Hull prep revelation for all

[Mavis]

Today I have been sanding down my hull, removing the old antifoul ready for the new. As every boat owner knows it’s an awful but necessary job. I usually kit myself in overalls, goggles mask and gloves and use a small 100mm palm sander but it is a laborious and slow.

While I was working away a mate came over for a chat and told me to try these instead of the sandpaper I was using. They where circular sanding sheets that looked like a piece of gauze and meant to fit onto an orbital sander, but I do not own one. However by putting a small fold on two opposite edges the sheet fitted into the jaws of my palm sander.

The result was a total revelation to me and made the task almost enjoyable. I did the whole hull in a couple of hours and took last season’s entire antifoul coat off to a really smooth finish, a job that usually takes two of us all day. The sheets are called ABRANET and the ones he gave me where 150mm diam. P80 grit. No doubt other companies make them, and no I do not have an interest in the company. They also work equally well on my varnish work. Do yourselves a favour and try these out.

 

[sarabande]

thanks; the product looks good in conjunction with a suction system.

I think 3M make a similar fabric abrasive "Fabricut"; I have a couple of deep purple, tiny grit, sheets. Very good at cleaning iron/steel worksurfaces on the router table and bandsaw.

 

[seadog30]

+1 for ABRANET I use 40 grade for antifoul and 240 to prepare a surface for gloss paint.

They are used in the car body repair business.

Although they are expensive at circa 50p each they last longer than 10 paper discs.

Good luck

 

[Mavis]

Well I own my own building company and had never heard of them before. I will be ordering a couple of packs for my carpenters and decorators first thing tomorrow morning as I can see that these will reduce my labour costs.

 

[sarabande]

could you give some feedback when your people have had a chance to use the material on site, please ?

 

[laika]

Sorry for my tool ignorance but by "palm sander" do you mean an electric one? i.e. one you wouldn't be spraying water over?

 

[Sticky Stuff]

Been around for 7-8 years now for professionals, only one thing to be cautious of if sanding prior to top-coating is there are reports of them being a grade rougher than stated.
Not much concern there if you are sanding antifouling.
I use them on three different sanders I have, all velcro type but just have to cut disc to shape with a stanley knife.
30.00 - 40.00 per box 50 discs depending on the grade and where you buy them.

 

[Mavis]

Sorry for my tool ignorance but by "palm sander" do you mean an electric one? i.e. one you wouldn't be spraying water over?

Yes, they are for use with an electric orbital sander, but I used them with my electric palm sander and they worked fine, so much quicker than using sandpaper

 

[Tam Lin]

Only seem available in big boxes, anyone want to go halves on discs to remove antifouling ?

 

[D&T]

These products seem very similar to what I use, links below from eBay

Very cheap, the rolls lasts many years and can be WET sanded, it normally takes me 2 hrs to do my hull, 33'

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sanding-Mesh-Roll-5m-60-Grit-ts-634001-/191380929810?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silverlin...525?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2a3cc8848d

I think this product is used in the building trade for sanding dry lining filler.

B & Q used to sell single sheets, but expensive

 

[prv]

I used them with my electric palm sander

I think what Jumbleduck was getting at was the poisonous staining drifting cloud of old anti-foul you were producing by sanding it without water to damp down the dust (obviously you can't use water with an electric sander).

Abrasive mesh is good stuff, but I used to use it on the end of a long pole with a swivelling head (sold for sanding plasterboard joints). The pole means you use your big leg, back, and shoulder muscles rather than tiring out your hands, and you can keep dunking it in a tub of water to prevent the dust and also flush out the mesh to keep it working well. No need for masks and overalls and stuff then, you're just dealing with a wet slurry that doesn't blow downwind onto other people's boats (or lungs).

Pete

 

[mtb]

a pole sander used to sand down the joints re dry lining is fine if you can keep the paper on
you could use an air driven orbital so no probs with water
I use variouse grades of auto repair sanding grit by putting em in my palm sander they are easy and cheap to use considering the time saving, you do need to clean the grit as you work or you risk cutting grooves in the surface because of build up
I have a work sharp to sharpen my planes and so on. The stick on disks are just the same as car body sanding disks, worksharp charge a fortune for em !!! it only takes a few seconds to punch a hole for the hold down screw which attatches the glass plate so that I can stick the ordinary disks on
On my electrical orbital sander it had a velcro plate which I ground down to get rid, again why pay out for disks with velcro, the odd one flys off so I just use that as a hand one with sanding block
shop around for sanding disks

 

[laika]

I think what Jumbleduck was getting at was the poisonous staining drifting cloud of old anti-foul you were producing by sanding it without water to damp down the dust (obviously you can't use water with an electric sander).

I suspect from Jumbleduck's posts that he might have simply pointed that out straight away. I being less impetuous on the other hand admit that my tool terminology isn't well developed and first wanted to check that "palm sander" couldn't also apply to a manual device . I experienced a couple of people dry sanding anti-foul with power tools upwind of me when last ashore. Really didn't appreciate having to lose a day's work time moving out of the way and the blue dust I had to clean off my boat afterwards.

 

[pvb]

Antifouling should never be dry-sanded. It's foolish and anti-social.

 

[Mavis]

Antifouling should never be dry-sanded. It's foolish and anti-social.

Listen fella, as a professional I have never come across these abrasive discs before and can see how they could help other people. I merely wanted to politely pass this on to whoever might be interested.

I am certainly not foolish and as already stated I wear the full kit. You assume I am being anti social because you think I am in a large cramped boat yard when I am not. I can see where you are coming from and agree to a point, but just back off a little.

 

[pvb]

Listen fella, as a professional I have never come across these abrasive discs before and can see how they could help other people. I merely wanted to politely pass this on to whoever might be interested.

I am certainly not foolish and as already stated I wear the full kit. You assume I am being anti social because you think I am in a large cramped boat yard when I am not. I can see where you are coming from and agree to a point, but just back off a little.

Regardless of where you are and what you're wearing, it's still a lousy idea.

 

[Poignard]

An imbecile in a boatyard I was in began dry sanding the antifoul off the boat next to mine. He was fully kitted out in protective gear but it never entered his stupid head that other people nearby and their boats (let alone the environment) were not protected from the toxic dust he was producing. An angry word to the yard manager soon put a stop to it and he spend the next couple of hours cleaning up the mess.

 

[capetown]

Yes, these are a fantastic product.

I also use them wet, and when they clog, just soak them in water, fit another, and so on, they do seem to keep their edge longer than wet or dry.

Couple of years ago I stripped my A/F off using these with my air sander (wet) but it's still a bloody messy job, even with mask & goggles.

 

[KREW2]

Antifouling should never be dry-sanded. It's foolish and anti-social.

Indeed it is, another way to annoy fellow boat owners is to buy a metal boat and do a lot of grinding.

 

[pvb]

Indeed it is, another way to annoy fellow boat owners is to buy a metal boat and do a lot of grinding.