Thread: Sanding Paper sure ain't cheap these days.

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I've been priceing sanding paper for a project,WOW!!!
There must be gold dust in that stuff.
It's been a while since I have done any sanding projects
but I was not expecting some of the price's that I have been hearing.
At harbor freight they did have some really ruff stuff for $8 bucks for a pack
of 50. That was the long stuff for my 17 1/2 in. air sander.
Maybe I can get some sand from the beach and Elmer glue it to some old strips of blue jeans. Man I have been in the wrong line of work,
I should have been selling sand paper.
Kurt

It sure is expensive Kurt. Trouble with the HF paper is that it wears out very fast compared to something like 3M and Norton. We have a 12 inch disc sander that we couldn't find name brand paper for so we bought some from HF. A disc of it would only last a very short time and when you tried to get the glued backing off the drum it would come off in little pieces, taking forever to get it all off. Then I found some Norton discs locally and bought 6 discs at something like $ 6 each. That was months ago and we are still on the first piece. I keep wanting to change it out for a new one but it is still too good to replace. The glue backing releases clean too and it comes off in one piece.

I've made the comment that I bet we all spend as much on stuff like sandpaper, masking tape, thinner, etc as we do on the other parts we use on a project. I know every time we run to the store for something a little bag costs $ 25 to $ 100, and you don't get a lot to show for it.

Don

How about the choices we have in duct tape today. Back in the day as we use the term so much today, there was one duct tape that once you put it on it would take an act of congress to get it off. Today it won't hold unless you go to the super, super way expensive type. They use to call it 100 mile per hour tape not anymore. Masking tape is the same, so many choices and it is expensive.

Richard

Kurt - I had the same experience that Don had with the HF sand paper (made in India). I was looking for something cheap when I stripped the original primer off my Brookville body. That paper loaded up in about 5 strokes. I went to Home Depot and bought a large pack of Norton 3X 80grit and I just ran out sanding a wall in my home for paint. The paper for my long board was Dutch and bought at a swap meet and it was cheap plus being good. I still have a couple full packs of 80 and a lot of partials in finer grits. As far as finising paper, I found that of the two, I like the Norton better then 3m. It's a wee bit cheaper, is more consistent as far as grit and seems to last longer wet plus wont split through when folding it like some of the 3m. If you want what I think is the best, Mirka sand paper, but no one locally handles it any longer. I'll echo Don on the costs of supplies. Body shop quality masking tape - 6 to 8 bucks a roll (here I prefer 3m, the green tape). "Cheap" thinner to clean a gun. A gallon went from $8/gallon to $12 just while doing my car and is more now. The paint on my car - went from just about $100/quart to over $150 now, etc, etc, etc, etc (gooberment regs is what my supplier says)

Ah yes, duct tape - I bought a couple of rolls of the 200 mph tape from a racer's supply. Good brand name but expensive and junk as far as sticking

3M has a new line out now, 3M Red... doesn't last as well as the good Norton and Mirka paper, but cost less then half... None of the shops around here handle Mirka anymore either, order most of it online...

Nothing gets any cheaper! It doesn't seem like too long ago when high quality paint and materials, for a multi-color custom paint job, started costing me about a grand. Today it's 2-1/2 times that. That's why I pass the materials along at "cost", and try to make a living on the labor only.

I still insist on good paint, as I see some of my stuff from 20 years ago that still looks fresh.

I heard somewhere that bodyshop materials go up 10% per year, no matter what the economy is doing! I could go back and look at my records.... but I'm sure I would not like what I see. :-(

This is fact- Call your jobber and ask.
PPG, Dupont etc usually go up 8 to 12 % every january.
3m only goes 4 -7% per year.
I concure with ya Hotrodpaint.
Average mtls cost on a job today is $1800 to 2500

[QUOTE
3m only goes 4 -7% per year.
[/QUOTE]

I would look into that, but... I quit Dupont when they went to "no lead" paints. I was shooting twice the material, which also doubles the hours, and could still see through it. :-(

Well Great Hotrodpaint; you just changed my mind for me again.
Thanks alot!!! HE! HE! First I was gonna use PPG like Dave Severson
told me. But I can't find a suplier in my area.
So I started talking to some of the paint supliers to see what they
carried, and they mostly carrie Dupont. Well after that piece
of info what sould I look for now??? Now I am at a loss!!!
Kurt

[QUOTE
So I started talking to some of the paint supliers to see what they
carried, and they mostly carrie Dupont. Well after that piece
of info what sould I look for now??? Now I am at a loss!!!
Kurt[/QUOTE]

In all fairness, the experience I am talking about was a long time ago. I don't know if they still have that sort of problem.

You might talk to the local body shops to see what they are using, that is available in the area.

I used DuPont ChromaBase BC on my car - and it covered very nicely. It seemed a bit thin (it wasn't), and my supplier showed me the code (Valushade) of how to make a particular color cover - I had done it right. Unfortunately my info is in storage pending a move, but here is a link to some of that info:

http://pc.dupont.com/dpc/en/US/html/...-Coverage.html

Thanks Guys; I'll be looking at it IC2.

4 Rolls of 6in.sanding disc 104.32
Aluminum Oxide sanding sheets 2 3/4 X17 1/2
80 grit 100 sheets $51.00
100 grit 100 sheets $46.00
6 X 4 sanding sheets 200 sheets min. .23 each or $46.00
Chop saw blades 14 X 3/32 X 1 box of 10 $83.20 this is a good price!!!
Small wheel cutting disc box of 25 $49.50
grinding disc 4 1/2 X 1/4 X 7/8 box of 25 $59.75 seems high to me on these.
What do you guys think about the rest of the prices?
are these good???
Kurt

Well after what Hotrodpaint said about Dupont paint, I have been shaking all the trees to find some PPG paint in my area. I just ran in to a budy of mine that is a body man and asked him. I had not seen him for about 4 months so I had not asked him.
Anyway he gave me a number and I called it and sure enough they sell PPG.
So I am happy again, I called and talkied the the guy up there and he was very helpful.
Told me he'll help me pick out what I'll be needing to do a good job.
So far so good, now I need to go down there and pick my paint out.
Kurt