Best Sanding Block
 

Since I'm going to be doing a lot of sanding very soon, time to replace my 35 year old rubber block.

Any suggestions for the basic block that can be loaded with sheet sandpaper?

DuraBlock.

What holds the paper to the block?

You need to use PSA paper.

Most Durablocks and similar products are intended to be used with adhesive backed 2 3/4" wide sandpaper that you cut off the roll and stick onto the block. The blocks are designed to use the same width paper whether they are 5" long or 24" long.

I have a full kit of Durablocks and after a million hours of block sanding, I ended up using them all except except the longest one. A few spots required some homemade blocks from chunks of 3/4" hose. There are some other blocks that are fancier and may work better but in my experience the Durablocks work well.

You didn't ask about sandpaper brands...I tried Indasa, Norton (gold and champagne lines) and 3M (red and gold lines). I found for coarse sanding with 80 & 180, they all worked OK, but for 320 & 400 the Norton champagne line and 3M gold line were noticably better, and the 3M gold was better/longer lasting than the Norton champagne. The expensive papers last longer, cut better, and end up being cheaper considering your time and how much you use :)

I think trying to use non-PSA sheet paper with these type of blocks will be frustrating and result on lots of wasted paper.

Thank you, that clears up a lot. I'd much rather use paper I don't have to fold and tear :)

Norton has been my go-to brand in the past. I'll check out the 3M.

Last time I did this job they were folding up paper and putting it in the rubber blocks with the little spikes :)

You’ll be happy with the DuraBlocs. Much better to use.

Have fun!
Murf


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What selection of grits should I have on hand to cover most work?

There seems to be some personal preference with this...and whether you are using a metallic or solid colour.

Based on many recommendations from the auto body forums, I used 80-180-320-400. I was told if I was spraying metallic to finish with 600.

Seemed to work well for me. Used 80 grit to shape filler, then 180 to remove scratches in filler as well as initial blocking of epoxy and urethane primers, then when straight I sprayed more primer, blocked with 320 and 3M guide coat, then 400 and guide coat.

This was all dry sanding.

Excellent, thank you.

I love my dura blocks. I only have 3 I think, a small one, one about 6-8" long and one that is about 16" at least. As the devils advocate I have found that for body work I end up using the longest one the most. Works great on a long panel and the length lets you see the low spots in the finish better.

Years ago I started with those hard rubber blocks that the ends flipped open to reveal 'fangs' to grab the sandpaper ( I assume this is what you are using). There is a world of difference between the two. You wont be disappointed.

My paint store has the paper in a variety of lengths, I have no idea what brand they use but I have been happy with the results and ease of use of these.

Dura blocks are great. Get a variety. You'll quickly find which ones are your favorites.
For spot repairs I like the one that's about 12~14 inches and maybe 2 inches across.
On the curvy '68 body, the 'teardrop' shaped one... In other words, has two flat sides and one curved and I think it's the bottom/right one in mrennie's pic....is useful along with a few heater hose and radiator hose pieces to get into the nooks like the lower body line. The other one I use on larger surfaces is about 18" long and maybe 3" across.

Another vote for Durablocks. And foam noodles.

On my 70, I found the only real places I could use the longest one were the roof and trunk lid.

However, I found that for the length of that particular block, it was not stiff enough and no matter how I held it I was sanding more where my hands were and less in the middle, which was screwing things up. When I dropped down to the next shorter length things improved. Long X pattern really helps too!

There are hardly any flat surfaces on the '68 to '72 A bodies... Trunk lid and.... Well, that's about it.

Ordered the set of 6 Durablocks and a roll of 80 and 180 paper. Another couple weeks and the metal work will be done and I'll roll the body outside for blasting and priming.

Made a GTO Railroad ... some treated 2 x 6" staked into the gravel drive so I can roll it on the dolly wheels .... even has a little electric winch for pulling it in and out of the shop.

Be patient with my thread starts ... this is a new phase and I have a lot of questions :)

Better to ask lots of questions and learn from all of our mistakes!! :)

Ok, I cant get a good visual, and I love railroads, so lets see a pic!

I'll take a pic tomorrow, hopefully the freakin snow will be melted :)

Definitely Durabloc...........
Yur gonna need a roll of 220, 400 and maybe some 500.
With 400 and finer I wet sand as they clog less than trying to do it dry.
You’ll like ‘em!
Jerry

Couple pics of the GTO "railroad" ... not much to look at but it serves the purpose. Cross bar at the end has a hole drilled for a pin I drop in to attach the small electric winch. Hole bored in the shop floor inside against the far wall to pull it back inside.