Rupes X-cut

[AtoZDetailing]

So I`m doing a `50 Chevy pick up using Rupes 1500 and 3000 sanding discs. Is it just me or is anybody else getting only 1 panel out of disc? I thought I would get at least 1/4 car done on one disc. Anyone have experience with these?

[AtoZDetailing]

Let me add that I am leveling orange peel not just scratch refinement.

[Stokdgs]

What diameter size pad are you using ? How are you cleaning out the disc after it loads up with paint?
Are you doing this wet ? If so, are you using lots of water to help flush off the dead paint and keep the friction down so the pad lasts longer ?

Not knowing how much orange peel you are having to remove, or the hardness of the paint makes this hard to figure out too..

Good luck with this -
Dan F

[ShaneB]

Is it original paint by chance? possibly lacquer? Ive heard that lacquer paint is hell on sandpaper. gums it up almost instantly

[Stokdgs]

I sanded down miles of acrylic lacquer and enamel paintwork when I worked at a couple auto body shops, and sanding down wet after spraying and before compounding, it doesn`t load the paper really bad as long as you have water running across the area..

Now, if you are sanding dry with an air D/A to feather back the paint and layers of primer to prepare an area for priming, it will load up a little more, because it has nowhere to go, but its not so excessive that its hard to manage.

Sanding wet will always allow the paper to last longer and cut better in my experiences.. And you are cleaning up your mess off the panels at the same time... It all ends up on the floor and goes down the drain or has to be moved out with a squeegee on a long pole, air, etc... No dust...
Dan F

[AtoZDetailing]

What diameter size pad are you using ? How are you cleaning out the disc after it loads up with paint?
Are you doing this wet ? If so, are you using lots of water to help flush off the dead paint and keep the friction down so the pad lasts longer ?

Not knowing how much orange peel you are having to remove, or the hardness of the paint makes this hard to figure out too..

Good luck with this -
Dan F

5" Pad, 2 - 4 sectional passes then wipe down the panel and clean the pad. I have experience with other sanding discs so i`m pretty sure I`m using the right amount of water

Is it original paint by chance? possibly lacquer? Ive heard that lacquer paint is hell on sandpaper. gums it up almost instantly

It`s a repaint and it`s waterborne paint

I sanded down miles of acrylic lacquer and enamel paintwork when I worked at a couple auto body shops, and sanding down wet after spraying and before compounding, it doesn`t load the paper really bad as long as you have water running across the area..

Now, if you are sanding dry with an air D/A to feather back the paint and layers of primer to prepare an area for priming, it will load up a little more, because it has nowhere to go, but its not so excessive that its hard to manage.

Sanding wet will always allow the paper to last longer and cut better in my experiences.. And you are cleaning up your mess off the panels at the same time... It all ends up on the floor and goes down the drain or has to be moved out with a squeegee on a long pole, air, etc... No dust...
Dan F

I`m sanding wet, never been a fan of the dry sanding. I`ve used 3m and norton sanding discs before but thought I`d try our Rupes because well...they`re cheaper lol. Maybe Rupes discs are meant more for scratch refining and not so much for orange peel removal

[Stokdgs]

Sounds like you have it figured out - perhaps they are for more refining and not for all out production type work where you are sanding down an entire car after painting it, etc..
That is where 3M, Norton, and those other guys, rule, in my experiences too..

I will always want to use any paper that says wet or dry and use it wet with lots of water running as much as possible..

We would take an old small diameter hose, rubber or vinyl, cut the metal end off of it, and turn it on at whatever really low flow you want and set it on the panel so it runs water on your work and constantly rinses it off...

I see people on TV auto shows sanding this whole car down, dry, and without a guide coat and wonder - how bad is that going to look when you are done and its painted???

Its like the "Best of Earl Sheib" Show or something..

On this show tonight, they sanded this Firebird down by hand, dry paper, no block, no guidecoat, and then painted it in a dirty garage, not even water on the floor, it was some kind of flat black and you could see every pass of paint lines all over the car when it was done....

Wow - I just dont know what to say...
Dan F