Help! I just purchased a Ro-90 and ro125 They are all over the place!!!

surface dr

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Joined
May 16, 2011
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Hi guys!  I am new here.  I just received my 90 and 125.  Their arrival has been much anticipated.  I purchased them for a plastic sanding and polishing project.  I put the 8o grt piece that they sent with the machine (just one... kind of chincy in my opinion) and started to abrade the surface and I was all over the place...  Moved up to 6 and it was better, but still was absolutely awful.  I was bouncing all over the place.  I switched to the abranet (this is what I think my choice of abrasive will be).  Went all the way through the grits up to 2000 and the results were exactly what I thought they would be ... CRAP!!  Each grit and any speed I was all over the place..  I tried the same process on the 90 and pretty much the same results.  What do you guys think could be going on??  I am almost thinking that the abrasive is grabbing the plastic and taking me all over the place.  HEre is the really weird thing...  I have a mirca Ceros 5" and the 3".  Both of those machines are smooth as all get out with the Abranet.  I would hate to have to use some sort of lubricant since a major part of the plan is to remain clean and dry..  Any plastic sanding experts out there?
 
First, {welcome] to the FOG!

Some questions for you:

1,. Are you using it with Dust Extraction?

2. What suction setting are you running on the DE?

3. Are you running the Rotex's in geared or random orbit mode?

4. What speed on the Rotex did you start at?

5,. How are you holding the Rotex? One hand? Two hands? are you holding the body? The cord? both?

If you can provide a few more of these answers I think someone can help you sort out the problem.
 
Welcome to FOG.  Sorry you are having trouble with your new sanders. 

If you started sanding plastic at 80, I can imagine you'd never get the scratches out of it.  And you're probably heating it up causing even more challenges.

If you are polishing plastic, I'd start with something at maybe 500 and go up from there.

I have used Granat all the way up to 4000 and then used Festool's polishing compound up to 11000 with a buffer and it does a great job on lacquered finishes as well as for buffing out scratches in plastic on bumpers.  The RO-90 has super fine paper and foam polishing pads that work really well for achieving a gloss finish.

I use a speed of about 3 with the 500 / 800 / 1000 / 1200 sandpaper and then jump to the foam sanding pads up to 4000.  I then use a buffing pad with the buffing compound.  In both cases, I have used the RO90 in rotary mode.

I have not used Abranet so don't know the characteristics.

You might check out the abrasives selector tool that's linked to on the top of this site - look under the 'Product Websites' nav item at the top.

I think wet sanding might be an option, but I'd have to see what you are sanding to determine if that would be necessary.

neil
 
wow said:
First, {welcome] to the FOG!

Some questions for you:

1,. Are you using it with Dust Extraction?  yes

2. What suction setting are you running on the DE?  I am running in DA and then in RA to mellow out the DA's more aggressive scratch pattern

3. Are you running the Rotex's in geared or random orbit mode?  See above

4. What speed on the Rotex did you start at?  I started at 1 first, then three, then 6  6 helped a bit

5,. How are you holding the Rotex? One hand? Two hands? are you holding the body? The cord? both?  All of the above.  I understand thoroughly how and what hand placement can do to polishers and sanders

If you can provide a few more of these answers I think someone can help you sort out the problem.
 

neilc said:
Welcome to FOG.  Sorry you are having trouble with your new sanders. 

If you started sanding plastic at 80, I can imagine you'd never get the scratches out of it.  And you're probably heating it up causing even more challenges. 
Yes, I agree.  This is something along the lines of casting plastic.  After pouring, I will most likely start at 120 or so.  I just wanted to try out the one piece of paper that festool so graciously give you when you purchase these tools.  I also tried the Abranet.  Same results

If you are polishing plastic, I'd start with something at maybe 500 and go up from there. I have to start lower because it does not cure water clear until you hone and polish it

I have used Granat all the way up to 4000 and then used Festool's polishing compound up to 11000 with a buffer and it does a great job on lacquered finishes as well as for buffing out scratches in plastic on bumpers.  The RO-90 has super fine paper and foam polishing pads that work really well for achieving a gloss finish.  I have all the way up to 4000 also. I seeply understand the polishing aspect of the process and produce spectacular results with my mirka.  I was just really hoping to purchase these two fine machines to speed up the process 

I use a speed of about 3 with the 500 / 800 / 1000 / 1200 sandpaper and then jump to the foam sanding pads up to 4000.  I then use a buffing pad with the buffing compound.  In both cases, I have used the RO90 in rotary mode.  Yep.. I like your style.. I did the same thing

I have not used Abranet so don't know the characteristics.  I have had amazing success with it

You might check out the abrasives selector tool that's linked to on the top of this site - look under the 'Product Websites' nav item at the top.  good idea, thanks

I think wet sanding might be an option, but I'd have to see what you are sanding to determine if that would be necessary.
I tried that also, but that kind of defeats the purpose a bit.  I just do not understand why the Rotex'es are throwing me all over the place.  I am bummed out to say the least.  I was really looking forward to these new toys.. Please help me save them from exercising  Festools 30 return policy

neil
 
Thank you.  I really hope to get this resolved.  These tools seem to be made for exactly what I need them to do ... Fast extremely  high quality finishing.  We just have to figure out how to tame these things along with my material. 
 
For what it's worth, I've used the various Rotex sanders to remove scratches from Plexiglas. So, I know it's capable of this task and does it quite well and efficiently.
 
