DTS 400? I'm forked on a project & am looking for advice

[teton176]

Howdy folks:

I'm forked on a project and am inquiring if you folks think a DTS 400 might be the solution.

The project is repainting my kitchen cabinets. They are structurally sound (rock maple doors , 3/4" plywood frames) but the finish has failed. Badly. I'm in the process of stripping and sanding the doors and the RTS 400 + CT 26 are kicking @ss on the flat surfaces. The problem lies with the cabinet profiles as there is a lot of detail work to be done. I mean, A LOT. I'm using various grit sheets on the flat surfaces and the Uneeda foam-backed pads on the profiles, however, the Uneeda pads just aren't getting into the nooks, crannies and corners.

I have money to spend on a DTS 400 if that is the answer. Any input would be welcome. Thanks!

 

[Cheese]

Post a photo of the detail work you're trying to sand...that'll help a lot.

 

[peter halle]

The DTS really is better at getting into corners. You might get it to help in some profiles but the front tip is here you generally wear the paper first and where you are more likely to damage the pad under the paper by concentrating pressure and run time on that small area trying to do profiles. I doubt you would be happy with it for that purpose although it could certainly help out in corners of your project.

Peter

 

[teton176]

Post a photo of the detail work you're trying to sand...that'll help a lot.

Here ya go! The RTS 400 is killing it on the flat surfaces but it's struggling in the profiles and contours.

 

[Econoline]

I'm a firm believer in using what ya got. At the same time, the job you are describing may require something else. The DTS is a great tool for sanding in the field, not the profiles. I've done a lot of similar work, a multitool with sanding profiles is a sound investment. I own a Fein, I used to own a PorterCable. The PorterCable had the most extensive rubber sanding profiles of any multitool, ever. I was able to cut the rubber profiles down to fit in the Fein profile holder. I say this a lot these days, but, for the life of me, I can't understand why Festool and Fein don't offer a rubber profile kit for their multitools. I don't have any experience with the Festy multitool, but I hear good things.
Maybe I'm missing some product that's out there, but the cork profiles that Fein currently offers, will get the job done, and will save you many hours of aggravation. If you can find rolls of thin, adhesive backed sandpaper, (I'd stay in the 120-150 grit range), it works really well on the cork profiles, and will actually enable you to keep the profiles you are sanding.
E.

 

[peter halle]

Might you consider stripper for those areas? I’ve used both of these in the past even though I detest hand sanding.

Peter

 

[teton176]

Might you consider stripper for those areas? I’ve used both of these in the past even though I detest hand sanding.

Peter

I detest hand sanding as well. Later today I'm off to the big blue store to pick up some Kleen Strip and fresh cartridges for the respirator. I used Citristrip for large areas but that stuff takes overnight and plastic wrap to work properly. Supposedly Kleen Strip will get paint off in 15 minutes.

Edit, I ordered the profile sanding blocks because no matter how much stripper I put on there will always be a little bugger left behind that has to be sanded.

 

[derekcohen]

Citristrip and then a profiled scraper.

A profiled scraper should also put a finish on the moulding which sandpaper could not match.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[guybo]

Hi, you can stackup the interface pads and sand the profiles better, also surfprep sells 1/2 in foam sanding pads for this purpose also, that what most of the painters use

 

[Crazyraceguy]

That one screams chemical stripper. As far as I am aware, the only power sander to even attempt that is the LS130, though it has been discontinued anyway. Even at that, it's not really a stripping type sander. It produces a liner stroke, but I don't see it as aggressive enough for that. It's much more of a finishing sander.
If it was some kind of nice wood, that someone painted over, but you wanted to save it, it might be worth chasing one down.

 

[smorgasbord]

Find a used/NOS LS130 and a cut-your-own profile pad they used to sell?

 

[teton176]

Citristrip and then a profiled scraper.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Howdy Mate: My wife is from OZ and I proposed to her atop the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Tim Tams, Chili Bugs, Muddies, Little Creatures Ale....man, I love OZ. Never been to Perth as it's on the other side of the continent.

