The hell with the finish.
Do you ever feel like your real hobby is sanding?
What type of sander do you use? I kinda figured anything powered would be to harsh for rockets.
And it's not just for the painting! Fill/seal and sand the fin faces before separating them from the sheet, 'cause it's easier than doing it later. Sand the fin's edges for roundover, airfoil, or whatever shape you've chosen. Dry fit all the parts and sand where something is too tight. Glue up and sand off any glue goofs. And only then do the prime-sand-prime-sand-paint-sand-paint loops begin.Do you ever feel like your real hobby is sanding?
Handheld slack belt sander, orbital sander, belt sander.
Where there's a Watt, there's a way
I've discovered that the burgundy colored 3M ScotchBrite pads work great for sanding sealer/primer coats. Since it is a 3D matrix it doesn't clog up like sandpaper.
For that, a knife is the ideal tool, in my opinion. And for plenty of other things, like removing non-epoxy fillets from a body tube after a fin has broken off; start with a knife and only finish with sand paper. (Probably, for epoxy fillets in the same situation, start with a file.)I have a friend who was sanding a long time trying to get a nosecone to fit. The seam between the mold halves was standing out. A few seconds with a scraper took care of the seam and only where necessary.
I think I'm gonna try some of that stuff for sanding filler/primer. Would be great to avoid clogging. Seems like the dark grey stuff (7448) could be useful too for finer tasks.Used heavily in the Automotive Body Repair Industry, the 3M number is 7447. Be aware that other manufacturers sell a similar product that looks nearly identical for slightly less. You've all heard this before...You get what you pay for. 3M products have a strict consistency, where as other's do not.
If I had a $1 for every 3M 7447 pad I used during my 20+ years as an Auto Body Tech and Custom Painter, "I" would have bought Estes.
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