One more thing to check is the suction setting of the vac. When answering wows question #2 you specified the sander mode but not the suction setting. I've found that if I don't turn my ct almost all the way down for the 90 and 125 it makes it nearly uncontrollable in either mode.
 
Shane Holland said:
Technique is often the cause of lack of control. Check out this article...

http://blog.festoolusa.com/post/2011/02/18/Why-Technique-Matters.aspx

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This is a 150, but shows one of the ways in Shane's link. Sometimes I hold it a bit further fwd, just in front of plug and dust exhaust. As others have said, vac down so pad us not sucked down on your work.

Some on the FOG in the past, have said RO90 and 125 are more of a learning curve than 150. I wouldn't know. Do not have them.  What I can further suggest is be gentle but let them know you are in charge. You may also find a hard pad easier at first.

 
neilc said:
If you started sanding plastic at 80, I can imagine you'd never get the scratches out of it.  And you're probably heating it up causing even more challenges.

It can be tough to guess the highest effective grit to take out scratches, so I usually go one step higher than I think I should and work back if necessary.

Some on the FOG in the past, have said RO90 and 125 are more of a learning curve than 150. I wouldn't know. Do not have them.  What I can further suggest is be gentle but let them know you are in charge. You may also find a hard pad easier at first.

I've never used the 90, but having spent many hours with both the 125 and 150, I would say that it is easier to get the 125 to submit to your will.  The 150 isn't really harder to control (balance), but when it gets traction in rotary mode, it will pull much harder and travel farther than the 125.

Most of my plastic polishing experience is with acrylic solid surface material.  However, I have done a few projects where I polished polycarbonate (laptop shells).  This summer, after I bought my own RO125, I had to try it out on the fogged-over headlights on my truck.  When your favorite tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail...

I didn't use anything but the discs packaged in the systainer, and I didn't have much to lose if things went south, so I started out with 220 and didn't make much progress.  Usually, I would step down to a lower grit, but instead I just switched over to rotary and used the Rotex more like a grinder to take out the heavy scratches, then back to RO to clean it up.  After that it was RO the rest of the way out with 400 and 2000. 

Those seemed like huge steps to me, but I was just using what was available, and it was acceptable for the project.  I wet sanded the 400, but the 2000 was dry.  I cleaned the surface with denatured alcohol between grits (habit).  I didn't have a bonnet or anything, so I improvised with a microfiber cloth stuck to the hook pad and buffed it with some really light compound.  Definitely not the method I would use if the project was vital or for pay, I would go get the proper grits of discs, as well as the proper density of pad.  Polishing compound curves without a soft pad (or even a hooksaver pad on the stock pad) is sort of a losing proposition.  Oh, yeah, I'd probably hook everything up to dust collection as well.

I have used 3M discs, Abranet/Abralon discs, and Festool discs for a variety of sheens when polishing acrylic.  I'm of the opinion that the Festool and 3M Tri-Zact abrasives last much longer than other options in the 80-320 grit range, and for flat surfaces the paper-backed discs definitely outperform the Abranet discs.  I never came across a 3M product that works like the Abralon or Festool Platin discs, which really work great at high grits, dry.
 
You might want to look over the attached PDF file.  Be absolutely sure to balance the sander the way you would a 24" floor buffer.  Hold the sander by the Plug-It connector and DE hose connector and be sure to turn down the suction on the DE to no more than 1/3 power.  Don't put any downward pressure on the sander.  Let the tool do the work. 

 

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I'm not sure what plastics you are working with but I do commercial plastics fabrication with acrylics, polycarbonates and ABS.  The most important rule is slow speed.  I don't think I have ever used 80 grit on anything except for rough forming edges.  You really should not need lub (water) until about 400 grit.  I have been sanding various materials since 1971, mostly in industrial and commercial settings and Festool sanders are the best and I should know I have six different ones!  I know there is a lot of opinion on the breaking in business, but other than to let every tool (uncountable) run for a while when new to seat the brushes, there should be no breakin period.  I do not breakin my vehicles either, I have put 250,000 miles on four Ford vans and run the piss out of them straight off of the lot.  I had one that I only put two sets of tires, two sets of brakes and two exhaust systems until I sold it.
 
Thanks guys..  I used it a couple of  more times today before I went skiing and after..  It is becoming a bit more user friendly,  but still a little jumpy and was leaving some squiggles (which I expected when I was getting the jumps).  The piece I was working on did polish up to a mirror finish in no time, but I obviously know what to look for.  I also know that there is no need to start at 80 with plastic.  It was just a scrap piece that I was testing the paper Festool supplied with the rig to see if it also jumped.  I am really hoping that this "break in" period is a real thing..I have never had to break in any tool before in my life...  With the improvement that I saw today and the speed of how this erases the previous scratch pattern is absolutely incredible.
 
I have all three of the RO family. Started with the 150 liked it right away. I bought the 125. Didn't really care for it. Due to jumping. Later I bought a package deal for a FOG member with a used 90 my thoughts at the time was to sell it with some other tools from the package. Thinking that the small pad would probably really be jumpy. Boy was I wrong? Fell it love with the RO 90. Now it's my go to sander the only one I pack regularly.
When the 90 stop one day when I was I the middle of a project. I bought a new one.
Was smooth out of the box( systainer)
Awhile back I started using the RO 125 again. It is smooth running. Hardly even touch the RO 150 any more.

On the "break in" I think the only equipment needing breaking in is the operator. This style sanders are a different beast than regular random orbit sanders. Especially the way you hold them.
Good luck,
Rick
 
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