80 grit drywall sanding paper in a drywall board works great. The drywall board is longer and wider than a 1/4" sheet palm block and is very comfortable to use. The sanding sheets come pre cut in packages of 25 and are very reasonably priced. When you consider the time saved in not cutting sheets it's well worth it. For some reason the drywall paper doesn't clog as bad as regular paper and it lasts much longer. This stuff works great for roughing in bondo work and when the paper starts wearing out it's great for pre primer blocking work.
Yep, it does work really well, and it's cheap stuf (comparably speaking). I think the design/coating that they put on it helps it keep from clogging up. Ever tried sanding plaster with regular sand papper! Also the drywall sanding screens work well for roughing in bondo and never clog. They do wear out a little faster though.
I'm thinkin most of you already know this but when wet sanding a little washing up liquid in the water will help stop clogging too.
and the bonus is you can use one of those long pole handles so you don't have to work in a cloud of bondo dust oh! hey can you apply the bondo with a bazooka? seriously though that's a great idea Nads! I'm right in the middle of that phase right now, I'm gonna get me some! Thanks! Paul
Hey, you're the man. I never knew you could use the stuff. I mean, it's sanding paper and of course it would work, but I've always been busy using the usual 3M stuff. Didn't realize the drywall stuff. I'll be hittin' up OSH more often then.
since you brought up sanding: i'll post a tip about polishing cast aluminum. start with 400 grit and go up to 600-800-1000... use an orbital sander for best results. jewelers rouge and a cotton wheel on a drill will give an even better shine, but for flatter / uniform surfaces (i.e. club plaques, uniformly round things) there is no reason to go beyond the paper. another club plaque tip is to paint first (kinda a no brainer). But i use one shot... (it is the shiniest and leaves no brush strokes) as a second coat, i spray enamel first and brush one shot over it in the larger areas only after sanding / polishing. i'd show you my plaque work but knowbody is supposed to know what club i'm in...
Here's another tip...you know how when you are roughing bondo in while it's green (right after it "kicks") and your 36/40 grit keeps clogging up? Well, take a hacksaw blade and slap the block...all the little chunks will fall off and you can keep using that sheet of paper...doesn't have to be a hacksaw blade, just something thin to "slap" it with. I think I originally read this in a shop tips edition of Hot Rod in the eighties... Brian
when you need to rip a piece of sandpaper, fold it towards the grit side first. then fold it paper side to paper side, and you will have a nice straight line to rip on. try it both ways, it makes a difference.
Good tip, Nads. For finish work, you can take two flat pieces of plastic(length and width adjustable for different areas)Attach the grit you are using to one side and 80 grit to the "palm"side The 80 will keep your hands from slipping on the flat board and the plastic will conform to the curvature of the area you are working on,Fenders, hoods, etc,.etc,. It just takes a little getting use to the rough and tender pal;ms caused by the 80 grit. But you get a feel for the panel and the degree of finish you seek. Jim
This is sanding related and saves a ton of work. Instead of using body filler to cover your entire panel before giving it the guide coat sand. Buy a gallon of primer called Z-Chrome. This stuff is high solid and goes on so thick that it'll cover all the small scratches and imperfections, you can then give it the final sand prior to final paint. Works good!
Z-chrome? Is it compatible with urethane finishes? Is it really "hot" and cause shrinkage of red putty? How quick does it dar and can it be wet sanded? Thanks petejoe, I wanna try it.
Good post Nads. But what do you do when you just got done sheetrocking the walls in your newly built garage/workshop and you used all the drywall sandpaper on your cars bodywork??? Lightly wipe over the joint compound with a damp sponge. It's fast, comes out smooth and theres no dust. If only body filler were so easy. Billy
Nads, It is compatible, alot of guys use it with very minimal shrinkage. I used it on the 37 and I loved it. Check out your paint supplier for this stuff. Check out this guys interpretation. Z-chrome here's anotherz chrome Check out a search on the stuff lots of first hand info..
Also ,If you use a light hand instead of bearing down on it ,it will last longer and do the same amount of cutting.
When the filler has kicked about half way use a cheese grader file to get it close, let it kick the rest of the way and then sand...
How much of a difference is there between brands of sandpaper of the same grit? Is a 320 different from brand to brand of are they similar in grit? Someone told me that there is a big difference between say 3-M and other brands.
The 320 number refers to the amount of grains of abrasive material per square inch. The numbers are universal. No matter what the grit, cheap sandpaper ****s. -Abone.
Here's my sanding tip-for tight spots like door jambs and getting in the corners around a cowl or running board for example-I use an old hotel room key(card) wrap two grits-one on opposite ends-in this example I used 320 grit and 150 grit. Any self adhesive paper works The cards are stiff yet flexible and allow you to get a nice finish on filler or primer in tight spots (PS these cards work real good for spreading filler also)
Another trick for curved surfaces is to take a magazine and roll it real tight, wrap with masking tape from one end to the other. I wrap as evenly as I can. You can make these any size in diameter. I have one I've used for 30 years. Free and easy.
The best sanding tip is don't cheap out on the body filler you buy. Todays top end fillers sand incredibly well compared to what was even available 5 years ago. If you need to start your sanding with anything less than 80 grit these days you seriously need to try some of the newer fillers. Yes $50 for a gallon of filler might seem like a lot but when you use 30-40% less sand paper and time to sand them the increase in cost is not that great. No ones seems to think how much more you spend on paper when you buy cheap filler. Everyone always looks like filler is such a great expense but when you put it into perspective of what an entire build cost it is peanuts even if you buy good quality filler.
The Jalopy Journal
