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Rubber backing pads provide cushioning for sanding and polishing tools, allowing them to follow surface imperfections without creating scratches or burns. They also help eliminate inconsistencies and improve the final finish, making them popular in automotive detailing and woodworking.
Rubber backing is a material attached to the back of abrasive discs and pads. The holder provides a cushion for the sandpaper. The cushion allows the sanding wheel or pad to follow the surface imperfections of whatever is being sanded without creating scratches or burns. By attaching a rubber backing to the sander or grinder backing pad, the finished product is much flatter and smoother than one finished with a non-rubber backing.
Many power sanders and grinders use a foam pad that attaches directly to the pad of the power tool. This backing pad incorporates a hook and loop system for attaching the abrasive backing pad. The backing pad is attached to the foam pad by pressing it onto the fabric on the pad and smoothing out any creases. The foam adjusts to any fluctuations in the rough surface and also helps the backing pad stay cool.
When using a sander without a rubber backing pad, the finished surface may contain burns, waves and cuts. By eliminating the rubber pad cushion, the small inconsistencies of the sander’s twist and turn show up in the finish as highs and lows. These inconsistencies can often be impossible to remove without a rubber-backed backing pad. The rubber backing allows the sanding pad to float on the surface and smooth the finish.
Professional automotive detailing teams use rubber pads in all aspects of waxing and polishing. The rubber allows the soft buffing pads to apply wax and polish more evenly and without added heat. The softer pad backing also helps eliminate swirl marks in the final polish. As the buffing pad glides over the vehicle’s surface, the rubber backing on the buffing pad eliminates the dip and lift found in a similarly equipped polisher without a rubber pad.
Orbital palm sanders also use rubber pads to aid in the removal of sawdust or paint residue under the pad. As the palm sander works on the work surface, tiny particles that are removed from the finish by the sandpaper start working from under the backing pad. The rubber pad allows these particles to move allowing the sandpaper to lift up and away. Without a rubber pad, the sandpaper cannot lift and the particles are burned into the surface of the workpiece. This creates much more work during the finishing process.
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