abrasive families

[iamps]

Hi,

I have a RO150, working with mild steel fabrication and processing.  Tasks I would like to do are

- weld seam removal
- blending
- taking out scratches

Could you please recommend which family of abrasives to use for this application?

Thanks!

 

[Brice Burrell]

I'd suggest you buy a couple of small packs first try out the abrasives.  I try Cristal as my first choice, then Saphir as second since it costs more, but it will last longer.

 

[Sean7a]

Also see Vlies for finishing that type of material to a matte final product.

All RO 150 paper can be found here, easily indexed.

 

[AlexThePalex]

When you work on metal I'd go for Brilliant 2 or Granat or Titan 2. Especially Titan is optimised for the automotive sector so I'd figure that works well on metal.

No way would I use Crystal or Saphir on metal, they're too sharp and you'll end up scratching the surface a lot.

Weld seam removal, I'm no metal worker, but wouldn't that be better suited for a grinder? You don't remove much metal with sandpaper.

What's 'blending'? I don't suppose it has anything to do with "Will it blend"  [smile]?

 

[semenza]

Hi, iamps

Welcome to the FOG!  [smile]

This might help to some degree  Abrasives Guide   A new type called Granat is also available.

I think Titan 2 is more for the filler, paint and finish on cars than sanding metal. But .....  ???

Hopefully somebody that does what you do , will pop in with some help. Otherwise you get to be the experimenter, buy all the types, and post your results  [big grin]

Seth

 

[AlexThePalex]

I think Titan 2 is more for the filler, paint and finish on cars than sanding metal. But .....  ???

In the early stages of car body repair you routinely sand down to metal to make the surface as even as possible. Paint on a car is very thin so you're on the metal in no time. Of course you don't sand out the scratches, you just fill them up with filler later on. But because of this, sandpaper used in the automotive industry is optimised for working with metal.

[attachthumb=1]

Watch pics of a repair in progress here.

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Sorry I didn't respond sooner. I have a limited knowledge of metalworking applications and wanted to consult with someone before answering.

Saphir was my initial thought for coarse sanding and was confirmed by a colleague that it would be best for heavy duty use. I've used it on metal once before quite successfully. Granat, Titan or Brilliant would be good for finer sanding.

A grinder or the Festool RAS 115 would be better suited for knocking down welds than the RO 150.

 

[nickao]

One general comment about the Festool abrasives.

I have tested almost everything I could find and I always come back to the Festool paper. I have read in a few places(amazon, other forums)it is a waste of money and forcing people to use the Festool abrasives cost to much. IMHO, that is totally wrong.

In my experience I spend less overall using the Festool abrasives. And for several of my applications the Festool paper is the only paper that works!

For my work, Cristal is my favorite abrasive.

 

[AlexThePalex]

One general comment about the Festool abrasives.

I have tested almost everything I could find and I always come back to the Festool paper. I have read in a few places(amazon, other forums)it is a waste of money and forcing people to use the Festool abrasives cost to much. IMHO, that is totally wrong.

In my experience I spend less overall using the Festool abrasives.

Couldn't agree more. I think Festool sandpaper delivers excellent value for the money making it one of the cheapest available giving the best result.

And for several of my applications the Festool paper is the only paper that works!

I wouldn't go as far as saying that, there are some good alternatives, at least where I live. SIA and Flexofit come to mind. 3M is also pretty good. But none of their lines are as extensive as Festool's.

 

[nickao]

Well I said for my applications, which really are pretty rough. I actually found that for me and the way I personally work, for a specific application I do daily, the Cristal is the only paper that works without having to use more than 2 times the amount of paper of any other type I have tried. And I feel I have tried them all(at least up until 4 months ago). Honestly the way I do some things(namely flattening my inlays) with the RO150 and the Cristal paper, many here might laugh or say I was nuts, but it works for me. People ask all the time I how keep the different woods so flat and perfect, well its kind of my thing, but I can tell you if not for the Cristal paper and the RO 150 my technique would never work.

I am always willing to try something new though. Still, I have about a years worth of Cristal(I use 10 sheets a day in a good week), so for now I am pretty happy.

 

[Alan m]

One general comment about the Festool abrasives.

I have tested almost everything I could find and I always come back to the Festool paper. I have read in a few places(amazon, other forums)it is a waste of money and forcing people to use the Festool abrasives cost to much. IMHO, that is totally wrong.

In my experience I spend less overall using the Festool abrasives. And for several of my applications the Festool paper is the only paper that works!

For my work, Cristal is my favorite abrasive.

i was shocked at the price of the festool paper whe i first bought my ro150(1sr festool sander i bought) . i was comparing qty being used to the amount of paper i used on my dewalt 5" ro sander. but when i used the ro150 for a while and realised the paper lasted  multiple  times longer  i was thrilled. i have sanded pieces of wood to show them how great the sander is  using just on 80 grit sheet  to take the piece from  sawmill rough to smooth it a few seconds. amazing. the dc is what saves it so much. the dust isnt left there longenough to over heat the paper or stick to it.