MIRKA Abralon Sanding Discs

[Mike Phillips]

I have the Pixie waiting to be broken in

That "can" work. You'll want to use the 12mm drive unit unless you've purchased the 6mm drive unit which maintains pad and sanding disc rotation better than the 3mm and 12mm drive units

FLEX 6mm Orbital Drive Unit - Where to find it?


In the classes I teach, I show using a rotary polisher to machine sand headlights using the 3" Mirka Abralon sanding discs. The trick is to use 2-3 foam interface pads so there's no risk of gouging the plastic if you don't hold the sanding disc/backing plate perfectly flat to the surface.

Without the interface pads, because the backing plate is HARD, it is possible to gouge the plastic with like a V-cut if you accidently tilt the polisher and run the edge of the backing plate/sanding disc into the plastic headlight.

Been there done that at a CLASS - actually a student did it and then I fixed the problem by hand block sanding the headlight until the gouge was flattened out.

But the PiXiE will get the job done. A 3" interface pad will help the sanding disc rotation plus help keep the sanding disc contoured to the curve of the headlight.

After you turn the PiXiE on, bump it all they way up to the 4 speed setting and use a little soap in your sanding water.


Mike

 

[xabo]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have the 6mm drive in addition to the foam interface pads. I also have the Flex PE -150.

 

[Mike Phillips]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have the 6mm drive in addition to the foam interface pads. I also have the Flex PE -150.

Click the below link

564 Pictures - May 3-day class at Dr. Beasley's O.R. in Stuart Florida with Mike Phillips

Then scroll down until you see a couple of people machine sanding the headlights using a rotary polisher. If you look closely, you can see I have placed either 2 or 3 interface pads onto the backing plate and then attached the sanding disc.

Both types of tools will get the job done, it's just with a rotary it's faster because there's no sanding disc stalling like you'll get with the PiXiE in orbit mode.

You could sand with the PiXiE in rotary mode, but the 3" backing plate will not attach to the rotary mode drive unit for safety reasons.

The safety reason why FLEX and RUPES made their attachments so that you cannot put a 3" disc on the PiXiE or the Nano is because the tool will rotate a larger, 3.5" pad too fast and you'll create a LOT of heat fast and burn through the paint. I know - been there and done that.

Anyway, just showing you an option.

In my classes, one of my default protocols is to teach people how to do things FAST while maintaining pro-quality results.

For the same reason I use the FLEX BEAST instead of any other brand of free spinning random orbital polisher is because I don't have time for pad stalling or Brain Drain.


Hope the above helps...


Mike

 

[Dsholes78]

When correcting headlights with Mirka Abralon discs is it better to dry or wet sand?

Mike says it in terms of hand application, But I’d say the same for machine polishing, sanding, buffing ;
Put some passion behind the pad!

 

[xabo]

What speed would you recommend when using a rotary?

 

[Dsholes78]

What speed would you recommend when using a rotary?

For buffing??