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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - DA Sanders

Anyone come across a good electric (battery or mains) DA sander?
Air ones are light and easy to use but my compressor just cannot handle the air volume needed. So is there a a reasonable electric equivalent that gives a similar lightweight feel in use?
Unfortunately, I just don't think I can afford a Mirka.
GuyW

Useful question Guy. I've been looking too.

Rotary is better but requires more 'skill', care.

Edit. I want one for polishing.


https://www.bestproductsreviews.co.uk/dual-action-polisher-sander


https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/diy-tools/1416125/best-sanders

anamnesis

Guy

Like you, I'd like an air one but my compressor would run out of puff far too quickly so I went electric.

I've had a basic Makita one for several years now and have been very pleased with it.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-m9204-125mm-electric-random-orbit-sander-240v/2824R?tc=PB9&ds_kid=92700055256569560&ds_rl=1244066&gclid=CjwKCAjwp9qZBhBkEiwAsYFsb75BVrTIQmlbUjfxmVoRxcu49Pu_70VRZcawpEorMF72Q4FztR-GtRoCslYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

My local bodyshop recommended a palm-style sander rather than the type with a side handle. They said it's easier to maintain an even pressure.

Mine gets used for all sorts and I often have to retrieve it from Mrs M who uses it when sanding down paintwork or finishing her wooden bowls!

Plus points - 125mm disks easy to get hold of.
It's easy to use and removes material well and is less aggressive so gives a much better finish on wood than a belt sander. On the car it generally deals with filler well though I still go over by hand as you'll feel blemishes that aren't obvious to the eye.

Minus points - Limited range of grits from most local suppliers, without checking I think 240 is the finest I can get hold of over the counter. Finer grits on 150mm disks are more readily available and I have used them on the 125mm sander without too much of a problem though the dust extraction holes won't line up.
After a few years use the velcro stopped working (wouldn't hold the disk on), a replacement head from Makita was about £35 but an £11 (I think) from Screwfix is working well.
The dust bag falls off and it's good at blowing dust everywhere so wear a good mask, I've never tried hooking it to the vacuum though I often have one running close by.

You might be able to wet sand with an air driven one, others can confirm or reject that idea, but I certainly wouldn't wet sand with the electric one!

Colin
C Mee

Mine's a Draper random orbit sander (125mm). I've been using it for about ten/twelve years I guess with no problems and it was inexpensive to buy.
I'd like to give more details and a photo but my mate is using it to sand the decks of his old boat. It was cheap enough that I don't mind if he kills it - I'll just get another.
If possible I work outside with it because it makes an ungodly mess, although I have connected it with an old vacuum successfully. I just don't like the racket with both machines running.
Greybeard

I have the battery version of the 5" Makita orbital sander. Great tool and the battery last for quite a while. 3 speed settings and handy and light to use
Bob Beaumont

I'm a big fan of Makita. I may go for one of theirs. I did wonder if the battery weight would upset the balance a bit.
GuyW

Guy

I find it well balanced. Just finished sanding 7 internal doors both sides prior to applying a beeswax finish. I am very pleased with it. It has got some good reviews as well
Bob Beaumont

Bob, is this the one you have?
£100, and that's without the battery, so quite pricey. Good reviews though.



GuyW

Guy

Yes that's the one. I have had it about 2 years now. I don't remember paying that much though!!!
Bob Beaumont

Or:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Professional-Polishing-Sandpapers-Compatible-Lithium-ion/dp/B0B49BH398/

GuyW

I have a 150mm one bought to prepare the rather large underwater areas of my then yacht for copper coating.
It is an Erbauer which is Screwfix’s own make.
It worked very well and was a good test!
The lads that did the coating were very impressed with it as it performed better than their professional models at about a third the price. I’m unlikely to ever give it the work they do so it was good value.
It’s a corded 240volt as it was on the ‘go’ for many hours during the prep work.

R.
richard b

Thanks all - great info and recommendations, I have also been wondering what was a good buy for such a sander.

Cheers
Mike
M Wood

Guy
That Amazon one you link to looks good value if you have an 18v Makita battery.
Bill Bretherton

Bill, that Amazon one is a Makita clone. Many of the Makita power tools have been cloned and are sold under different names, barely disguised if at all. I suspect some even come from the same factory, siphoned off the production line. Others are just different, cheap internals built into a Makita look-alike body but with plastic gears and cheap bearings.

You cannot tell what you are buying online and their returns policy looks ok until they send you a return address label in China, and you are then supposed to pay the postage. I doubt many bother! That said, some of the copy brands are very good get good reviews and are worth considering.
GuyW

Yes the Amazon one has an address in China. The Makita one I have says manufactured in Great Britain though it will surely have chinese components!
Bob Beaumont

Just wondering Guy, what's your primary use/reason for wanting one?
anamnesis

I'm slowly, bit by bit, attending to minor repairs on my '71 car ready for some paint. Or at least an epoxy 2k primer as a waterproofing for the winter. Colour coating will probably wait until next year now. So initial primary use for shaping repairs and flatting and keying old sound paint
GuyW

A little bonnet repair.
Harder than it looks - it's a compound curve!




GuyW

Much harder than it looks. Good job! Are you going to seam weld that and grind back?
Bill Bretherton

Bill, my welding "skills" are pretty well limited to plug welds and joddled welds. This time I have had a go at a proper butt weld which I have never tried before. I blew a few holes until I got the settings right, but it's not too bad once ground down. And a thin skim of filler hides a lot!




GuyW

Looks good to me.
anamnesis

Superb.

Would you like to come and do mine?
C Mee

Filler would be a key part of my repair! Looking good though.
Bill Bretherton

Skim of filler was pretty thin this time, actually much less than with a joggled joint. With practice, I'm getting better at this. Just need another lifetime and I could be quite good at bodywork!
GuyW

Nah; looking at what you achieved with your frog, I reckon you ain't 'alf bad already Guy.

Needs must, and one learns pretty quick.

These repairs are to the front right wing on my Crapi (sic) lol.

I strived to avoid filler at all, but an expert body bloke told me that unless using a new panel, it's rare to get away with no filler.

Mind you, when I was an 18 year old, I watched a bloke beat out from new metal, the shape of a section of s'type jag front wing, which was then welded in, and no filler was used under the paint. He must have been 60 if a day. So maybe a lifetime's about right.






anamnesis

That's very good, Anam. You shouldn't waste your time and expertise on your lengthy political diatribes! 🤣

These small piece repairs on our cars are interesting little challenges. Very satisfying! I like the task of innovating formers and anvils from bits and pieces around the garage, working out where to hold the metal and what to use to tap it to the required shape.
GuyW

Heavy metal politics Guy. Lol.

Yep, I enjoy finding bits of odd things to shape metal around too. Case of having too though, as all I have is a crude vice and loads of hammers. Bliss would be a workshop with all the stuff they had in my metal working classes at school, and later at college. 🙂. But it's amazing what you can make with a bit of thinking.
anamnesis

This thread was discussed between 30/09/2022 and 02/10/2022

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