Festool Abrasives?

[pafekete]

Thanks Matthew for all the information. I have a good understanding of the sandpaper now but am still confused a little about which pads to use when. I have both the Rotex 150 FEQ and the ETS 150. (Just got for Christmas and am ready to polish one project (tigerwood coffee table with walnut legs)with behlens rock hard varnish - will wait 2 weeks for final cure before polishing, and another project I am ready to finish but am undecided on the finish(walnut,ambrosia maple and mahogany top liquor cabinet)
I understand the 3 types of sanding pads (hard for stock removal and hard edges, soft for everything but hard edges, and super soft for contours).

I have brilliant grits to 400 then Platin 500,1000,2000,4000
Use FEQ gear driven mode for stock removal up to maybe 100 grit. For this I use the hard pad. Then either sander in orbital mode for grits over 100 up to 1000. Do I change to the soft pad here? When do I use the interface pad? When do I switch to the supersoft pad? Over 1000 go to the FEQ gear driven mode (do I change the speed setting here and how low can I go?). After the 4000 grit then I switch to the polishing pad. I have wool lube, pumicestone and rottonstone which I have used by hand before. If I use these to start when do I use the hard felt, soft felt, coarse and fine sponge and then the lambswool?

Also I still can't figure out how to attach images so any help there will also be appreciated.

Thanks,
Peggy

 

[pafekete]

Come on guys - can't anyone help with my questions on the pads and polishing ?

Thanks

 

[tbellemare]

You can use just the Rotex to go from a really rough piece of wood to a polished peice of wood in a few minutes...

You start out with rough grit in the gear driven orbital mode, then run it with the same paper in the random orbital mode. When you get to about 100 grit, use only the random mode. All of this with the speed up high.

Go through the grits until you get to about 1000 (basically polishing) and then, slow the speed way down and use the gear driven mode. I do this with the soft pad, which is the pad the sander comes with. As you pointed out, it doesn't hurt to switch to the super-soft pad for polishing but I don't think it's necessary on a flat surface.

S 4000 Platin and a little oil gives a really nice finish.

Tom

 

[pafekete]

Thanks Tom,

I have some pretty ambrosia maple that I am making some panels with walnut frames for the sides of a cabinet I am building. I would like to keep the whiteness of the wood. Shellac and oil (even clear shellac) take away the whiteness. I have some test pieces I am working on. I have taken them up to 4000 platin (using the method you suggest with gear driven mode to 150 to flatten, orbital thru platin 1000, then geardriven at low speed through 4000 platin. )Now I am experimenting with various finishes to see what I like. I can't seem to get the high gloss sheen I want without high gloss varnish or poly. How do they get the high gloss finish with just the wood that the dealers do in the demos? I have some paste wax on one test piece that is drying. I will rub it out with a hard felt.

What do you use the felts, sponges and lambswool for? Are they just to polish out high gloss varnish or poly? And in what order do they go? I don't mind trial and error but hate to waste time when others have the answer.

Thanks very much for answering my post and sharing.

I love the feel of the natural wood after the 4000 platin. The test oil piece took that away - sis I just not use enough oil?
Peggy