Sanding (Is) The Pits

Ginsly

Ginsly

Well-known member
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.
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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...
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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...
 
swelchy said:
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...
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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...
 
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.
 
jwin615 said:
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.
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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!
 
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.
 
jwin615 said:
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.
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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..?
 
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.
 
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.
 
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
 
@jwin615 and @swelchy - is there a reason an orbital is preferable over a palm sander other than ease of grit change? Looks like there are some palm sanders which may be quick-change, althought the orbital might still have the edge there.
 
Yep. Random orbital will be more even with much less chance of a sanding pattern. With coarse grit, If you move part or the enclosure off the sanding surface, it's will immediately have more material.
IMO, the only thing palm sanders are good at is removing a lot of material quickly in spaces a belt sander isn't ideal.
For enclosures, I'd rather take a belt sander and flip it over.
I would recommend just getting a corded one, which should be cheaper, unless you have a good stash of batteries.

$40
 
jwin615 said:
That should do. Even better if you can plug it up and run it for a few minutes. Give it a sniff for any burnt motor coils etc
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I'm a little hesitant to buy something that may have compatibility issues, but Dewalt makes decent stuff. It's a good sign that this person still has the box!

I'd love to just walk up to Lowe's and get this, but it sounds like 5" might be a little problematic.
 
5" is doable
But with 6", with 125b the entire enclosure fits on the sander. For larger enclosures, you're only having to keep 1 axis on the sander. It just makes it easier.
All sanders are pretty much compatible with all discs now days.
The big thing to be on the lookout for is the hook and loop on the sander. If it's eaten up, you'll have to replace it or replace the entire head. If it's just dirty, some compressed air will clear a lot out.
 
jwin615 said:
with 125b the entire enclosure fits on the sander
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Yep that would certainly ensure that the whole surface is evenly ground on a 1590B or 125B. Larger enclosures may be a bit tricky with a 5" or 6" I'd think...

Didn't realize the discs attached by hook and loop! Never used one of these before. Looking around, people have mentioned possibly needing to remove some sort of padded surface so that the discs sit completely flat on the sander as well as the enclosure surface - otherwise it can be uneven. Not sure if that's relevant here. Thanks for all the tips, this is really helpful.
 
I’ve got a little Ryobi sheet sander. It’s definitely an improvement over hand sanding, but still a fairly long and tedious process.
Maybe I need to upgrade to an orbital…🤔

Also, PSA: please try not to wash a bunch of super-fine aluminum dust down your sink. It’s small enough to escape getting filtered out in the wastewater treatment process and can end up back in creeks, rivers, and fish.
I try to sand over something (small tarp, piece of cardboard) then just dump it into the regular trash. Use a lightly damp paper towel for mopping up stray dust.
 
pricklyrobot said:
Also, PSA: please try not to wash a bunch of super-fine aluminum dust down your sink.
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Absolutely. I sand on an old cutting board that sits in one of those plastic lunch trays. When I’m done I take a paper towel and guide the slurry into the garbage.

Looks like I finally got to work “slurry” into a conversation organically. 🙌
 
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