The hidden secret to sanding - Is there one?

[allpoints360]

Re: The hidden secret to sanding - Is there one?

Maybe it's like erikgreen says, the secret is that it's just a lot of effort? lol

Good luck!

 

[turpehar]

Re: The hidden secret to sanding - Is there one?

Here is a tip for making your paper last a lot longer. The technique is called "cross hatching" where you sand up and down at a 45 degree angle for a few strokes then switch to the opposite dorection for a few more. This keeps the material from balling up and sticking to the paper. When that happens you actually gouge the material you are trying to flatten/smooth.

The guide coat trick is one you must master. You can use a sandable primer in a can for this as it's cheap and sand easily. It is the difference between a great paint finish and a laugh.

 

[moonfish]

Re: The hidden secret to sanding - Is there one?

Use sandpaper like it's free.

It's the best advise I ever got about sanding.

 

[lowkee]

Re: The hidden secret to sanding - Is there one?

Some excellent info in this thread. Prior to working on the boat hull, I had no idea what was required to make a smooth even surface of a long distance. What an awakening!

Use a wet/dry paper and sand wet it will last longer.

I have found this to be the most monumental improvement in my sanding. Once I got the hull pretty smooth using rough paper, I was able to sand the entire side of the hull with one 2x8 piece of paper, so long as I kept it wet and rinsed it in water often. The grit took forever to wear down and the paper never clogged up. Wet sanding is by far the way to go if you can manage it. What a paper savings!