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Polishing Pontoon Boat Category #4
I've got your book on How To Detail Boats With Marine 31 and I was wondering if it's possible to sand with Porter Cable 7424XP instead of the Flex for pontoons. I only ask because I already have the PC all set up with 3" Abralon discs. Also, I know in the book you are again using the Flex for buffing process, is there any way I can do this without having to buy a new machine for almost $400? Thanks!
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Re: Polishing Pontoon Boat Category #4
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Yes of course you can machine sand with the Porter Cable. I just re-read that section and I can't believe I didn't mention or state that the machine sanding of a pontoon boat could be done using any dual action polishers. So everything I state and show about machine sanding a gel-coat boat in the section, Category #4: Severely Oxidized and Neglected Gel-coat boats Would apply to machine sanding pontoon boats. I think the point I was trying to make in the machine sanding section for pontoon boats was that by having the FLEX 3401 a person could do every step with only the FLEX 3401. This means the sanding and ALL of the machine polishing step. Quote:
So "yes" you can do all the machine sanding using your Porter Cable but to remove your sanding marks you're going to need either a rotary buffer to start with and then finish with your Porter Cable to avoid holograms in the aluminum or the FLEX 3401. If you finish out with the #3000 and/or #4000 Abralon disc you can remove the sanding mark pattern using your Porter Cable polisher but it's going to take a lot more time and a lot more work and a lot more pads because the PC simply doesn't have the power of a gear driven tool like the rotary buffer or the FLEX 3401. That's one of the reasons the FLEX 3401 is $400.00 and the Porter Cable is $115.00 It's the power it has. :) |
Re: Polishing Pontoon Boat Category #4
I don't have any of my own pictures showing what hologram swirls look like in aluminum but a quick Google search found these,
http://www.marine31online.com/galler...on_boat_02.jpg http://www.marine31online.com/galler...on_boat_01.jpg The above are from a rotary buffer. Since the pad only spins in a single direction it imparts its own unique scratch pattern. The FLEX 3401 rotates and oscillates and as such does not leave the hologram scratch pattern unique to rotary buffers. If you use a rotary buffer simply re-polish the aluminum using your Porter Cable and this will remove the holograms. :) |
Re: Polishing Pontoon Boat Category #4
Thanks for taking the time to answer, exactly what I needed to know. I did buff with a rotary and now I will finish with the PC. Think I'll just go by the book next time and order a flex ;).
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Re: Polishing Pontoon Boat Category #4
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It's definitely a labor of love... But when the aluminum is all shiny again not only does she look cool but she's easier to clean and maintain into the future. :) |
Re: Polishing Pontoon Boat Category #4
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Didn't take a picture before the sanding process, but you can see where I removed swirls from rotary using the DA. To the left of the line and bottom were not finished. Took about 30 hours...probably cut that down by 5-10 hours for next one. |
Re: Polishing Pontoon Boat Category #4
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