JITTERBUG FOR CLEAR COAT SANDING?

JC Daniel

Promoted Users
I was wandering if anybody uses a jitterbug sander for clear coat sanding? I don't want to use one on clear if it will mess up things?
 
Lol, I am laughing with you, not at you.
Im old school, I use a jitterbug
For all my blocking even if a big quarter panel, I use air file if a large area of filler and jitterbug on small areas, but with all that said, never tried on clear and would be afraid to.
 
I'm never against trying new things..Personally I would paint a panel and give it a shot. I dont own a jitter bug, but i have a problem with buying new tools so.....................................I may end up reporting back on this....hahahaha!
 
I'm trying to remember what sort of mickey mouse sander that might be. :p I think you mean a 4 by 4 square or something?? Or the bigger rectangular, which porter cable/rockwell did make one of. Those things all seemed to go away in woodworking when 5" & 6" random orbital sanders popularly got into market. With any sander/ polisher you have different motions & stroke lengths. Larger is more aggressive & smaller is finer generally.
I'd say inefficient at best & you're stuck cutting sheet paper for it. Rotary/ da sheets can be a different type of paper sometimes.
 
I'm trying to remember what sort of mickey mouse sander that might be. :p I think you mean a 4 by 4 square or something?? Or the bigger rectangular, which porter cable/rockwell did make one of. Those things all seemed to go away in woodworking when 5" & 6" random orbital sanders popularly got into market. With any sander/ polisher you have different motions & stroke lengths. Larger is more aggressive & smaller is finer generally.
I'd say inefficient at best & you're stuck cutting sheet paper for it. Rotary/ da sheets can be a different type of paper sometimes.
I walked down to my garage just so could take a picture for you, did I clean the primer dust off, no.
This is a CP I bought 24 years ago when my original rodac from the 70s finally bit the dust.
Twenty-four years ago almost impossible to find a good one.
 

Attachments

  • 20200502_153724.jpg
    20200502_153724.jpg
    218.2 KB · Views: 218
Last edited:
I walked down to my garage just so could tak a picture for you, did i clean the primer dust off, no.
This is a CP i bought 24 years ag when my orginal rodac from 70s finilly bit dust.
24 years ago almost imposible to find a good one.
Hard to find precut paper too.
 
Hard to find precut paper too.
.buy a full size sleave of 180 grit dry and fold three ways and no waste.
Back in the 70s, I bought heavy duty metal snips and can cut 15 to 20 folded sheets at once.
 
I had a CP like yours as well Barry. Never could get comfortable with it though. Never liked any of the mini straightline or orbitals either. Hutchins wasn't bad but the sanding boards/pads would bend so easily on the mini ones that I just quit using them. Those Hutchins ones weren't cheap either. Power tools for filler helped a lot more before the current generation of body filler which sands a lot easier than the stuff from 20+ years ago. But using power tools for filler is always a trade off, between speed and control.

As for sanding clear I say why reinvent the wheel? DA/Orbitals are easier to control and proven to get the job done.
But in the end it's all in what you are comfortable with.
 
I have an old National Detroit 1/3rd sheet straight line sander, a Sunstrand 2 pad (1/3rd sheet each pad) straight line sander, and a Stuhr 2 pad (1/3rd sheet each pad) straight line sander. I primarily use them to wet sand wood finishes on tabletops to about 1500, which is a nice satin rub. I have tried them with the SPI SS black that I used for my 51 Ford F1 and they were ok. The National Detroit worked the best. However, I would only recommend their use by someone with lots of experience with them, because they can get away from you real quickly and cut right through.

I use a Hutchins Hustler straight line air sander for sanding filler-it's fast and gives me a nice flat surface. I find it handy for use on raw wood as well-cuts fast and keeps the surface very flat.
 
My Dynabrade is a 1/3 sheet pad and I use it all the time on filler but just was "curious" if anybody did use them on clear, I use 2 Dynabrade 6" hook and loop with interface pad on clear all the time. I will stick with the orbitals and leave the jitterbug for other areas.
 
That is the pneumatic version of what I was later thinking they were, hadn't had a pneumatic version in over 30 years. The only place I see the larger electric porter cable version still used today is at chiropractors office with a foam & vinyl pad used for a quick relaxer before being adjusted.
Definitely wouldn't use for clear & if I did pull an old one out to sand with, I'd prep it like I do any foam or rubber block. Hold coarse sandpaper on a true flat surface such as thick glass or cast iron tablesaw top & pull it across paper to check for high spots. Can't expect good results if your tool isn't true.
 
I use a woodworkers electric orbital sander for all my clear coat sanding,
I would think a jitterbug would be about the same, only heavier, use a lot of air
and like said, the sandpaper fitment.
RO sanders are cheap, and now you can get them cordless, with batteries.
In 5" or 6"
 
National Air Sander. Bought this circa 1972-73. Weighs a lot. Never use it, can't remember the last time I used it.
It was what a lot of people used back then.
Thanks for reminding me how old I am...
IMG_0105.jpg
 
Random orbital is a refinement of jitterbug technology that allows the paper to wear evenly and resist loading better. I had a jitterbug a long time ago (80's) but I think somewhere along the way I either chucked it or gave it away.
 
Back
Top