So i decided on my 9n to sand and paint my door strips and i now want to paint my lower bumpers. The plastic is that textured trim with the small circles so needs a fair bit of sanding.

To do these larger areas like the bumpers should i invest in one of those palm electric sanders or just suck up and do it all by hand?

..will the electric snader be too harsh on it?

cheers

Wooly

I'd probably just skim them with filler, but if you are sanding them, do it by hand, you'll never keep the shape of the plastic with an electric jobbie.

do NOT skim with filler to get rid of texture

needs sanding down, d/a sanders are fine for doing it, i'm a panel beater/painter and always use a d/a sander to detexture plastic, just make sure you don't use too course a sand paper

i usually do 180-240-400 and then plastic prime then high build prime and then wet flat with 800-1000 grit wet and dry

do NOT skim with filler to get rid of texture

Why not? Will the world implode?

it will crack

To the O.P - By all means listen to the professional here.

But I've heard a lot of this 'it will crack' stuff when talking about filler, like smoothing boot badge recess, filling tow eye cover etc. People will call you for bodging it or cutting corners, but I've used filler for all these uses and after a year of driving the thing (very stiff car on very bumpy roads) every day, none of it has cracked or swollen.

yes listen to the professional, i know the correct procedure

ah well cheers for that lads, whats a d/a sander..cus i know theres a few types like rotary and palm??

rotary your more likely to rip the plastic/put gashes into it

a palm sander is a small d/a sander

I sand until it hurts, I then use a few coats of high build primer, more sanding and keep going until its smooth.

oh and obv, plastic primer before the high build

Edited 16 May, 201016 yr by B-shaw

okai cheers maybe a bit more effort than i had anticipated :p

i got some acid etch primer anyway thats usually pretty thick stuff lol

acid etch is for bare metal not plastic

And far more expenive than normal high build lol.

just sand them properly, don't need high build primer then

Have you ever done that yourself?

Because its plastic the sandpaper clogs up quickly. and is near impossibly to unclog. I tried doing it dry and wet, same both ways in loads of different grades.

Then again, that was on MK3 items, I'm not sure what the plastic is like on 9n stuff.

MK3 stuff is really textured.

Anyway, thats how i did it. Made it easier than sanding the plastic for an age n using loads of paper.

Primer flats easier than the plastic, although it will take longer as obv you need to wait 24 hours before you can rub it down, then another 24 hours if you put another few coats on.

ah okai. yer its just id been doin the rear quarter one it took its time and used shiz loads of paper.

But thanks for the advice

Have you ever done that yourself?

i work in a bodyshop, i do it all the time, always detexture plastics properly instead of slapping high build on them

Ok Mr perfect

How exactly do you stop the paper from clogging up so quick?

use a D.A , duel action sander , it suckes up all the dust and and shakes the paper clean

Ok Mr perfect

X2

use a D.A , duel action sander , it suckes up all the dust and and shakes the paper clean

thats how, doesn't clog up

Ok Mr perfect

X2

prick

There we go then.

I haven't got a DA, may have to get one.

Where do you find the high grades for one? Only ones i can find are like really low, they would rip the plastic to shreds.

a proper paint suppliers will stock them all

but i've never had major problems of clogging up even when doing by hand, just slap the disc to remove the crap if it clogs up

Why didn't i think of asking my paint supplier

Gunna look for a cheap DA now, just for the plastic arches i need to do.