How necessary are sander protection pads?

[John T.]

I have an ETS EC 150, and an LS 130 that I recently purchased and am using with 3M and Mirka net abrasives. I've read that I should be using a protection pad to protect the hook and loop on the sanding pads.

So, I bought protection pads, but they add cushion to the stack-up.This seems to defeat the purpose of using a hard backing pad, which I'm using to minimize any tendency to round over the edges when sanding.

The net abrasive seems to grip onto the protection pad better, but other than that, how much benefit does it add, and is it worth the tradeoff?

 

[afish]

without the interface pad you will wear the hard pad down and the discs wont stay stuck. The pads arnt cheap so thats why there is an interface pad. how many discs it takes to ruin the pad I dont know but thats the reason.

 

[rvieceli]

With regular abrasive you have a backing substrate between the pad and the workpiece. On the net abrasive the hooks on the pad are closer to and in contact with the workpiece sometimes. This exposes the hooks on the pad to a lot of friction and heat that can damage those hooks. The abrasive then won’t stick to the pad. The interface protects the hooks on the pad.

Ron

 

[John T.]

I hadn't considered that the hook and loop would actually be rubbing on the work surface and heating up and deforming. In retrospect I may have already degraded my sanding pad.

Maybe I just need to stick to regular abrasives for heavier grit and only use net abrasives in the last couple of grits.

 

[Paul_HKI]

Maybe I just need to stick to regular abrasives for heavier grit and only use net abrasives in the last couple of grits.

That's the best approach, yes.

 

[dlu]

Maybe I just need to stick to regular abrasives for heavier grit and only use net abrasives in the last couple of grits.

Hmm, I just picked us some Granat Net abrasives and the fellow at the dealer who pitched them to me claimed one of their big advantages was lasting longer and maintaining their edge -- he suggested just the opposite strategy: use the Granat Net for the coarse grits and switch to the standard Granat for the final smoothing.

He also didn't say a word about the protection pad. Grr...

 

[usernumber1]

it's not festool but i just took my protection pad off the mirka. i can't believe the difference. the sander feels lighter, closer to the surface. it also feels more 'flat' if that makes sense

i put the protection pad, day one - on the advice of the sales person, and never considered taking it off. i've been trying to find ways to get a firmer pad but it was under there the whole time

 

[woodbutcherbower]

Many years ago when I first bought my Mirka, I went through three 150mm backing pads inside 3 months at £35 a pop - before I even knew that protectors were a thing. The edges of the pad were just being rubbed totally bald. I’m now getting over a year out of a pad. The Mirka ones don’t add any significant weight and (to me, anyway) are virtually undetectable in real-world use.

 

[Coen]

Maybe I just need to stick to regular abrasives for heavier grit and only use net abrasives in the last couple of grits.

Or... you use the interface pad  [huh]

 

[John T.]

Maybe I just need to stick to regular abrasives for heavier grit and only use net abrasives in the last couple of grits.

Or... you use the interface pad  [huh]

As mentioned in the OP, I'm trying to avoid the soft stack-up that the protection pad is giving, to avoid rounding over edges (for example using the LS 130 to sand board edges).

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I don't even have any of the screen/net type abrasives in grits below 320, but I have never had any issue with not using the interface pad. I do have a couple of them, in different thicknesses, but I don't use them in every situation. On solid surface or between coats of finish, yes, but the edges of some other plastics it can interfere, so I leave it out then.

 

[Mr Speaker]

I hit a small nail tucked away in a stairway post and was very happy that I had my interface/protection pad. I use 3M and Festool Granat, and with the way I work, I would advise to always use them when using net or mesh.

I have no mesh for my RO90 (yet) and there I do not use an interface pad.