Stone chip and touch-up, home made sanding tool

[tuscarora dave]

Hello everyone.

For quite some time I've been practicing with stone chip and general paint touch-up repair. Being my own worst critic, I'm rarely happy with my results, though my results have definitely improved over time.

I've used sanding pens, hole punch sized peel and stick sand paper disks stuck to a new pencil eraser, peel and stick paper stuck to my finger tips, 3" sanding disks folded to attempt to accurately sand without getting too far out onto the clear etc. etc.

I've had some really nice results using these sanding techniques, but one thing I've never been able to achieve is the necessary efficiency to provide this as a service. Clients would ask if I provide the service and I typically would just offer to put paint in the chip and be done with it, citing that trying to make an unnoticeable chip repair is a labor of love that takes entirely too long to be economically feasible, so I'd dab a little paint in the chips as carefully as possible and move on, though I always tend to cringe a little upon delivery of the vehicle back to the client.

Lately I've been working on a black 2000 Cadillac ElDorado that's to be flipped come spring time. I've done some touch ups on both bumper scrapes and stone chips with less than desirable results. The client and I began talking about an idea I've had for a while to fashion my own little sanding system that will spin as a rotary but at a much slower rate in order to have a very controlled way to efficiently sand these repairs without the risk of creating so much RPM friction that the paint heats up and gets pulled from the repair during sanding. We agreed to use this Cadillac as a practice vehicle for testing my newly created sanding tool.

Over the last few days I finally moved on the production of my idea and thought I'd share.

Here are a few photos of what I came up with.













Thoughts, questions, comments?

[FUNX650]

Hi Dave...

Good idea!

{I've got a couple of IR die grinders that I've tried to use as mini-buffers...but they're way too finicky.}


May I ask what the no-load speed is for this Mac air ratchet?

Bob

[Moldavite]

Very creative Sir

[tuscarora dave]

Hi Dave...

Good idea!

{I've got a couple of IR die grinders that I've tried to use as mini-buffers...but they're way too finicky.}


May I ask what the no-load speed is for this Mac air ratchet?

Bob

Hi Bob!!

Yeah I too have tried the die grinder as a means to sand and the RPM is way too uncontrollable for the particular task.

I've looked at the Rupes denibbing tools and can't justify the cost.

I'm not sure of the no load speed of this air ratchet but it's quite fast, much faster than the larger 3/8" drive air ratchets. I'm heading up to the shop here after bathing the dog, (Dirty Boy is really dirty) I'll mark the backing plate with something and shoot a video of the no load speed in action.

I think it's fast enough to shave micro layers at a time without the need to fiddle with varying the trigger for speed control, and slow enough to not heat up and clog the sanding disks with a few spritzes of water for lubrication.

[allenk4]

Search Ebay for the 3M Denibbing System

It looks like an item that ends up in some body shop employees lunch pail and then for sale

It looks like you can get a better price if you buy the tool and abrasive sets separately vs. buying the entire kit

[Garyhw48]

Looks like a good idea to me. I've never been happy with the chip repair that I have done.

Been thinking lately that I need to look into the best ways to fix them. This may turn out to be a good answer. Let us know how it works.

[Helltopay]

Certainly an interesting repurposing of a tool. How large is the pad? I have found that when sanding a chip repair, it works best to limit the sanding to the chip/repair itself. I wonder if a Dremel tool could serve the same purpose?

[dad07]

Cool Idea Dave!

I like It Roloc is something I use a lot in my shop.......I actually have a Larger size "roloc sander" ( will have to hunt it down) that was used to clean heads and blocks on heavy equipment.......you have me thinking now!

Nice Idea Dave!!!! let us know how it goes.

[Helltopay]

Dave, you have gotten me to thinking. I hope you do not mind me adding to your thread. I did a little research on the Dremel and found a 90 degree attachment and sanding disks. Clearly the disks would have to be replaced with something finer but they could serve as a template.

[tuscarora dave]

Certainly an interesting repurposing of a tool. How large is the pad? I have found that when sanding a chip repair, it works best to limit the sanding to the chip/repair itself. I wonder if a Dremel tool could serve the same purpose?

The smaller of the two measures 7/8" and the larger is 1-1/4"
part of my idea of using the slower speed of an air ratchet was to be able to edge the sanding pad without the burning and or gouging of a higher speed tool such as a Dremmel.

Cool Idea Dave!

I like It Roloc is something I use a lot in my shop.......I actually have a Larger size "roloc sander" ( will have to hunt it down) that was used to clean heads and blocks on heavy equipment.......you have me thinking now!

Nice Idea Dave!!!! let us know how it goes.

I took a 3" 26 grit grinding disc and peeled the plastic Roloc attachment off the back, did that with a mini Roloc disc as well and glued a piece of 3M backing plate to each. I then placed them in a slow drill and spun them against the bench grinder wheel to make them perfectly round.

Nice thing is that I can make as many as I need and grind them as small as I need to. I just ordered a 16 piece hollow punch set off Amazon so I can punch out pretty much any size sanding discs I may need.