 

[derekcohen]

Sydney is great and I love it, but homes are very expensive. I lived in Sydney and moved to Perth at the end of '88. Perth has some of the best weather in Oz, very different from Sydney. Sydney is humid in summer and freezing in winter. Perth has a Mediterranean climate, with a hot, dry summer which last for 6-7 months of the year. For this alone I would not return. Come visit. Yes it is far - Perth is the most isolated large city in the world. Fact!

Incidentally, Little Creatures Ale is a Perth beer.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[teton176]

Sydney is great and I love it, but homes are very expensive. I lived in Sydney and moved to Perth at the end of '88. Perth has some of the best weather in Oz, very different from Sydney. Sydney is humid in summer and freezing in winter. Perth has a Mediterranean climate, with a hot, dry summer which last for 6-7 months of the year. For this alone I would not return. Come visit. Yes it is far - Perth is the most isolated large city in the world. Fact!

Incidentally, Little Creatures Ale is a Perth beer.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Another thing Perth has going for it: Ozzy Man. That guy is bleeping hysterical. On a more serious note I'd love to travel to Perth, however, I'm on the East Coast of the US and it's 31 hours to get from New York to Ballina. I've seen photos and Perth looks absolutely stunning. It's been rated as one of the most "livable" cities in the world.

 

[Cheese]

I'd strip those small areas and then hand sanding would not take very long...just enough to smooth the areas.

As far as the LS 130 goes, it may not get into those small areas because they are so small. Also the stiffness of the sandpaper used on the profile pad limits the geometry sizes that the LS 130 can access. When using the LS 130 with profile pads, I've found that Rubin 2 is a no-no because of its stiffness. The best results I've had was using Brilliant 2 paper which is now discontinued.

 

[teton176]

Might you consider stripper for those areas? I’ve used both of these in the past even though I detest hand sanding.

Peter

Peter, I bought the Rockler sanding block set. And, in a complete impulse purchase, managed to find a brand-new Porter Cable 444 Profile Sanding Kit. It's funny, one guy on a woodworking site has a signature that says something like, "The more tools you buy, the more reasons you find to buy more tools". Or something like that.

The good news is that most of the cabinet doors are in decent shape and will only require scuff sanding. I started with the worst ones first so they can be carefully restored. Finish coat is scheduled for mid-July.

 

[Packard]

You don’t have to get to raw wood to repaint. If the old paint is pealing or chipping off, you might, but if it’s adhesion is good, then scuffing will do the trick.

If I wanted to get to raw wood, I would definitely use a chemical stripper on the profiles. But make sure you clean off 100% of the stripper before painting.

But if the paint is adhering well, then scuffing with 320 or 400 grit will be fine.

If you are using a water-based paint over bare wood, note that you may raise the grain. I prefer to raise the grain with water before applying paint and sanding paint also before apply paint.

If you are just scuffing the paint, you don’t have to worry about raising the grain.

 

[teton176]

You don’t have to get to raw wood to repaint. If the old paint is pealing or chipping off, you might, but if it’s adhesion is good, then scuffing will do the trick.

If I wanted to get to raw wood, I would definitely use a chemical stripper on the profiles. But make sure you clean off 100% of the stripper before painting.

But if the paint is adhering well, then scuffing with 320 or 400 grit will be fine.

If you are using a water-based paint over bare wood, note that you may raise the grain. I prefer to raise the grain with water before applying paint and sanding paint also before apply paint.

If you are just scuffing the paint, you don’t have to worry about raising the grain.

Thanks for your note about getting down to bare wood and I'm going to test some of the contours/profiles by spraying BIN 123 Spot Primer. As for priming, we're on the same page, I had planned on using BIN Shellac on bare wood instead of a latex-based primer. The manufacturer of the paint I'll be using (Centurion) recommends a 2k primer, even over previously-painted surfaces that are in good shape and have been scuff sanded. Yikes!