Best method for sanding

[NoZoupForYou[TK]]

What does everyone use to sand edges to even them out?  Sandpaper?  Sanding block?  What grit?

 

I was afraid to use score and snap at first, and in the very first cuts my lexan abilities weren't as refined as they are now.  And of course I discovered how easy score and snap was.  My bell shoulders need some tiding. 

 

Thanks!

[Rat[TK]]

It depends on what you're comfortable with. I originally did the score and snap. When sanding I used 80, 220, 400 grits just with my hands. Then when I went back and was cleaning up more I used a dremel and then 220 and 500.

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[A.J. Hamler[TK]]

Depends what you're sanding, but here are some tips.

 

For leveling and smoothing armor edges -- Always use a small sanding block.  The pads of your thumb and fingers are soft, and sandpaper will  just "ride" over the high spots.  You'll smooth it OK, but it'll take forever to level things.  I tend to start leveling with 150-180 grit and a sanding block.  For edges, once it's level I'll follow that with 220, and maybe 320.  The sanding block doesn't have to be huge, in fact, a small one will give you good control.  Here's a photo from my build showing what I used to smooth the edges of mine:

 

 

For leveling and smoothing areas you've filled with ABS paste --  Again, use a sanding block to get things level.  180 grit is a good starting place.  Follow that with 220, again on a sanding block.  Once it's level, move up through 320 grit.  If this is a non-seen area, it's fine to stop there.  (For that matter, for unseen areas you could probably stop at 220.)  If the area will be visible and you want that classic Shiny Whitey sheen, follow the 320 grit with 400, then 600 or 800, then 1200 and then 2000.  Don't skip grits if you can help it.  After sanding with 2000 grit you'll notice you're starting to get some reflective shininess.  Now switch over to Novus 3, dab a bit on a smooth rag and use your fingertip behind the rag to buff out the sanded area.  Follow that with Novus 2 in the same manner, and when you're done the area will be as shiny as brand new ABS.

 

For removing large amounts of stock -- You can't beat a sanding drum.  You can do this with a rotary tool such as a Dremel, but those are really small drums.  You can get larger sanding drums (and sandpaper sleeves) you can use in a drill/driver, or even a drill press -- my personal choice.  Take your time with these and keep the speed low, or you'll find yourself melting the plastic off instead of sanding.

 

If you have a small drill press, I highly recommend it.  You can set the speed on a drill press just by changing which pulleys the belts are on.  Set the speed BELOW 400 rpm.  Also, using a drill press means you don't have to hold a tool and you can keep both hands on the armor you're sanding. 

 

For wholesale removal, I like a using a MicroPlane shaping drum on the drill press.  Again, here's a shot from my build.

 

 

These things are great, and because the use tiny chisel-like edges to remove stock, they don't generate heat like sandpaper drums will.  Here's a better shot of what they look like when they're not spinning...

 

 

Hope this helps.  Happy sanding!

 

A.J.

[Thumpy~[501st]]

In addition to the good things already said, if you don’t have any tools on hand, and you’re trying to smooth out a common straight edge, try taping some sandpaper (at the corners) on a hard, smooth floor surface and gently “scrub” the plastic over it until the rough edges go away.

[A.J. Hamler[TK]]

Like this:

 

 

A.J.

[Suspend]

Hey Sean, I found I got amazing results with a table top belt sander (a cheap one is less than $100) for larger pieces, flat sides and smooth curves and then 200 grit on a rubber sanding block for finishing up.

 

 

Mark

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

I just hand sanded with 180 and 240 grits. For anything that needed more aggressive attention I used a small hobby file which re Ives material fast but is very controlled. If that was still too much work then I just got the scissors back out and removed small amounts.