Orbital sander

-
dartfreak75

dartfreak75

Restore it, Dont part it!
Joined
Aug 10, 2011
Messages
11,572
Reaction score
9,484
Location
Virginia
Im looking into an electric random orbital sander i am particularly looking at the battery powered Bauer and hart brands (harbor freight and walmart) im leaning towards the hart because I already have a hart drill and impact so I have the batteries and charger already. They are both 5" and 10000rpm the Bauer is 10 dollars cheaper than the hart but after I buy the charger and battery I will be 40 dollars over the hart. Im curious are electric orbital sander heavy duty enough to strip paint and do body work on a car? I know the go to is a pneumatic DA but my compressor can't keep up with a DA I have already tried. Do you guys think an electric orbital would do the trick? Thanks
 
This. Eastwood CONTOUR SCT® - Surface Conditioning Tool. Once you’re done with it you can sell it to recoup some of your money.

C6F14941-75AC-456A-9232-B12C41918AB9.jpeg
 
I have the corded Bauer sander wth the dust cup. I’m surprised how well it works. The Bauer heat gun is also super nice, but the trim router was junk.
 
Not to plug any manufacturer, but I just bought a DeWalt 20 Volt Lion battery powered RO sander to add to my collection. The batteries are expensive, but it's paid for itself many times over already. Besides my woodworking, it's working well on the 340 K frame I bought from a respected Canadian member on this site. Due to medical considerations, I've switched from 2/4 stroke lawn tools, and garage tools, I love it. I still have my pneumatic RO, but this is great for small jobs, and no cord. And no, I don't work for, or have any connection with DeWalt.
 
Anything i buy cordless is Milwaukee or dewalt, and extended battery yes expensive but more power and long lasting. Larger the batteries gives the machine RPM it needs. My 2 cents
 
The sander will probably do the job but I wouldn't be using up a battery powered one and anything with a lot of surface area. You're gonna have a lot of downtime while the batteries charged after five or 10 minutes of use
 
In process of stripping mine, I feel like I've tried everything. I have/had a 20-year old Earl Scheib respray on top the original paint that is hard as rock overall and peeling in places. I'm going to bare metal. I don't have a compressor setup that will drive a pneumatic DA so everything I use has been electric.

To answer your question - my Bosch corded electric random orbital was not effective at cutting through topcoat, and with topcoat gone it will get up primer with 80 + 120, but kind of time consuming. If you're just scuffing + shooting, it would probably work fine. But I imagine that a cordless one will burn through battery quickly.

Angle grinder with flap wheel will shred off the topcoat, but its also time consuming due to contact surface size and you can gouge metal easy and overheat the panel. Same with wire wheel/cup. Polycarbide wheels work well and won't superheat metal, but you will burn through them. I even tried plastic bristle cups (3M), they're expensive and wore out fast.

The contour is a nice tool, but even with the 40-grit polycarbide roller it struggles with hardened top coat. It sort of skims and bounces off the top. Once through to original paint it works well and does not superheat the panel. I did not have much luck with the other rollers, the 40-grit does the trick but wears out eventually and is not cheap to replace.

I got my topcoat off with a heat gun and scrapers...the paint releases with heat and comes up in sheets. Then attack the original paint with the contour + 40 grit wheel to bare metal. Supplement with the $2 HF polycarbide wheels you can chuck up in a drill, you can use them in tight spots.
 
In what's being discussed I would not use battery powered, corded all the way...... Your talking a lot. of energy with these sanders and many hours of constant use
 
I've had using the same cheap Harbor Freight plug in one for every home and car project for years now....
 
I realize I'm sticking my neck out, but I stand by my review of the DeWalt 20V Li-on battery powered tools. I gave my old 18V Ni-Cad tools to the thrift store. I can run my RO sander with a 6ah battery for 5+ hours, and I don't miss the damned cord at all. JMO, Paul.
 
IMO, cordless just won't cut it as far as battery life. If you want to go electric, stick with corded or air. Sanding a car body is really heavy duty work.
 
Like you, RRR, I'm old and can't sand for more than 2 hours at a time. The new DeWalt Li-On batteries are the cat's ***. Working way back in the yard, I'd have to drag out my generator, or 300' of air hose. In my garage, sure the pneumatic RO sander is the best, using PPE. Due to RA and torn rotator cuffs, I can't start my old, reliable 2 stroke yard tools, either. I can run my string trimmer through the blackberries for an hour. Young studs won't understand, but for old men, no pulling on starter cords, no premixing of fuel, less noise, and light weight. They still have an increasing use in the garage. My wife can use them, too. Like I said, just my opinion. Light years ahead of the old Ni-Cad stuff.
 
70dart340 said:
Like you, RRR, I'm old and can't sand for more than 2 hours at a time. The new DeWalt Li-On batteries are the cat's ***. Working way back in the yard, I'd have to drag out my generator, or 300' of air hose. In my garage, sure the pneumatic RO sander is the best, using PPE. Due to RA and torn rotator cuffs, I can't start my old, reliable 2 stroke yard tools, either. I can run my string trimmer through the blackberries for an hour. Young studs won't understand, but for old men, no pulling on starter cords, no premixing of fuel, less noise, and light weight. They still have an increasing use in the garage. My wife can use them, too. Like I said, just my opinion. Light years ahead of the old Ni-Cad stuff.
Click to expand...
Are they really that good? I've never been able to afford them bad boys.
 
The big 5ah or 6ah batteries are expensive, but worth it. I've recharged mine hundreds of times, and they still work great. I can't vouch for other brands, and I haven't tried the Ebay replacements. To me, they made it much better to help out in the yard, and my garage Mahal.
 
Wagner painteater? $64...
81j6CUf6QoL._AC_SL1500_.jpg

$159 on Amazon.....with 3 barrels. $109 with Amazon rewards card (credit, just pay it off in one shot and cut the card up)

71ygenaEo1L._AC_SL1500_.jpg


WARNING>>> Those drums are like $42 a piece! <<<
91jJct+zF8L._AC_SL1500_.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top