What DA for sanding clear coat?

Bossed

Bossed

Member
Hey guys, been looking and searching till I'm about cross eyed. Any recommendations, opinions would be greatly appreciated. I've seen most recommend a 3/32 offset. Trying to get a game plan together for cutting and polishing an SPI Black/Universal Clear paint job.
 
i have been down this road a long time ago. bought a nice 3/32 dynabrade. sold it 2 weeks later. i hated the thing. it took 4 times as long to get anything sanded. going back a few years now the 3m rep told me that they dont recommend 3/32 sanders for color sanding and i can see why, they are a waste of time. the std 3/16 orbit is the one you want.
 
yes i have 3 of those. i got them when 3m first came out with them. that has to be going on about 8 years ago now. i use them every day and one gets used for nothing but wet sanding. they are still working flawlessly. very nice, light and balanced sander
 
Gentleman I really appreciate your replies. I know things evolve and people find ways to improve things, I want to try my hand at cutting and buffing with this method. I read the informative thread "Let's talk sanding" and liked how people shared their methods and experiences. I just wasn't sure what sander I needed. I have a Harbor Freight D/A sander that honestly has worked well for me, but didn't know if you guys would advise against using it for this.
 
i have a hf one as well. while the hf works, it really lacks the balance and fine control you should have for doing final finishing. it vibrates alot compared to 3m and dynabrade.
 
Bossed said:
Thanks for the reply. I honestly thought they were the same thing. Do you mind sharing what you use specifically?
Click to expand...

Basically a DA (dual action) spins real fast and orbits real slow. Goes by RPM's
A RO (random orbit) spins real slow and orbits real fast. Goes by OPM (orbits per min.)

I use a Porter Cable listed as a sander, and it's listed as a polisher

https://www.lowes.com/pd/PORTER-CAB...UrVe6-CxzLXhGpQsqihw16kmp0thwEvEaAnOjEALw_wcB

The "right angle" RO like this one spins a little faster than the palm type like most
woodworkers use, so it's a little more aggressive. The palm types didn't work as well for me
for clear coat sanding.
This one is great at polishing, a little to slow for actual buffing.
 
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