I've got a Black&Decker 125mm orbital sander, which I like very much. When
I used it with a foam pad and rubbing compound on my very neglected '80
Jetta, it gave a beautiful shine with hardly any effort. I did a complete
car, including a wash, in 4 hours, and it looked like new! Atmittedly I was
working like h*ll because it was getting dark, but the car still looked
beautiful. I'd bought it for Dfl 500 and sold it a year later for Dfl 2500
after polishing and fitting a new interior, with the guy remarking that it
was the nicest Jetta he'd seen for some time!
Hint: a high rpm is essential for good polishing, but this can be achieved
by not using force on the sander. Leading the sander over the panel, which
you have first given a good dose of rubbing compound, gives the best
result. My Jetta's paint was completely flat, and I thought it needed a
respray. But the polishing made it shine! Shame the car was still beige,
though... ;-)

CAVEAT: I wouldn't do this more than once in a car's life, personally. But
using a lighter abrasive should result in less paint coming off, and going
from a coarse to a fine compound can lead to beautiful results. Results on
metallics (esp. clearcoated) are varying.

Tom
1988 80 1.8S

 _______________________________________________________________________
   Tom W. Nas, graphic design                        tnas@dtpdirect.nl
   DTP Direct bv                              Voice +31 (55) 5 790 799
   Apeldoorn, the Netherlands                   Fax +31 (55) 5 790 125

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