Sanding to bright Aluminum
Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2023 8:28 pm
I am 2 days in, and I have the roofs and sides of my Marionette 32 sanded. It is going quicker now. I tried an angle grinder and flap disk, which instantly gummed up. I tried a SS wire wheel, which worked great, but fell apart quickly (made in USA 40$, wore a welding hood). I tried a belt sander, which gummed up, and fell apart quickly too. I tried wetting the surface with the belt grinder, and the belt fell apart quicker. I then tried the angle grinder and 60 grit flap disk, and a hose of water. That seems to be the winner. I did the whole top with 1 disk. I then found a 40 grit disk and switched to that. Much better. I can push as hard as I want, and no gumming up.
About 8 years ago, I had no time, and lightly sanded, and put on some Brightside. That is now horrible, and cracking. The original off white paint was also cracking, so I felt it needed to go. The orange/toffee primer seemed mostly good, but getting the paint off and leaving the primer did not seem practical, or a great idea. The paint guys really wanted bare aluminum. The Brightside paint sands off super easy relative to the original (I think) off white, which makes me wonder about Brightside.
Questions...
So, how much are people paying to get sand blasting done, how long does this take?
Also, I'm priming with Interprotect 2000. The challenge I have is with some of the seams. The angle grinder/hose is great on the wide open flats, but misses some of the cracks/joints. I will try wet sandblasting, and the wire disk. Am I going overboard worrying about this? If it is still sticking, can I prime over the little bits? The seams are filled with a grey body fill, with no primer underneath. Is that original? In a lot of places the puddy has corrosion under it, which is setting me off a bit.
About 8 years ago, I had no time, and lightly sanded, and put on some Brightside. That is now horrible, and cracking. The original off white paint was also cracking, so I felt it needed to go. The orange/toffee primer seemed mostly good, but getting the paint off and leaving the primer did not seem practical, or a great idea. The paint guys really wanted bare aluminum. The Brightside paint sands off super easy relative to the original (I think) off white, which makes me wonder about Brightside.
Questions...
So, how much are people paying to get sand blasting done, how long does this take?
Also, I'm priming with Interprotect 2000. The challenge I have is with some of the seams. The angle grinder/hose is great on the wide open flats, but misses some of the cracks/joints. I will try wet sandblasting, and the wire disk. Am I going overboard worrying about this? If it is still sticking, can I prime over the little bits? The seams are filled with a grey body fill, with no primer underneath. Is that original? In a lot of places the puddy has corrosion under it, which is setting me off a bit.