JustJesus
New member
In an ongoing effort to hone/improve my skills, I picked up some Mirka Abralon sanding discs. I`ve tried using, by hand, 3M`s Trizact and Meguiar`s Unigrit. Both excellent products. I would have gone that way for the discs as well, but the Unigrits are discontinued(?) and the Trizacts are a bit too pricey for me. Never really having heard of Mirka before (well, I don`t do sanding, no body shop experience, etc etc), I felt it wouldn`t be too risky at the price point. Again, the Trizacts were really out of reach for me, given that I don`t do this professionally, or much at all. Just couldn`t justify that cost.
Here`s some of the Abralons I bought. I bought both in 3" and 6" versions.
It was interesting to see the texture of the abrasive. It looked different from what I was used to seeing. Old school sanding paper, these are not! More like a very fine mesh. How do they work? I have no clue.
Here`s one showing the thin foam backing
I noticed they were flexible, and soft. Cool stuff, and good to know for curved panels.
One 6" disc at 1000 "grit" and one 6" at 2000. They look about the same
Closer inspection, you`ll see one has a finer mesh to it.
Back sides (hook n loop) are red and easy to read. No trouble knowing which grit you`ll be using
*** IN USE ***
To test these out, I brought out my trusty test panel. It`s a door from a `91 Honda Civic Si. I`ve used this panel before, during my compound comparison.
(I purposely left one "section" alone, as that was my "control" for another test)
The tools:
GG3 for the edgework
PC 7424xp w/ 6" backing plate
DIY "sun gun" for inspecting the progress
Milwaukee infrared thermometer for keeping tabs on the temps
H2O in a bottle. Distilled
Misc MF towels, tape, etc
Making some passes. I found I liked the PC set to speed 5. I forgot what I set the GG3 to. oops. With a light misting of the panel and of the sanding disc, i experienced a smooth glide across the panel. Slurry (is that what`s it called?) was coming off. A pleasant aroma filled the air, but I`m not sure if that was the Abralons, or the clear coat being removed.
Made a handful of passes. Wiping down with water and MF towels (or in some cases, the rubber/spongy sanding block). I was rewarded with a nice dull finish. The sanded surface was consistent throughout. Things were looking good.
I sprayed the Abralons with water after each section pass. At times, I also brushed it off with my pad brush. Sorry, no air source here. When I was done, I was a little surprised to see some of the slurry ON THE backing plate. But this makes sense. It`s my understanding Mirka designed these to be able to flow air, water, and dust(?) through the disc. If used with one of their sanding systems, complete with vacuum extraction, I`m sure all of this would have been sucked through and I wouldn`t have that residue.
Conclusion:
I like. I really really like. I liked the consistency achieved. I liked the speed in which it was reached (versus hand sanding). I like the price (compared to 3M or even Megs when it was avail).
The bad? Well, for starters, I wish Autopia had the 3000 grit in stock. I`ve been checking almost weekly for about 4 months. Always out of stock. I still love Autopia Car-Care, but I hope they stock it sooner rather than later. I`m not sure when I`ll buy it, though, as compounding the 2k grit is easy enough. Also, I *do* have 4k if needed. Just have to skip the 3k.
Also....
it makes me wish I could afford the Mirka Ceros system, or similar, along with their air extraction system (vacuum?) But, as mentioned before, I don`t do much detailing, paint correction, and definitely no wet sanding, for me to seriously consider getting the system. Down the line, sure.
So in seriousness, I can`t really think of anything bad about the Abralon discs. The more I learn about this, though, I think I`ll use Mirka`s Autonet for levelling, and Abralon for finishing.
Bottom line, the stuff is great. I wouldn`t have any trouble recommending it to someone. I`d buy again in a heartbeat.
Thanks for reading.
Here`s some of the Abralons I bought. I bought both in 3" and 6" versions.
It was interesting to see the texture of the abrasive. It looked different from what I was used to seeing. Old school sanding paper, these are not! More like a very fine mesh. How do they work? I have no clue.
Here`s one showing the thin foam backing
I noticed they were flexible, and soft. Cool stuff, and good to know for curved panels.
One 6" disc at 1000 "grit" and one 6" at 2000. They look about the same
Closer inspection, you`ll see one has a finer mesh to it.
Back sides (hook n loop) are red and easy to read. No trouble knowing which grit you`ll be using
*** IN USE ***
To test these out, I brought out my trusty test panel. It`s a door from a `91 Honda Civic Si. I`ve used this panel before, during my compound comparison.
(I purposely left one "section" alone, as that was my "control" for another test)
The tools:
GG3 for the edgework
PC 7424xp w/ 6" backing plate
DIY "sun gun" for inspecting the progress
Milwaukee infrared thermometer for keeping tabs on the temps
H2O in a bottle. Distilled
Misc MF towels, tape, etc
Making some passes. I found I liked the PC set to speed 5. I forgot what I set the GG3 to. oops. With a light misting of the panel and of the sanding disc, i experienced a smooth glide across the panel. Slurry (is that what`s it called?) was coming off. A pleasant aroma filled the air, but I`m not sure if that was the Abralons, or the clear coat being removed.
Made a handful of passes. Wiping down with water and MF towels (or in some cases, the rubber/spongy sanding block). I was rewarded with a nice dull finish. The sanded surface was consistent throughout. Things were looking good.
I sprayed the Abralons with water after each section pass. At times, I also brushed it off with my pad brush. Sorry, no air source here. When I was done, I was a little surprised to see some of the slurry ON THE backing plate. But this makes sense. It`s my understanding Mirka designed these to be able to flow air, water, and dust(?) through the disc. If used with one of their sanding systems, complete with vacuum extraction, I`m sure all of this would have been sucked through and I wouldn`t have that residue.
Conclusion:
I like. I really really like. I liked the consistency achieved. I liked the speed in which it was reached (versus hand sanding). I like the price (compared to 3M or even Megs when it was avail).
The bad? Well, for starters, I wish Autopia had the 3000 grit in stock. I`ve been checking almost weekly for about 4 months. Always out of stock. I still love Autopia Car-Care, but I hope they stock it sooner rather than later. I`m not sure when I`ll buy it, though, as compounding the 2k grit is easy enough. Also, I *do* have 4k if needed. Just have to skip the 3k.
Also....
it makes me wish I could afford the Mirka Ceros system, or similar, along with their air extraction system (vacuum?) But, as mentioned before, I don`t do much detailing, paint correction, and definitely no wet sanding, for me to seriously consider getting the system. Down the line, sure.So in seriousness, I can`t really think of anything bad about the Abralon discs. The more I learn about this, though, I think I`ll use Mirka`s Autonet for levelling, and Abralon for finishing.
Bottom line, the stuff is great. I wouldn`t have any trouble recommending it to someone. I`d buy again in a heartbeat.
Thanks for reading.
