eutu1984

I was going to by an electric orbital sander to refinish my clear targa top, but looking around most the stores Home Depot and Lowes only have curse grit disk's what grit do you recommend with an orbital sander, There is several layers of clear that I would like to remove and then just polish clear top. I do have a palm sander but feel an orbiting sander would be better. Thanks for any constructive advice.

DUB

Honestly....I would NOT waste my time. I often times have customers who want me to do it and i will decline to spend any time on it because I feel that they are not aware of what will happen...in time.

The reason is that when you break through and remove the scratch resistant coating that is on the acrylic top...you can buff it and polish it..but it will being to fail again and again and will be a maintenance issue.

If you are still wanting to do this....then you need to go to an autobody store and get sandpaper from them...and...not knowing where you live due to your Public Profile has not been filled out with just basic information ( nothing specific)..it is hard to say if where you are does have some of the unique really fine grit sandpapers that can be applied to a D/A.

I personally...if I were to do it...would sand it with 320 on a D/A ( I actually can go finer than 320...but it is pointless commenting on that..in case you can not get that level of grit)....then begin wet sanding it and doing if from there by hand...and going form teh 320 grit DRY to 400 grit WET...then possibly 500 grit WET.....then 600 grit WET...then 800 grit WET...then 1000 grit WET...then 1500 grit WET...then 2000 grit WET....then 2500 girt WET....then 3000 grit WET. Then I would buff it and see how it looks.

DISCLAIMER: The graduation of grits is subjective in how the acrylic would react to the grit used and what it would take to remove that scratch of grit and go to the next level of grit. SO...it is possible that jumping levels of grit is possible...but I can not tell you if you can or can not due to not being there to see what the sandpaper is doing. Often times when jumping levels of grit MAY take more sanding time to make sure you got the previous grit scratch out. With each level the time required to sand it can reduce to getting finer and finer.

DUB

eutu1984

I always thought that the top had no coating on it from the factory, I have clear coated it in the past but every year more and more pin holes come through so I thought I might be able to remove it and just polish it. Maybe I will reconsider doing so. I called NAPA and they say they have 6 inch disks as fine as 600 grit, I can get sheets as fine as 2000 grit to cut and use on my palm sander.

DUB

Thanks for your Public Profile update. It helps.

Keep in mind that this is an acrylic top and this...the speed you use the palm sander can possible effect it if you get it to hot. The term 'palm sander' is generic...so if the pad spins...keep in mind the slower speed of rotation you can use the tool the better you are in two ways. One is you are less likely to wear out the paper prematurely due to getting it too hot...and the other is you are not allowing the sandpaper to eat away in areas too much due to spinning way to fast due to the tool is spinning to fast...UNLESS you are moving with it a lot and not staying in one spot. SO...basically...just becasue a tool has a trigger that allows it to work at its fullest potential...DOES NOT mean that it has to be sued that way all the time. Which is why...unless the electric tool has a variable speed capability... I would not use it and that is when I use my air tools what I can control its speed. I do not know what you actually plan on using ..so some of my reply may no apply.

DUB

eutu1984

The palm sander I have is of the electric vibrating kind similar to this http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...5L._SX355_.jpg I wa planning on buying an electric random orbit sander http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-2-6...-205105594-_-N because I beleive it would do a better job. I would like to get an air powered D/A but my air compressor will not have the voluum to support it.