while at the auto store i was shopping for a body file (those cheese grater things) and found one that was curved. I was hesitant to buy because I thought they only came strait. What are both files intentions? Seeing as they come in both styles I suppose i will need both. thanks.
Curved all you need, been using them pretty much daily for 20years and I've never even held a flat one
Great thanks guys. Glad to hear, because my local parts store only has the curved one. Another question, I have a 7' 9' Black and Decker Bufffmaster electronic sander/polisher..with variable speed.. what are my limitations with this tool? Can I use this like a DA? Can I put a 5' pad on it? What do you guys think. I'm just now getting into auto body.
When choosing sandpaper for cars. What besides wetdry can I use. I have sandpaper from 220 to 1200 in wetdry from. And by mistake bought yellow sandpaper 80 grit labeled File sheets. I understand that the lower the number grit the ruffer the paper. And I am getting a good growing understanding on when to use them and why. But I dont know when to go wet and when to go dry let alone what "types" of sandpaper to use. any old threads I can look up or any tips?
You can use the buffer to strip paint and to rough in body work like you would with a hog , but that's it. You need a palm DA Northern tool has some IR's that are decent, Dynabrade's can be had for around $150ish Metal grader only File paper 36 and 80 is for an air file or file board, mostly for filler work Dry paper is for stripping, filler, and primer sanding Wet is for water blocking primer, clear, and general paint prep of primer or existing paint in a nutshell. I could write a book on this but check out the other Eastwood primer thread if you haven't already
What "hugger" is referring to as a "hog" is probably the most versatile tool you would use in most situations. I haven't used my files much in the last ten years. A good hog such as a National Detroit or CP brand is money well spent. They are a dual action 8 inch round sander that you would use 36 grit to shape or rough in your bodywork(when using plastic). The file for lead or metal work is often just replaced by a four inch grinder with a 24 grit disc. A 5 or 6 inch DA sander is going to be your feather tool with 80 grit down to 150 grit before priming. Then the fun really starts because you will be doing a lot of light blocking by hand to insure your work is straight,which is ambiguous because the only straight vehicle probably ever made was a jeep. Your patience becomes a key factor at this point and you can lightly spatter a different color over your primer before blocking to help see surface imperfections. Just some basics because as stated, one could write a whole book on any particular repair. Many opinions vary also on subjects such as lead vs. plastic and different painting manufacturers as far as quality. In my experience,most urethanes are similar regardless of brand and spending more money is not necessarily a better job.
I really appreciate the time you guys took to answer my question. What is an IR? What do you mean when you say rough in body work? [QUOTE="schlepcar, post: 2697062, member: 41933" . A 5 or 6 inch DA sander is going to be your feather tool [/QUOTE] I run across this term a lot, feather. What does it mean in auto body?
Ingersoll Rand, "palm DA" If you want pm me and I'll give you my # I can send you a tech manual that I use with my students, it's a VERY abridged type manual but covers the basics from prep,metal straighting,filler work, feather edging , paint basics etc
