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Chris Rogers - 5/22/2020 6:02:13 PM

You can also cast-in-place sanding blocks with some packing tape on your surface, some polyester filler (Bondo) to take the surface shape and a wood backer to hold on to...

I'm a big fan of the 3M yellow foam blocks and the Stickit paper too - the blocks are hard enough yet have some give.  Not cheap but a great system.

You can also glue acrylic sheet to softer foam to make a flexible-yet-hard block for curved surfaces.  You want to sand (fair) with something that takes the shape of the surface you want to achieve - but no more - so you hit the high spots but don't over-sand the low ones.

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Lester Populaire - 5/20/2020 12:17:05 PM

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Massimiliano - 5/20/2020 11:56:00 AM

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Lester Populaire - 5/20/2020 11:53:24 AM

yes i can highly recommend the 3d printed sanding blocks for specific geometries. i mostly use PETG as it is easy to print but a little more temperature resistant than PLA. And often you can just sand a profile into a junk of MDF on the belt sander and it does the same job.

Thank you Lester!
I don't own a 3D printer but considering to buy one.
Any recommendation?

I use Prusa printers privately and at work and only had good experiences with them. There are a lot cheaper printers that work well too but they are more of a toy than a tool i feel like. The Prusas are like the the cheapest option for a reliable workhorse.

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Massimiliano - 5/20/2020 11:56:00 AM

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Lester Populaire - 5/20/2020 11:53:24 AM

yes i can highly recommend the 3d printed sanding blocks for specific geometries. i mostly use PETG as it is easy to print but a little more temperature resistant than PLA. And often you can just sand a profile into a junk of MDF on the belt sander and it does the same job.

Thank you Lester!
I don't own a 3D printer but considering to buy one.
Any recommendation?

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Lester Populaire - 5/20/2020 11:53:24 AM

yes i can highly recommend the 3d printed sanding blocks for specific geometries. i mostly use PETG as it is easy to print but a little more temperature resistant than PLA. And often you can just sand a profile into a junk of MDF on the belt sander and it does the same job.

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scottracing - 5/20/2020 11:22:47 AM

if you are sanding specific geometry you can 3d print the blocks, allowing for an offset for the double sided tape and sand paper.

Currently just using a whole load to sand some carbon wheels, also if you are looking to buy some sanding blocks i can reccomend the perma-grit tools that easy composites sell.

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Warren (Staff) - 5/18/2020 4:28:46 PM

There are plenty of sanding blocks on the market.  You can even make your own carved from a stiff foam (or even wood).  Sometimes if you have a fixed shape a custom block can be useful.