Tool for efficient deck sanding

the best thing to use for washing first is T011 awl prep plus,,,its not just a degreaser it also removes wax,,and for really dirty areas you can use almost any household cleaner and a fine scotchbrite pad. the important thing after cleaning is your rinse water,,,,,filtered and warm to the touch of your 7th finger on ya third arm,,(o.k.,,,kidding bout the warm part heh) "stop",,i know it sounds stupid and against common sense ( as in the case of like,,,EVERYTHING to do with boats) but a "thick" really defined tape line (no over doing it) is easier to wet sand and blend then a thin tape line.
and on advice about interlux, im not ya man,,hehehe,,im an awl-grip junkie,,and for bottom paint i use petite< yes i know my spelling,,but my fantasies push through sometimes heh, if i dont use awl-grip.,,,,,,and using bottom paint for a primer is as bad as using sand and dust.,,,so if that is "bottom" paint no you cant use for primer.
and as for my "cost" ask Kapt jer.,,,,,he'll tell ya,,im pretty cheap if ya send me a pic of ya wife / and or girlfriend,,time bonus given for them "both" in the same pic

 

Much - the 2000e is not bottom paint, its a 2 part epoxy barrier coat. The bottom paint goes over that.

Sorry, I dont share my wife

Got any pictures of boats you've done?

 

nope no pics other then the ones in the magazines and brochures , check out like morris yachts,,hinckley,,apogee's,and so on lol,,,and i dont wanna "share" ya wife,,,,,just look at her hahahah
and with awl-star gold bottom paint i put it on while the last coat of hullguard (barrier) is still tacky
but i would ONLY use what interlux says to use( prob there highest priced stuff,,,,,,hey that sounds like awl-grip lol )

 

Yeah - I need to read all the brochures.
Do you travel?

 

i dont do that "snail" painting hehe,,and i dont do much work now since i broke my neck hehe,,but if the timing is right and im ready for a vaca,,then some beer women and wine and the tickets and maybe a sister-in law???? hehehe or 2 and i might travel ,,but for real, trust me you cant afford me lol and if i did yours, you'd post pics and then kapt. will make me do his,,then he'll have to re-do his himself just cause he's so damned picky

 

This may be off track for this post, but what do you do about your masking tape between coats? Do you keep the same strip of tape up for the entire duration, or do you pull it after every coat so the paint doesn't dry with it on?

 

when i paint a deck i tape off the deck,,,,prime everything,,,,,then take all the tape off,,then tape off my "gloss" shoot the gloss,,then, take off the tape,,then tape out the non-skid, then sand up to the tape line again,,then shoot the non.,,,,,i do ALL my coats at once, so a few hours after im done i take the tape off.,,,i've never done tippin,,,,you guys will have to ask Kapt.,,,,but i wouldnt re-tape between top coats,,,because you would NEVER get it back in the same place. and you would have to sand each time....that said,,,i wouldnt leave my tape on past 24 hours after shootin,,,,but tipping you have more time,,,i just dont know the amount of time to be safe,,,,i would ask Kapt.

 

Jim- the reason I asked is although I've sprayed my own boat in the past with the at time affordable Interlux single part poly, I actually taped and sprayed the primer one week, and then taped and sprayed the top coat the next week, with the tape coming off after both applications. And yes it was a major pain in the *** to re-mask everything!!

So how can you shoot lets say two coats of 545, and then another 2-3 coats of Awlgrip in one day? I ask because I plan on using Awlgrip on my current project, if the damn rain ever stops so I can finish building it...

 

k ,,,are we talking deck or hull?,,because both are VERY different on tape'n and schedules.,,, o.k.,,,,im trying to control myself here,,,i know Kapt. gonna give me crap bout "off-threadin" hahahahaha,,so,,any "awl-grip" questions outta be asked here at this thread hehehe (proud of me kapt?),,k heres the link lol
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=20793
and there i can run on fer days about awl-grip and not get my spankin
so just let me know you made it to the thread and i'll explain how i do it,,<which most times is the wrong way,,but it usually works better and the outcome usually proves most things
meet ya there mongo

 

I have used the Festool Rotex Ro150EQ for some years now as my primary sander on home, auto, and marine projects. When used with Festool abrasives and a good vacuum it simply performs better than any other sander I am aware of. The use of Festool abrasives is critical as they have the proprietary matching hole pattern. The use of a suitable vacuum (again the Festool models are outstanding) is also critical to getting efficient sanding, long abrasive life, and practically no dust; really! Check their website for a guide to their extensive line of abrasives . For more aggressive material removal they make a rotary sander RAS115. Good luck with your project.

 

Since I can only work on my boat on the week ends. I have a problem with tape, but I found out that if you buy expensive tape, and it is sold by Time allowed to stand, you can go as much as 4 weeks before pulling. I don't like to do that, I try to pull as soon as my last coat is dry. This summer I ran into time problems on my deck and the tape was on for 8 weeks, prime and finish. It came off with-out any problems. I was shocked. I had made plans to buy Goo Off, but it wasn't necessary.

Only the "Pros" re-tape after prime coat. They are the only ones that can afford to buy all that Fine Line stuff Bottom Line---try to get the tape off with-in 72 hours, but if you buy good tape don't panic if you can't. It will come off.

 

Another question :
How long can you leave the sanded part before painting? Can I sand for a period of about a month (after work) and then just wipe down and paint?

Thanks for all the help

 

GWB,

Sanding and then leaving it for a month would be too long, it gives the job time to be contaminated again.

Sanding is normally done when the boat is about to be painted, so a few days would not hurt, we normally sand, wipe clean, tac and then apply surfacers immediately.

I would respectfully suggest that you do similar.

 

Won't wiping down with the appropriate cleaner prevent contamination?

 

Solvent wiping is a debatable term. Some say never cos it just spreads the mess, others say solvent wipe to remove the mess.

Why risk it? Solvent wiping is done before sanding anyhow, not after it. Wipe off the sanding dust with clean dry cotton or flannel rags.

Even washing with water has caused problems, the minerals in the water are simply residue when it has evaporated. If you must use water, then demineralised is the way to go, but who is going to do that?

All up to you mate, I can only advise what I have found to be fail safe.