3" polisher or da sander

[GLHX]

Recently I purchased a 6" 3m sander 3/16 throw for use with the trizact system
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7158/13780294073_f218e68053.jpg (http://flic.kr/p/mZHBk8)- (http://flic.kr/p/mZHBk8)
I have the 3000 and 5000 with interface for the da and was going to hand sand the 1500 because I've never done this before and don't want to go through....I thought about using the da with 1500....

The car is in the blocking stages of primer right now. It will either gets 4 coats of clear or 3 coats then sanded with 800 then 3 more coats. Then cut and polished

I also purchased the 3m polishing system
White
Black
Blue 8" and 3" pads with the corresponding compounds and polishes.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3808/13780325343_4783b864b5_o.jpg (http://flic.kr/p/mZHLCg)- (http://flic.kr/p/mZHLCg)

This will be used with an adjustable dewalt buffer.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7367/13780122223_4d0765fbd0.jpg (http://flic.kr/p/mZGJfc)- (http://flic.kr/p/mZGJfc)

Then went ahead and bought some 3" trizact 3000 and 5000 with the interface pad.

Now I'm trying to figure out what I should buy for a 3" machine.
I was looking at this 3" 3m set up
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2916/13779968943_6ddfb1eafe_z.jpg (http://flic.kr/p/mZFWFr)- (http://flic.kr/p/mZFWFr)

As said above I have the 6" one. What I was thinking is I could use the 6" and the 3" above for polishing and cutting as opposed to that buffer.

I have also been looking at the electric polishers PC, GG, FLEX, MEGS in 6" capacity. The 3" gg looks good but from what I've read it won't cut. I need something for tight spaces that will cut

Can I polish and cut with these 3m sanders?

[statusdetailing]

1500 by that 3m machine will give you better results than by hand. The sanding marks or "controlled defects" will be easier to remove on the the subsequent 3000 damp sand step. Hand sanding is not very uniform, and imo, is more likely to cause a strike through.

I'm more familiar with the meguiars system, but this looks somewhat similar.

A 1500 grit disc without an interface pad can be use for leveling orange peel. With an interface pad it will texture match better. 3000 grit will not remove orange peel but will refine the 1500 grit scratches very nicely. Definitely want to use an interface pad with 3000.

This is just personal preference, but I would not use a rotary buffer. This is the 21st century.

Meguiars MF cutting pads and m105 via a quality DA polisher like a Rupes or even the newest Griots 6 inch DA, will easily clean up the 3000 grit stage, and in most cases will only need to be followed up by one polishing step. M205 on a foam pad is an excellent choice in many cases.

Reguardless, you will need an electric machine. Pneumatic tools are good for sanding but are not great for polishing steps. You would need a gigantic air compressor. . . it's just not efficient.

With this method, you have zero chance of holograms.

[GLHX]

Thank you for the reply. I will look into a da polisher on the electric side then......my air compressor is a 10hp 2 stage 120 gallon. It's pretty big and would hold up to whatever I put on it for long periods of time. I will try the 1500 with the machine.


From what you said I will need 3 more machines. I would like something that will sand with 3" trizact and get in the tight spots.

Then I will need a 6" and 3" polisher. I was hoping the 2 items by 3m would do both.

[statusdetailing]

Here's a great video talking about sanding and polishing with Larry Kosilla, Kevin Brown and Jason Rose. These guys are some of the best in the business.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgCmrGMhvss&list=UUYsa8SOy3TkoxI5D17s1u-w&feature=share&index=1]Best 4-Step Wet Sanding Tips: Part I. - YouTube[/video]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgCmrGMhvss&list=UUYsa8SOy3TkoxI5D17s1u-w&feature=share&index=1]Best 4-Step Wet Sanding Tips: Part I. - YouTube[/video]