what type of sander?

[turkish6]

hello everyone
I am going to be doing my own hull paint prep. I am going to be sanding down the old paint. everything I have read says to use a disc sander and not a belt sander. I get that part. What I am not sure about is: I have a regular square sander, can I use that or is it better to get a round sander?

[delmarrey]

Out of all the sanders I have, the one I like the best for paint is the orbital (5" round) with hook pads. Dewalt seems to last the longest. Disk & belt sanders will dig into the surface. The reciprocal types just seem to load up and sand paper change takes too long.................... _/)

[Boracay]

I've used many different types of sander, not good with any...

The type of sander that you need will depend on what you want to do.

If there are a small number of minor imperfections then a small sanding block will do.

Disc and belt sanders will tend to "dig" into the surface possibly causing more problems than they cure.

An orbital sander may suit if all you need is to take out tiny imperfections and to roughen up the surface all over.

Those tiny triangular head sanders are good for tight areas.

Air powered tools may be worth considering.

If a substantial amount of fairing is being done then a long sanding board may be necessary.

I have heard of a belt sander being "extended" to make it like a long sanding board.

I am sure that there are many on this forum with way more experience than me.

[Wotname]

I think I have worn out every type of sander invented. I agree with delmarrey, go for a 5 inch round orbital with hook pads. We call them random orbital sanders in Oz. Buy the best quality you can, it will last a long time and bearing / pads are replaceable. All the others have a place in the the refitting programme but are not necessary unless you a refitting junkie (like me). It will do a good job for both stock removal and finish sanding. You won't go back to your square sander. My other favorite is the 4 or 5 inch angle grinder for really quick stock removal but stay away from fine shaping or paint removal until you have ruined a couple of home projects with it.
Cheers.

[AnchorageGuy]

we have painted Sea Trek from the waterline to the masthead ourselves and done it all with a Dewalt orbital sander as Delmarrey describes

[cooper]

I would recomend "RUPES" brand. Random orbital. Excelent quality. About $500 Aus. after 5 years you stick in another set of brushes and go again, bearings at 10....

[Whimsical]

I've tried all the lightwieght stuff and ended up with 2 Rupes sanders
Rectangular orbital great for final fairing
GNG Sales - View Product

and

8" forced rotation orbital sander, great for roughing out in the first stages of fairing. If it is moved with long strokes similar to a long board it will produce a quite fair surface that can be finished quite easily with the rectangular one above.
GNG Sales - View Product

I found the 5" obitals slow to remove material and definitely inferior in producing a fair surface.

The Rupes are dear but gooooood.

Mike

Edit - Cooper you beat me to it

[Thermal]

That 8" Rupes orbital sander sounds like great machine, but it doesn't look like it's imported into the US. Probably cus its not made in China. I've used a 5 !/2 " Porter-Cable random orbital sander, and it does a great job, just takes forever. Then I got a Hitachi 7" buffer/sander with some fine grit sanding discs - that's fast, but you really need to develop the feel for it on something else because it can easily get away from you and make a mess of things.

[Morgan Paul]

If I could afford it I would get one of these.

[dkall]

The larger orbital you can manage is what you need. The size will cut your sanding time way down. You can purchase soft foam pads that will fit better tot he hull and not have any hardspots and add low areas that you over sand.

However one thing you need that is not mentioned yet is a Fein Vacuum that attaches to the sander. Will increase the length of time the sand paper stays on, will make the dust almost none existent, and will run the sander a lot cooler. The vacuum alone will make the job tolerable. Not fun, but tolerable.

Fair Winds

[Pblais]

If you can use air powered tools. The sanders are a whole lot lighter. Swinging a sander for long periods of time will do a number on your arms, shoulders, and back all at the same time. A lot of boat yards have compressed air.

[AnchorageGuy]

Originally Posted by dkall

The larger orbital you can manage is what you need. The size will cut your sanding time way down. You can purchase soft foam pads that will fit better tot he hull and not have any hardspots and add low areas that you over sand.

However one thing you need that is not mentioned yet is a Fein Vacuum that attaches to the sander. Will increase the length of time the sand paper stays on, will make the dust almost none existent, and will run the sander a lot cooler. The vacuum alone will make the job tolerable. Not fun, but tolerable.

Fair Winds

Vacuum is a great idea but for larger jobs we just attach the hose from our shop vac. Most new sanders have a attachment point now where the little cloth bag attaches.

[turkish6]

Originally Posted by Pblais

If you can use air powered tools. The sanders are a whole lot lighter. Swinging a sander for long periods of time will do a number on your arms, shoulders, and back all at the same time. A lot of boat yards have compressed air.

what kind of attactment would i buy to remove bottom paint.


thanks for all the replies.

[clockwork orange]

What you want is what is called a random orbit or dual action sander,you dont want an orbital sander,some folks are getting them confused.an orbital sander is the one with the rectangular pad that uses 1/3rd or 1/2 sheet sandpaper.Buy a good quality tool,i dont know where you are but the Aussie guys are right,Rupes are the best bar none,unfortunatly i live in the US and we dont have them,they are Italian i think.I use a Bosch 6" which isnt bad,the only 8"model we get in the US that i know of is made by Fein,we have one and it was very expensive and its junk,dont even consider one.You probably dont want air tools as they require a lot of cfm.What dkal says about a vacuum is good advice but you dont need to spend a lot on a Fein,we have gone thru about 8 of them and i find i get better sevice by using a cheper vacuum from home depot,adapt it to use a bag for fine dust and you can buy a switching device from Sears for about $20 that allows it to switch on and off with the sander,just like the Fein.
Steve.

[Whimsical]

I find it strange that the Rupes aren't available in the states, the land of everything. I would check with the manufacturer as even in Aus they are not marketed and you need to ask for them. I would check out some local car body shops and see what they are using.

Mike