well im striping the paint down on my car with my 6" DA sander...

all the stores around here are out of sand paper and if they do have it in its like $7.99 for 6 peices. im trying to get the car bare metal and sanded with 120 grit to be primed with epoxy primer. i have goten about 1/3 of the car done but ive spent about $60 on sandpaper to do that... going to be more money then the dam primer.


is there a cheaper way of doing it? i got a angle grinder but with the speed of it i think it would heat up the metal fast and warp.

what do u guys use?

Reading thread right below this one may give you an idea. Martin S, Barry K or Randy Ferguson may have better answers though. Me just a metal finisher kinda guy, but a shadtree body wannabee.

A $1.32 for a DA paper sheet!
I'm not being a smart a** but when you guys going to learn you DON"T buy body supplies from an auto parts store because you are going to get *******&& every time!

You have been on here long enough to know better.

100-800 grit 6" stick-it DA paper for a roll of 100
.22-.30 cents a sheet in Mirka or Indasa.

80 grit is more. .25-.33 cents per sheet.

get on line or find an auto paint store.

Barry, sometimes auto parts stores can have some "decent" prices on abrasives. NAPA has Carborundum (sp?) paper under the name of "Red Diamond" forty cents a disc, no bargin but it is great paper. It can be a life saver for the guy who is many miles from a real paint store.


montea, I feel for you guy, especially if you are using something like "Econobody" Or "Refinishers choice" marketed by S-W thru NAPA stores and Sherwin Jobbers, that is the WORSE JUNK paper I have ever seen. Now, it sounds like you are using 3M by the cost, but you never know with those "retail packs", they are a SUPER rip off.

You could have bought a Roll of a 100 discs for half as much as you have spent at a real paint store as Barry said.

If you don't know where the store (jobber) is that supplies your body shops in town, go ask one. You really need to get to know the guys at the auto paint and body supplies store in town.

Be careful about what you order online. I have a ton of sandpaper made in Portugal and India that isn't worth a %$#@. When you try and bend it around a sanding board it cracks and the abrasive comes off. Seemed like a real bargain on the net site.

Vince

I paid 20$ for a 100 of 80 grit stickit DA paper. This was for the cheap stuff, and it will do my whole car at least 10 times. If you want DA paper to last for the rest of your life, you can get the 3M pads, for about 75$.

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Vince is right! You do have to know what your ordering and on top of that all the sandpaper companies have different grades!
3M has a white color as a cheap-line but it will take you ten rolls to do what the yellow does.

Best grades (mixed up)

Carbo-Red
Norton-Champagne (same as above)
Indasa-Red
3M-if your rich. yellow or reverse.
Sia-Velcro only.

Mirka--is pretty good but not as good as the above ones.

Myself I keep the garaged stocked with the Indasa and (Sia in one of air file items)
But I only use Velcro.

What about HERE They carry 3m and other brands and all grades for not too bad of a price. Might be more convenient than if you have to travel miles to your local jobber.

id do chemical strip, and then i do DA on spots that didnt get stripped and just to clean up metal after its washd and dried, then self-etching primer or epoxy primer, but self etching will last more and fight rust better, giving you better adhesion

I just bought 80, 120, 180, and 320 at Napa, though I did do a cash deal through the company I work for and really got a descent price. They are the 6" stick it gold rolls. Other than that try Eastwood, prices aren't too bad.

yes, when you order online, no matter what it is, know exactly the product you are purchasing so there are no surprises. i have found a website that has real nice high quality gold paper at good prices. www.aaabrasives.com. i get some of my stuff from them and some from www.smartshoppersinc.com

I used a stripper first then went back with the 6" Da sander. Saved a whole lot of dollars on sand paper. The stripper was about 18 bucks a gallon at Advanced Auto. Let us know how she turns out.

i just got home from work, wow so many replys already. thanks for your guys help!

I just went to a PPG seminar on Saturday and they said on the old metal that most of our cars are made of do not use the self etching primers, it is good on galvanized metal or aluminum, but with the pits that will naturally be in the older metal the acid will sit in there and will actually rust, they recommended using a quality epoxy primer instead.

Check at the bigger Hot Rod swap meets. In Daytona "Turkey Rod Run" on Thanksgiving weekend. They sell 3M paper by the pound - Usually $5 per pound. I picked up 5 lbs of 1000, 1500 & 2000 grit 3M for that price There is probably a big swap meet near you too.

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