Kudos to the suppot team with Fein

[Leon]

A couple of months ago I purchased the Fein Multimaster XL. I have used it several times in places I would not have dared use another power tool. It is truly a very useful tool That said, the accessory for which the tool probably is best known for, the triangle shaped sander, is another story IMHO. For the first time I used the triangle hook and loop sander to sand a 1/2" dowel down even with a curved surface that it protruded from. Basically I was reattaching a rocker bottom back to the rear leg of the chair. The factory used 1 drywall screw for this joint and I replace that failed set up with the 1/2" dowel placed through the round leg and into side of the rocker bottom. I have made this repair to another joint on this same chair with good results. Anyway because I did not want to disturb the factory finish any more than necessary I used the tip of the sand paper to sand down the 1/8" part of the dowel that protruded after glue up. I used a light touch to insure that I did not get into the factory finish. About 60 seconds later the sanding was done with good results and the paper still looked unused. The back up pad how ever had a melted spot about the size of a dime. Is this small hook and loop stuff really this delicate? I have always been a big fan of PSA and was rather shocked that this hook and loop set up failed so quickly.

Anyway I e-mailed Fein with my problem and within 1 hour had a response of how to "try" and avoid this in the future and I was informed that a replacement paw would be on its way shortly. The suggestions were to use the whole pad to sand and to not tilt the pad. In this instance, that would be impossible. The surface I was sanding was

10 times smaller than the sanding pad and I had to sand it down with a curved surface to match the round leg.

I commend Fein for the quick response and remedy however I think a PSA set up would be more robust and last longer. Perhaps I can sand off the hooks from the old pad and start putting PSA paper on it.

Any suggestions or hints?

[Lew Hodgett]

SFWIW, other people have had problems trying to use paper other than Fien with their H&L pad.

There are some rather high forces due to the sander action taking place at the H&L interface.

Think I would run your idea past Fein tech support for their input before trying anything.

Lew

[Robatoy]

I have found out, that the Multimaster can concentrate a tremendous amount of energy(heat) in a small area. That goofy looking sanding attachment (not the triangular one) is a godsend for some of the spots I need to get into when sanding the inside corners of a cooktop cut-out (solid surface). I have eliminated some of the heat issues by using a course paper with a light touch, and progressing down to finer grits in increments. When using the triangular pad, I found that the dust collector attachment helps keep things cooler as well as is dropping the motor speed. Yup, I have melted a couple of corners, but I haven't lately. I probably would have used an e-blade to cut most of the dowel then touched it up with sandpaper.... assuming I could have reached it. That narrow e-blade can leave a decent surface.

A friend of mine was seaming a countertop on a jobsite when his Turbo II quit. (Brushes, IIRC it was very old). 1 1/2 hours later, the rep gave him another one to use whilst repairs were made. Mind you, they were working close to where the rep lives and he just happened to have one in his car at the time, but still.... if they can help, they will.

FIW

r

[Leon]

I am using the first piece of coarse sand paper that came with it.

If they don't want the old sanding pad back there is nothing to loose by sanding off the remaining hooks.

[Leon]

Is that the finger shaped one with a point?

If they do not want the old pad back I'll probably use it for this type aplication and keep the new one for flat surface sanding.

I used my new Japanese saw looking e-blade for cutting the dowel down to about 1/8" from the surface. I did not really press hard as I was concerned about the paper coming in contact with the old finish and I did use a coarse grit.

Any way, thanks for the input and I'll baby it a bit more when using the points.

I contacted Fein before my purchase and their quick and informative answers left me with a good feeling about making the purchase. Today reinforced that confidence.

Thanks again.

[Robatoy]

On Nov 9, 5:04 pm, "Leon" wrote: [snipped for brevity]

(Glad to help, btw.) No. it is the Profile Sanding kit. Looks similar to the PC profile sander tips, except this works.

have never used the 'finger' attachment, I have been getting by with the triagular perforated ones. Problem is, that at the tip, there is a dust collection hole, and not much sandpaper.

I have used a few of the Bi-Metal e-Cut blades. They cut through a pretty good sized nail with ease. Buying 3-packs is the way to go with these guys. Basically looks like a 3 for 2 deal.

I have no idea who these people are, just googled for some illustrations for your perusal.

I buy all my Fein stuff from Dave Eisan at Federated Tools in London, Ontario.

And then there was this super cool suggestion from someone here: to re-cut a worn e-blade with a Dremel cut-off disk. Works like a charm.

Maybe one day, one of us will try the Fein aftermarker knock-off. Can't wait for some insight on that route.

r

[Leon]

hope it is a lot better than the PC one. I end up manually using the PC profiles.

Yeah I discovered that pretty quickly.

I ended up buying a 3 pack of the EZ cut 2.5" blades locally and got raked over the coals. I should have bought at walter tool and or Coastal tool. I bought th eMM kit from Coastal tool. Walter tool and Coastal are a Fein suggested internet supplier.

I remember that and have the tool. I'll try tha out on my E-cut when it dulls.

Yeah who is selling that, Klingspor comes to mind.

Thanks

[Andy Dingley]

The Multimaster pad is rigid, compared to the foam pads on other oscillating sanders. If you use them over just a small point, then the foam flexes and a lot of power goes into the pad, not the abrasive. The Fein keeps delivering the same power no matter how small the area, so yes it's much easier to overload it in spots.

If you want a big squishy pad for working curves, then make yourself one. It's pretty easy to make extra tools for a Multimaster. Just take a steel plate, drill a hole in it and glue some foam on. If you have a recent Multimaster with the star fitting, then recycle a worn-out sawblade.

Modelled on the Oral-B "Hummingbird" dental flosser (Google - it's the one you can convert into a lock-pick gun), I've built myself a power-flosser for hippo teeth. There's a curved bow of steel rod witha length of abrasive cord between the ends. Probably just a bit too aggressive for dentistry, but it's just the job for "thrumming" bronze castings to fettle them.