1500 grit DA paper

O

OJ86

Promoted Users
For the love of all that is holy, is there a dry 1500 grit d/a paper that will not leave pigtails the second it touches the panel?

And is there a wet 1500 d/a paper that will actually cut??

3m, norton, mirka all seem to do the same thing..

the 3m 1500 trizac doesnt even seem like it does anything..

rant over...
 
Try Eagle Abrasives, Jim C has used it successfully for a number of years. I have used the 1000 grit myself for prepping and it cuts longer than any other brand I have tried and with slow RPM and moderate pressure to me it results in way less pigtails.

Part numbers 778-1500 and 778-1000. 6" Diameter.

For buffing I have done a light pass with 1000, followed by 1500 and finish by hand with 2500 wet and have been happy with the results, but this was in a collision environment where it was desirable to leave some urethane wave 'texture behind to try to match the factory peel finish. If trying to buff flat to a mirror finish I have failed miserably with any DA sanding involved, pigtail city it was.......
 
what jorge said! lol.

keep in mind that the random deep pigtails you get that you cant buff out is simply dirt trapped under the disc. you need to work clean. dont confuse the disc loading and you see all the little pigtail looking marks in the sanding dust on that panel. the disc loading up isnt what causes those hard to buff out scratches. i use a disc and you will see tons of those little pigtail marks in the dust. its fine and nothing to freak out about. its the dirt that will kill you. unfortunately you cant tell when you have a piece of dirt trapped.

3m finishing film sux. norton q260 was good years ago when it was first released then they changed it and that is even worse than 3m. havent used it in a few years though. never tried mirka. usc -----@--------- discs are also terrible. eagle yellow film discs got it goin on for color sanding. havent found anything close yet.
 
I usually don't use 1500 on a DA now for sanding, but when I do I have the yellow eagle. I also use the green eagle bufflex dry after I finish hand sanding with 2000 grit. It works just enough to refine those 2000 grit scratches...but it doesn't last long. After the green, I finish with 3m 3000 and 5000.

After searching and searching and searching it has been the best combo I have found. 3m has 2000 out now in the purple discs..I'm trying to get my hands on some just to see...definitely not buying a whole box unless someone can tell me anything with concrete experience on it.
 
jeremyb;n72441 said:
I also use the green eagle bufflex dry after I finish hand sanding with 2000 grit. It works just enough to refine those 2000 grit scratches...but it doesn't last long. After the green, I finish with 3m 3000 and 5000.
Click to expand...

Is this why you sand with 2000 by hand, Jeremy?

I usually start with 800 or 1000 by hand, then Eagle 1000, 1500 by hand, Eagle 1500, 2000 by hand, Eagle bufflex 2500 with just a little water from a spray bottle (too much water, and they don't cut). This is a lot of steps, but find that alternating between DA scratches and hand scratches helps me to check my work as I go.

Does anyone else do anything like this? In theory, it would sound great to sand by hand with 800 and a hard block to get out all the peel, wave, and dirt, then just refine scratches with the da from there. It never works for me though. I always end up with da scratches that won't buff out.

I feel your frustration OJ.
 
I start with 800 on a hard block (Sometimes 600 like on this black 55 chevy I am doing now). And work every grit all the way to 2000 wet by hand. I will cut it open first and let it set a day or 2 in the sun or bake it in the booth. Then I will block it again on a hard block or the hardest block I can use for the surface. From there I use soft pads and semi rigid blocks. Even still, once you finish that 5000 stage and buff, you still might have to go back and correct a few missed scratches. It's just going to happen when you start with that course of a grit. I know some guys frown upon having to go back and sand after buffing, but I know how much clear I put on and how much I have to work with.

I think the more dust you introduce into your area, the worse pigtails you have. Have to think, running that da moves air. It's fine on small jobs, but when you have a full car there it can get messy...which is why I only use the DA with 2500 dry and then wet with 3000 and 5000. I keep my floor clean and sometimes damp and make sure all my blocks and sandpaper are clean religiously.

In a perfect world, I'd have a more dedicated clean room like an operating room for sanding and buffing........when I hit the lottery..........
 
I always start with 800-1000-1500 with a hard block. I've always used the 1500 dry on the da just to help get of any lines that I may have. Just a process I have. The Mirka seems alittle better and i'd love to find 1500 wet that actually cuts.

I'm going to give the eagle brand a try.
 
Using the 1500 wet (just wet enough to make the sanding residue kinda a slurry pasty consistency) always works better for me than using it dry. If you get it too wet it simply doesn't cut.Probably what you are experiencing. Plus it extends the life of the paper quite a bit. I'm using the 3M Purple finishing film discs.
 
Another thought on the pigtails issue. If your Random Orbital sander has a regular 3/16 inch orbit that alone can cause the pigtails. Ideally when color sanding you want to use a R/O with a 3/32 stroke like a Hutchins 4500. Regular 3/16 stroke will cause those pigtails especially if you are doing it dry. Another cause can be if the paper is loading up the sanding residue is being forced into the paint and scratching it. Keep the paper slightly wet and flush the pad often.
 
no to disagree with you but imo the 3/32 oribit is a massive waste of time. dirt under the pad will make pigtails no matter what the orbit size is. i had a 3/32 sander i bought specifically for color sanding. i used it for 2 weeks and sold it. there was no difference in finish or the amt of pigtails. only difference was it took 3-4 times as long to do the job. 3m doesnt even recommend 3/32. they will tell your 3/16 for any color sanding and polishing. the paper loading doesnt cause the pigtails either unless of course you are working on really fresh and super soft clear. i can run a completely clogged piece of 1500 around all day long on 3 day old clear and it wont cause any pigtails at all. those random deep ones are from dirt under the pad.
 
Just going by my observations over the years. Rarely do I get to work with hard clear though, most of the time 24 hours so that may make a difference.
 
yup we each have our own ways. if there is one thing i figured out over the years its you have to do what works for you.
 
Listen to Jim, he is right on regarding the 3/16 vs 3/32 sanders. Even 20 years ago using Mirka Abralon pads in a collision shop the speed difference was obvious
 
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