When removing flash, and removing seams, what Grit Sandpaper does one start with, and end with ?
AJ[:)]
When sanding anything from wood to plastic you start with a course grit and use progressivly finer grits untill you have a perfect surface.
For plastic i start with 400 to 600 grit sand paper (depending on how much matrial i want to remove). I work my way up in intervals of 200 grit or so (don’t need to be percise). I stop with 2000 grit sand paper. When you finish you’ll have a surface as smooth as the untouched plastic (might have to whipe with a wet cloth to remove the dust).
You can get the extremly fine grits at stores that carry automoative supplies. People also use the sand paper pack sold by testors, however i’m not fond of trying to clean them (small sheets but suposed to be cleanable) and the grit is not marked anywhere.
I use the following grits: 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1600, 2000.
I rarely start at 320 unless I’m modifying a part. For flat finishes, you don’t need to go over 800. For gloss finishes, go to at least 1000. For candy-apple and metallic, go to at least 1600.
I use a 3/32 inch thick rubber pad as backing. You can get gasket rubber for this at a hardware store. Cut a manageable size of pad (mine is about 2 inches square) and cut the wet or dry paper just slightly larger than the pad. You don’t need to glue the paper to the pad—the rubber holds it quite nicely.
ALWAYS SAND WET!!! And rinse the paper frequently. Change rinse water between grits, especially when you get to the finer (600 and up) grits.
Use a firm but gentle touch.
Beauty supply stores sell fingernail polishing sticks that are also useful, especially for hard to reach places.
There is also a technique sometimes called “adzing.” You just scrape the sharp edge of a hobby knife along a seam or edge, holding the blade perpendicular to the surface or edge. Used delicately, this can be very effective on plastic, as it leaves a surprisingly smooth surface.
Let’s face it: surface prep is really just a grind…
[:o)]
Very nice Ross [tup]
I’d like to add one tid-bit if I may?
I love those plastic Folgers coffee containers!
I use one for my sandpaper rinse bucket. Try adding a few drops of dish detergent to the water. It helps keep the sandpaper from clogging up so quickly and the model loves the bath when you rinse it under the faucet. [:D]
Thanks for the compliment, and I like that dish detergent idea!
Nice tips… See something I did not know
Thanks all
Bud