Two Schools of Thought - Sanding in Straight-lines or in a Crosshatch Pattern

[Ron Atchison]

Flash, What are you using the sanding disks with? By hand or with a machine? If you’re talking about machine sanding with disks then technically you are still sanding in a circular motion but in much more tighter controlled uniform circular motion. Circular sanding by hand lacks the uniformity because there will be areas that will be sanded more than others.

[Ron Atchison]

Crosshatch sanding can also prevent you from over sanding. By sanding in a 90 to the first sanding step you can see when you have removed the scratches and know when to stop. Sanding in the same direction can make it difficult to know when you have removed the previous papers scratches. Which can then lead to over sanding and causing problems such as not having enough paint left to make the correction or having to resand after a polish because the deeper initial sand marks are still there.

[Kevin Brown]

Crosshatch sanding can save time in the long run:

[ohmy34]

I've found that each type of sanding has it place for what you are working on. large flat panels - crosshatch, thin straight panels-straight line, small circles for round or ball type surfaces. jonathan

[Flash Gordon]

I think I'm going to try the Crosshatch method next time around

[CEE DOG]

Good thought provoking thread, Thanks Mike

[TS656577]

Mike very well done, as always. Wetsanding is something that I've done in the past (mainly on headlights but on paint as well from time to time).

Mike, I have a question now. You say sanding in circles makes it difficult to get uniform paint/clearcoat removal. This makes sense. Now just so I'm clear, random orbitals rotate, but because they're machines, the paint and clear coat removal is more uniform and easier to control pressure as opposed to hand sanding?

[Flash Gordon]

Mike very well done, as always. Wetsanding is something that I've done in the past (mainly on headlights but on paint as well from time to time).

Mike, I have a question now. You say sanding in circles makes it difficult to get uniform paint/clearcoat removal. This makes sense. Now just so I'm clear, random orbitals rotate, but because they're machines, the paint and clear coat removal is more uniform and easier to control pressure as opposed to hand sanding?

Kevin, I would like to hear your thoughts too!

[Kevin Brown]

Kevin, I would like to hear your thoughts too!

Thanks Flash... I think I'll butt outta' this thread or change my name to Mike.

[Flash Gordon]

Thanks Flash... I think I'll butt outta' this thread or change my name to Mike.