I’ve started to build an old M12 Gun Motor Carriage that is an old school resin kit that I’ve had for years that was given to me by my father, and I’m 60 and my dad passed 1999. That’s showing some age. My questions are,
Where do you sand your resin?
What do you use for personal protection from the dust?
Those old big pour stubs, after cutting them off with a razor saw, how do you remove the rest? Some are pretty big and I’ve hit them with a disc sander but once i get to within an 1/8" I was using sandpaper, but that dust is always a concern.
I was using my air booth with the filter removed but I wasn’t confident that it was catching everything. I even removed the filter to directly vent outside.
Is an investment into an ultrasonic cutter a better option than hand cutting?
(like I need an excuse to buy another tool)
Also, my hobby area is inside my house where escaping dust wouldn’t be welcome.
Wear a dusk mask if sanding dry. I build 1/48 aircraft and the biggest blocks I usually have to deal with are trimming blocks off the bottom of ejection seats and resin replacement cockpit tubs. I try to keep things wet. It’s messy. I use a razor saw for larger blocks and dunk the part frequently in water to clear the dust out the cuts. Wet sand the final cleanup.
That’s what I was doing, except for some big blocks. For that I have this little performax variable speed that gets down to about 200 rpms which removes a lot easily but that created more dust than I wanted to deal with inside my house and it’s getting too cold for the garage. Menards sells them. Actually nice little tool. Dremel can gouge without being careful. This has a nice flat platen which dis a nice Job flattening. But the dust was a concern.
Has anyone used a downdraft table for indoor sanding? That’s something I was thinking about as an option.
You could run a shop vac to try to catch the dust as you sand it off.
I wet sand, generally in the kitchen sink (don’t tell the wife). Use a coarse wet-n-dry paper for rapid stock removal. Work down grits as needed for smoother finish. I’ll also use nail emery boards for finer work. Check beauty supply shops for water proof/washable boards
I also have a DSPIAE reciprocating sander I will use for fine finish work. The stick on sanding pads do not seem to generate much dust
Contrary to some beliefs, while the resin components are hazardous and potentially toxic if you drink them, the activated resin and dust is non-toxic. The dust is an irritant. Using a particle mask is sufficient protection. Save the organic vapor mask for airbrushing. Use typical hygiene with regards to eating, drinking, and smoking. Wash up when you’re done. And clean out the sink. Your wife will never know😉
Matt Mrozek, FSM contributor and fabulous figure modeler, does what TonkaCrash suggests and runs a shot vac while sanding or cutting resin parts. The thing you need to be careful with is small parts–don’t want them disappearing into the vacuum! Wet-sanding is definitely an option, although I wouldn’t go so far as to do it in the kitchen sink. If you have a basin or bowl, you can do it right at the workbench. I agree with Ed, that a normal particle mask should be sufficient for what you’re doing.
Thank you guys,
I’ve taken everything into consideration and this is what I’ve come up with.
My son used to make deliveries for a nice restaurant and he kept a bunch of those “busboy bins” which I’m going to try using with about an inch of water.
I have a plastic chopping/cutting board that for some reason I glued cork to it years ago that makes it about an inch thick. That will be my working area and completed parts go into a kitchen sieve that my wife never used. And that could be swirled around in the water to get off that resin mud.
I’ll put it together and post a picture later and show you guys what I did.
I think that I just needed to know that there isn’t something I’m missing..
I’ve been on the fence about that dspie sander for a while. I have neck issues and that repeated motion can really lay me up if I overdo it like I always do. So would you say that is it worth it? Hobby dollars have to dry up as per the boss.
It would only be used for plastic, resin, or wood. Does it bog down with pressure?