Best Method of Sanding Aluminum?

[Gary]

Hello all,

I recently came into possession of a 1960 something Starcraft (14’ aluminum riveted v-hull) and I am going to do a full rebuild. I started out with sanding with a palm sander using 150 grit, but the process seems to be slow going, well slower than it should at least. I have seen a bunch of posts that all seem to point in different directions so to speak. Can anyone tell me if paint eater wheels or a coarser grit would be better? I am trying to find a compromise of a faster process without eating into the aluminum.

Ajax and green scotch brite to clean and prep for paint old aircraft mechanics trick

 

[Steph Boeker]

Hello all,

I recently came into possession of a 1960 something Starcraft (14’ aluminum riveted v-hull) and I am going to do a full rebuild. I started out with sanding with a palm sander using 150 grit, but the process seems to be slow going, well slower than it should at least. I have seen a bunch of posts that all seem to point in different directions so to speak. Can anyone tell me if paint eater wheels or a coarser grit would be better? I am trying to find a compromise of a faster process without eating into the aluminum.

I tried strippers, paint eater wheels, stainless steel brush wheels, etc ... etc ... etc ... I found most to be too slow but the paint eaters, although faster, still made a narrow path and was too harsh on the aluminum for me.
I found a palm sander w/ 80g to be the best on flat surfaces and SS brush wheels around the riveted seams. But you will geaux through 15 or so sheets 1/4'rd so you will change paper about 60 x's.

One guy said , "if the paint is that hard to get off, it's prolly a good base to prime" so you would save time by not having to strip it bare !!
Good luck and upload photos.

 

[sonny1]

When I get around to the new transom will be picking your brain for advice

 

[NS4Jay]

Roloc wheels work great for me. I also like aircraft paint stripper to get old paint off. I have included a link to amazon for the roloc wheels.

Roloc Wheels

Seems like using a 2” diameter bristle (Roloc) wheel would take forever to cover a 14’ boat. I also see the you can get round Scotch Bright pads in different grit for a disc grinder.

 

[KMixson]

Seems like using a 2” diameter bristle (Roloc) wheel would take forever to cover a 14’ boat. I also see the you can get round Scotch Bright pads in different grit for a disc grinder.

They make them in 4 1/2" size also.