Sanding (Is) The Pits

[Ginsly]

A while back I got a bunch of the plain aluminum enclosures from Tayda since I didn't really know how I wanted to finish em. I guess I'm still figuring that out.

I wet-sanded one by hand, placing low-to-high grit sandpaper on a flat surface and finishing with aluminum polishing compound and a ridiculous spongy drill attachment made for chrome wheels. No mirror, but it looks 1000 times better. Still, there are some pits.


I'm thinking I need more time with the lowest grit sandpaper, but it'll be seriously taxing to do all these by hand! This one took far longer than I thought. I was thinking of picking up a cheap sander (below) for at least the first couple grits. I doubt I can use any of these with wet sandpaper, but since it has a little dust collection bag that might not be as important.

Is this advisable? If you've had good (or bad) luck with this I'd love to hear about it! I've heard that the Tayda enclosures may have pitting pretty deep down, so maybe this is a fool's errand...

 

[swelchy]

is your goal to paint them or to leave aluminum showing? If painting I recommend using 3m spot putty for small defects... use a small thin putty knife and only fill what you need.. if you pretend your icing a cake it will take forever to sand correctly..... that and some high build primer in aresol will make quicker work than sanding yourself to death...

 

[Ginsly]

is your goal to paint them or to leave aluminum showing? If painting I recommend using 3m spot putty for small defects... use a small thin putty knife and only fill what you need.. if you pretend your icing a cake it will take forever to sand correctly..... that and some high build primer in aresol will make quicker work than sanding yourself to death...

I'm not planning on painting any at the moment, but this is good to know if I eventually go that route! For now most of the aluminum finish will be showing so I'd like to get em looking decent without dislocating my shoulder...

 

[jwin615]

Ive noticed the same pitting on tayda boxes. SBP boxes seem better in that regard. They're cheaper too if you buy 25 iirc.
A 6 inch random orbital sander is a better move than a palm sander imo. Swapping grits is going to be a lot quicker.
I've had good luck with the Diablo SandDemon discs. They don't clog up like traditional discs and last well--don't break down when wet sanding. They sell variety packs of several grits too. They only go up to 400 but you can get a decent finish with wet 400. Above that, hand wet sand.

 

[Ginsly]

Ive noticed the same pitting on tayda boxes. SBP boxes seem better in that regard. They're cheaper too if you buy 25 iirc.
A 6 inch random orbital sander is a better move than a palm sander imo. Swapping grits is going to be a lot quicker.
I've had good luck with the Diablo SandDemon discs. They don't clog up like traditional discs and last well--don't break down when wet sanding. They sell variety packs of several grits too. They only go up to 400 but you can get a decent finish with wet 400. Above that, hand wet sand.

Very good to know! I was looking at orbital sanders first and thought this palm sander would be a better fit. A colleague had actually recommended a bench top belt sander, but... I don't think that's gonna happen. Way too big, too hard to change belts, and if I lose my grip that box is gonna go flyin!

Is it safe to assume that I could wet sand with pretty much any orbital sander? It looks like many orbitals have a dust catch too, so maybe wet sanding is not as necessary (?). Thanks for the SandDemon heads up, I'll check those out!

 

[jwin615]

I'm not sure wet sanding is "approved" for any electric orbital. Certainly not an issue for pneumatic.
I just do it anyway. It's a Ryobi. Who cares. But, it takes very little water, at least w the Diablo discs. It seems like the mesh like to hold onto the droplets. I just have a spray bottle and give the enclosure a spritz on higher grits. Maybe 1/4 oz at most.
I actually got a bench sander recently but I haven't ordered finer grit belts yet.
Don't get a standard orbital, you'll want a 6 inch random orbital. Anything smaller and you won't get the whole enclosure on it.
I take a sharpie and draw a box just inside the boundary with an X through it to ensure I'm getting it flush. Some boxes seem to have bow to the top but the sander gets there eventually.
I wouldn't concern yourself with dust. There's not much and even less if you wet sand. Just do it outside or over the sink.

 

[Ginsly]

Don't get a standard orbital, you'll want a 6 inch random orbital. Anything smaller and you won't get the whole enclosure on it.

I did consider this… on bigger enclosures like a 1590BB I’m not certain even a 6” would cover the corners of the top and bottom… Definitely not on a 1590X… I just assumed I’d have to kind of pass over it carefully back and forth, although I can see where that may lead to an uneven surface. I’d be doing some finer-grit hand sanding after grinding em down, so maybe that helps even things out..?

 

[jwin615]

You'll take the bulk off with course grit. That's why I use the sharpie. Similar to fret leveling. I know I've touched the entire surface with the course grit.
Being perfectly flat doesn't matter a ton unless you are etching but even then, sanding gets you flat enough. Even on bigger boxes, just keep a steady pressure and you'll bring any high spots down.
And remember, if you want it to stay shiny, you need to seal it before the oxide layer develops.

 

[jessenator]

I've had decent luck taping down a sheet of 400 emery cloth to a very flat bit of my bench (repurposed smooth desk), instead of using a block or sander. Then swapping out grits as needed.

 

[swelchy]

6" electric orbital sander is fine for wet sanding..... use a small squirt bottle with a drop of dishsoap... Just keep things wet... not literally hosing everything down with water.. I run a paint shop as my job nowadays... Been into liquid coatings as a professional for over 30 years.. go through the grits.. start with 80,120,220,320,400, 800,1200,1500,2000... just figure out high high of a polish you want and go from there.. You can get it to a mirror finish... stopping at 220/320 will give you a nice finish... anything past that will show scratches pretty easy