Sander suitable for GRP

[slawosz]

Hi,
I am currently fixing some soft spots in deck, and will have some sanding to do - removing excess fiberglass. I am thinking to buy MacAllister detail sander, as its cheap. I am just worried that velcro pads will worn out quickly, as its bit heavy job, as they did on my bosch multitool. I could use grinder, but its not very subtle tool... What would you recommend?

 

[wallacebob]

Any decent random orbit should do: my Erbauer is good compromise. Or fit a flap disc to grinder, and use light pressure. Tool station or Screwfix. Important to use good quality discs, not DIY store or Bosch. I like Triton from Toolstation. Stick well and last.

 

[Stemar]

+1 for a random orbital sander. If Aldidl have them, their tools are usually of adequate quality, or a Toolstation special.

A detail sander is, well, for details, not large areas, and, in my experience, cheap multi-tools aren't worth having, though a good one is a wonderful thing, just not for sanding large areas.

 

[slawosz]

Thanks, area I will need to sand is actually not that big, and it will include some tricky bits. My worry is that velcro in detail sander wont hold for long and it will be useless after few runs. What is your experience with this? Photo of prepared repair for reference - there will be fiberglass on the sides:

 

[Daverw]

Velcro pads no problem, your will surprised how well they hold, they are the normal way of fitting

 

[Concerto]

The normal problem is the velco pad comes unstuck from its backing due to peeling the sanding pad off. So keep some contact adhesive to hand and restick as it happens. Otherwise no real problem with velcro, but to be on the safe side keep a spare pad with you.

 

[slawosz]

Velcro pads no problem, your will surprised how well they hold, they are the normal way of fitting

So I wonder why the one in my Bosch multitool got worn out very quickly, I was using them only for wood and epoxy putty.
I will decide if I will buy orbital for detail sander, in the mean time, which brand of velcro sandpaper has good quality? How about using interface pads?

 

[Stemar]

A random orbital sander will work well alongside your multitool. Use the sander for most of it and the multitool for the bits the sander can't reach. If you're practical enough to have a multitool, you'll find plenty of use for a "proper" sander in the future. In my experience, sanders don't eat velcro like multitool attachments do.

 

[ryanroberts]

In my experience, sanders don't eat velcro like multitool attachments do.

My Makita is a nightmare for this, the pads were cheapo though