Favorite palm sander

[El Hefe]

So what's your favorite palm sander? Looking to get one to finish striping my strat body.

[KevinB]

I have a variable speed, 5" Porter-Cable random orbit sander like this...



But as long as you stay with the top brands like DeWalt, Bosch, Makita, Milwaukee, Ridgid, etc., I don't think there's much to choose between them.

[DuncanAngus]

I have a Dewalt random orb that kinda looks like KevinB's. Just an on/off switch, not variable, but works good and I've used it for all kinds of projects.

[c.winn]

Just be sure to get a random orbit sander: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_orbital_sander

[El Hefe]

I found this one, I like the price.

http://www.harborfreight.com/5-inch-...der-93431.html

[KevinB]

You get what you pay for.

For $25 more you can buy a good one that will probably outlive you.

[babalooga]

for electric it's a Porter-Cable, for pnuematic it's Dynabrade. I prefer the Dynabrade as I can get into tighter corners with it. Mine get daily use and get dropped several times a week. They are both rugged and dependable.

[El Hefe]

Cool thanks guys I found a few better ones that I'm gonna look into. Any ideas on what's the best way to sand the inside of the horns on a strat?

[B.G.L.]

Having done this, I'll throw out a different route.
Get a good respirator, a gallon of acetone, a bunch of 3M scratch pads, some thick stripping gloves, and prepare to make a mess. Elbow grease required. This is a nasty way or going about it, but you won't remove any wood. Lacquer thinner will eat lacquer, and acetone SHOULD take off poly. Then at the end you'll just have some minimal hand-sanding to do. I'd personally hate to sand off the entire finish on a Strat. You could very easily gouge/flatten/ bevel/re-contour the body. Those palm sanders will remove wood FAST. I'd end up bummed. The chemical route is toxic and messy, but effective. Wear that respirator!!!

[B.G.L.]

I just re-read the op. Did you already mostly strip the body??

[El Hefe]

Originally Posted by B.G.L.

I just re-read the op. Did you already mostly strip the body??

Yea I only have the sides and insides of the horns to do, and a small area where I try'd out some stain but I didn't like it, so I've changed my mind and I want to paint it now. I'm gonna use duplicolor.

[B.G.L.]

Inside the horns? I'd soak a bunch of different grits of automotive wet or dry papers in water overnight, then use naphtha as a lubricant for your sanding. Water will swell the wood. Again, wear the respirator.

[B.G.L.]

I used Duplicolor on one of my earlier paint jobs. I ended up with fairly decent results. Dries like concrete, so the final wet sanding was tedious, but again, came out ok.

[El Hefe]

Originally Posted by B.G.L.

I used Duplicolor on one of my earlier paint jobs. I ended up with fairly decent results. Dries like concrete, so the final wet sanding was tedious, but again, came out ok.

Cool man, can you post some pictures?

[B.G.L.]

I'll have to take some...

[gtrguru]

Harbor Freight is great for a tool that you will only use a couple times.

[B.G.L.]

[El Hefe]

Originally Posted by B.G.L.

Attachment 136989



Attachment 136990



Attachment 136991

Looks good!

What clear coat did u use?

[B.G.L.]

No clear!!! I was going for a yellowed Oly White look. I just used the Duplicolor that was closest, got it white, wet sanded it smooth, and hand-polished it with some automotive polish. Meguiar's maybe, I don't remember. Up close it has lots of spider-web sanding swirls. It just looks like an old hand-polished axe. I just wanted it white, and at the time wasn't quite going for a pro finish. Smooth and shiny yes, glossy perfect no...

[El Hefe]

Wow so I shouldn't have to use any clear! Nice