Questions on sanding resin / royalex

I spent a few hours sanding on the Chipewan last night. There’s plenty of time to think while sanding! Besides wondering again why I am fixing this wreck of a boat, I wondered about sanding technique.



I was using a random orbital sander with 80 grit sanding disks.



What is best practice with respect to sanding paint and resins off royalex?



The sander has speed settings (one thru six). Should I be using a faster or slower speed setting?



Is it better to use light pressure on the sander, or to bear down with some force on the sander?



How often should the sanding disk be changed?



Thanks for any hints.



~~Chip Walsh, Gambrills, MD

Chip, your doing about what I would.

– Last Updated: Apr-12-07 8:52 PM EST –

Keep the speed relatively low. You can tell when to change the disk by a) when it gets loaded with gunk b) when the grit gets torn off c) when the grit no longer feels "sharp" to your hand or d) when you see your rate of progress is decreasing.

Don't breathe that stuff, and don't go too far.

And that's "you're," not "your." I hate it when I do that.