Official Luthiers Forum!

I just came in from doing the final finish sanding on a Jazzmaster body
using Festool's Platin 1000 and 2000 "papers." They're not really papers,
per se, and have a nice foam pad backing.

It took about an hour or so to finish leveling all the contours and sides of
the body. I'm sure it didn't need to take so long, but I'm still not sure
how to navigate all the contours efficiently without sanding through.

After that, about 5 minutes per Platin to hit top, back, and sides. The
foam backing made working the contours extremely easy and pain free.
The Platin itself cut fast, removed scratch marks from the hand sanding,
etc.

It was also nice to see that the finish didn't load up too much in the pad.

I tried using my Midi, but the vac doesn't come through the pad.

I'm still surprised that it took ten minutes, maybe less, to do the entire
body with both grits flawlessly and scratch free.

Not too sure what else to write about them. I know a few of you were
interested in my experience with them---are there any specific questions
you have? Andrew, I think these would be terrific on those archtops.

What no stinking pictures...

Just kidding James buddy - so I take it that these papers do not have holes for the vac?

James thank you for the info and feedback. You mentioned that the Midi doesn't work with the pads. Do you need to use the pads with your ROS and Platen paper?

Interesting to know that even without the Midi you didn't have a lot of load up on the paper. I gather you dry sanded or did you use some kind of lubricant?

Well, my burst leaves something to be desired      First one. That's ok
with me.

I'll go take a pic of the papers. I also just emailed Festool to see if they
recommend a way to clean them after use in order to keep them in
working condition as long as possible. A box of 15 is $40.

I also remembered that there is a Platin 500. I'm sure this would be great
for leveling all the contours quickly in a more production based
environment.

Sorry for the choppy sentences here. I'm still in post-sanding "ick" mode.

Anthony, it looks like you and I were typing at the same time.    I was using my ETS-125 and did in fact go without a lubricant.   

Hopefully this picture reveals a bit more about the Platin series. The best way to describe them would be to call them abrasive pads that fix to the sander with velcro. They don't have holes for dust extraction, and in my email to Festool I asked whether or not using the vac helps. I'll paste what they write back.



Ok, time for some lunch!

One quick mention. Out of the box, the Platins are a dusty black, so any chalk color you see is the loaded finish. It's just a very thin coating on the surface.


On the left is Platin 1000 and on the right is Platin 2000.

I just received a helpful reply from Festool:

The vac will pull through the pad, it's a fine screen with a porous foam
back. Be sure to turn it all the way up. You will want to turn it down to
about a third for regular sanding. Look at the back of the pad when you
are done, you will see the holes outlined where the dust filtered through.
You can bang the Platin to know any excess dust off. Use a light hand, let
the sander do the work, and you should get plenty of life out of it. As
you work it up the grits, don't over sand in any one grit. Use a glancing
light to ensure you are putting down a consistent scratch pattern in each
grit. Some folks us it with a light mist spray, that will make it cut faster,
but it will shorten the life of the abrasive.

Mark Kalin
Tool and Application Expert

James:

What finish did you use? Nitro, polyester, polyurethane?

After doing the 1000 and then the 2000 grit, how much hand work, or buffer work, do anticipate in order to complete the finish?

Do you think you can go straight to the polish?

Thanks greatly!

Bill

_________________
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Bill, I still buff by hand. If I had an arbor I could go to the wheel after
1000. This finish was Nitro. I'm going to look into the Chemcraft
finishes Mario described at the tail end of the summer, though.

Filippo, I've always done it that way, too. Going from 400 to Platin 1000
was seamless and just about instant. No scratches.       

Hi guys

Today I spoke with the Festool rep while he was in the local store and told
him how easy the Platin abrasives made sanding finish on a guitar body
with a fair share of contours. He asked if I had the interface pad and then
showed it to me. The interface pad is the answer for the lower grits. It's
a moderately firm sponge-like pad that goes between your paper and the
sander itself.

The rigid frame around the pad makes the Festools great for getting a
level surface, but using the interface pad would make the initial leveling
on the rims of acoustics and archtops a breeze, along with all the
contours on an archtop's top or an electric's roundovers and sides.

$15, but probably worth it.

James, so you're thinking the interface pad will work on the 400 and 600 grits? The FestoolUSA site says it's intended for the very fine grits.

Could you clarify? Thanks.

_________________
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.