Used to hand sand every single panel before paint, now I just let the DA do most of the work

Back when I started out 6 years ago I thought I had to block sand everything by hand to get it perfect. After ruining my shoulder for a week on a Honda door in Austin I finally bought a good dual action sander and cut my prep time down by like 40 percent. Anyone else fight the urge to overthink sanding?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_avery24d ago

Switching to a DA was a game changer for me too, once I stopped trying to chase perfection with 800 grit by hand my prep time dropped like crazy and the finish actually came out better.

cooper.taylor24d ago

Actually, you'd be surprised but 800 grit by hand is way too fine for most primer work. I learned that the hard way after burning through a whole weekend on a classic Mustang hood. You want to stay around 320 to 400 grit for primer sanding if you're using a DA, because the scratches need to be deep enough for the sealer and basecoat to grip onto. Going that fine by hand just polishes the primer and can lead to adhesion problems down the road.