Hot take: I used to block sand everything by hand like a stubborn old fool

For the first 8 years in this trade I swore by hand sanding. I thought power sanders were for lazy guys who didn't care about straight panels. Then last winter I had a 2018 F-150 with a salvage rear quarter and spent 14 hours hand sanding the filler and primer. My shoulder locked up for three days and I couldn't hold a coffee cup. My buddy Rob from the shop down in San Antonio finally talked me into trying his DA with 220-grit and I finished the same job in 4 hours with fewer high spots. Now I only hand sand edges and tricky contours. I still feel a little guilty when I pull the trigger on that sander. Anyone else waste years doing things the hard way because of pride?

3 comments

3 Comments

william_craig77d ago

Nah man I get it but hand sanding taught me to feel the panel way better than a DA ever could. You lose that connection when you let the tool do all the work.

scott.alex7d ago

Yeah because NOTHING says craftsmanship like raw knuckles and a crooked arm from rubbing one panel for three hours. I bet you also walk to work uphill both ways in the snow, RIGHT? Hand sanding has its place but I'll take my DA and being done in 15 minutes over "feeling the panel" any day of the week. You can keep that "connection" while I'm on my second beer and you're still on your first grit.

hernandez.gavin6d ago

@william_craig7 wait until you try a DA with a soft interface pad on curved panels, you'll still feel everything but your arm won't feel like it's been run over. Hand sanding teaches you good habits for sure, but it's like learning to drive a manual transmission before you touch an automatic.