Discussion Use, shapes and materials for Sanding Blocks

kuba91nt said:
nteresting. Which is better, waterproof black or regular red? They are the same... Here the gradation is 80.
In my opinion, it's a poof to pay more.
Click to expand...
it is suggested that waterproof sandpaper better works while wet.
 
Jimsky said:
I see an interest in the thread, and I want to thank you all who participated. But... how many of us actually know what is the sandpaper made of and how to choose the correct one for a given job? Stay tuned and you will have a chance to learn, thanks to WIKI!!

Sandpaper, also known as glasspaper, is a heavy paper with abrasive material bonded to its surface. Sandpaper is part of the "coated abrasives" family of abrasive products. It is used to remove small amounts of material from surfaces, either to make them smoother (painting and wood finishing), to remove a layer of material (e.g. old paint), or sometimes to make the surface rougher (e.g. as a preparation to gluing).

The first recorded instance of sandpaper was in 13th-century China when crushed shells, seeds, and sand were bonded to parchment using natural gum. Sharkskin was also used as a sandpaper. The rough scales of the living fossil Coelacanth are used by the natives of Comoros as sandpaper. Boiled and dried, the rough horsetail is used in Japan as a traditional polishing material, finer than sandpaper.

Sandpaper was originally known as glass paper, as it used particles of glass. Glass frit has sharp-edged particles and cuts well, sand grains are smoothed down and do not work well like sandpaper made from glass. Cheap counterfeit sandpaper has long been passed off as true glass paper; Stalker and Parker cautioned against it in the 17th century. Glass paper was manufactured by John Oakey's company in London by 1833, who had developed new adhesive techniques and processes, enabling mass production. A process for making sandpaper was patented in the United States on June 14, 1834, by Isaac Fischer, Jr., of Springfield, Vermont.
In 1921, 3M invented a sandpaper with a waterproof backing, known as Wetordry. This allowed use with water, which would serve as a lubricant to carry away particles that would otherwise clog the grit. Its first application was automotive paint refinishing.

Material Materials used for the abrading particles are:
  • Flint: no longer commonly used
  • Garnet: commonly used in woodworking
  • Emery: commonly used to abrade or polish metal
  • Aluminum oxide: perhaps most common in the widest variety of grits; can be used on metal (i.e. body shops) or wood
  • Silicon carbide: available in very coarse grits all the way through to microgrids, common in wet applications
  • Alumina-zirconia: (an aluminium oxide–zirconium oxide alloy), used for machine grinding applications
  • Chromium oxide: used in extremely fine micron grit (micrometer level) papers
  • Ceramic aluminum oxide: used in high-pressure applications, used in both coated abrasives, as well as in bonded abrasives.
Sandpaper may be "stearated" where a dry lubricant is loaded to the abrasive. Stearated papers are useful in sanding coats of finish and paint as the stearate "soap" prevents clogging and increases the useful life of the sandpaper. The harder the grit material, the easier the sanding of surfaces like wood. The grit material for polishing granite slab must be harder than granite. Later abrading surfaces include long-life stainless steel sanding discs. Sandpapers can also be open coat, where the particles are separated from each other and the sandpaper is more flexible. This helps prevent clogging of the sandpaper. The wet and dry sandpaper is best used when wet.

View attachment 407726

View attachment 407727

Thank you and enjoy
Click to expand...
Thank you for this post, very interesting indeed.
 
Just remember. Any scratch marks you put in you will eventually have to cover over or take out. A lot of elbow grease with as fine a grit to do the job is preferable. don't get too close to the final width, depth, and/or surface with the coarser abrasives. Work your way there slowly. find the half-life to the final surface. Creep up on it slowly and always leave a little meat on the bone. When sanding down an old finish I wanted to conserve, I always started with a well-worn fine grit and rubbed for hours until the end when the sanding had turned into polishing. It's also a recipe for bursitis and tennis elbow. :rolleyes:

Pete
 
Jimsky said:
I see an interest in the thread, and I want to thank you all who participated. But... how many of us actually know what is the sandpaper made of and how to choose the correct one for a given job? Stay tuned and you will have a chance to learn, thanks to WIKI!!

Sandpaper, also known as glasspaper, is a heavy paper with abrasive material bonded to its surface. Sandpaper is part of the "coated abrasives" family of abrasive products. It is used to remove small amounts of material from surfaces, either to make them smoother (painting and wood finishing), to remove a layer of material (e.g. old paint), or sometimes to make the surface rougher (e.g. as a preparation to gluing).

The first recorded instance of sandpaper was in 13th-century China when crushed shells, seeds, and sand were bonded to parchment using natural gum. Sharkskin was also used as a sandpaper. The rough scales of the living fossil Coelacanth are used by the natives of Comoros as sandpaper. Boiled and dried, the rough horsetail is used in Japan as a traditional polishing material, finer than sandpaper.

Sandpaper was originally known as glass paper, as it used particles of glass. Glass frit has sharp-edged particles and cuts well, sand grains are smoothed down and do not work well like sandpaper made from glass. Cheap counterfeit sandpaper has long been passed off as true glass paper; Stalker and Parker cautioned against it in the 17th century. Glass paper was manufactured by John Oakey's company in London by 1833, who had developed new adhesive techniques and processes, enabling mass production. A process for making sandpaper was patented in the United States on June 14, 1834, by Isaac Fischer, Jr., of Springfield, Vermont.
In 1921, 3M invented a sandpaper with a waterproof backing, known as Wetordry. This allowed use with water, which would serve as a lubricant to carry away particles that would otherwise clog the grit. Its first application was automotive paint refinishing.

Material Materials used for the abrading particles are:
  • Flint: no longer commonly used
  • Garnet: commonly used in woodworking
  • Emery: commonly used to abrade or polish metal
  • Aluminum oxide: perhaps most common in the widest variety of grits; can be used on metal (i.e. body shops) or wood
  • Silicon carbide: available in very coarse grits all the way through to microgrids, common in wet applications
  • Alumina-zirconia: (an aluminium oxide–zirconium oxide alloy), used for machine grinding applications
  • Chromium oxide: used in extremely fine micron grit (micrometer level) papers
  • Ceramic aluminum oxide: used in high-pressure applications, used in both coated abrasives, as well as in bonded abrasives.
Sandpaper may be "stearated" where a dry lubricant is loaded to the abrasive. Stearated papers are useful in sanding coats of finish and paint as the stearate "soap" prevents clogging and increases the useful life of the sandpaper. The harder the grit material, the easier the sanding of surfaces like wood. The grit material for polishing granite slab must be harder than granite. Later abrading surfaces include long-life stainless steel sanding discs. Sandpapers can also be open coat, where the particles are separated from each other and the sandpaper is more flexible. This helps prevent clogging of the sandpaper. The wet and dry sandpaper is best used when wet.

View attachment 407726

View attachment 407727

Thank you and enjoy
Click to expand...
As always Jim, great stuff. I never get tired of learning. Thanks for sharing! You've also reminded me of something I needed to test, but forgot all about. For wood prep I mostly go 120, 340, 400 or 600, then 0000 steel wool. But I HATE working with steel wool and wear a mask when doing so as you can see the steel dust floating in the air. When possible I use my Foredom hooded ventilator, but it only accommodates small work pieces.

I have some MicroMesh which runs 600 to 16,000. It is perforated and cloth backed so it can be washed and reused. I need to test on Pear and Boxwood to see if I can achieve the same results the 0000 steel wool gives me. If so, which grit is optimal. I will post results once I've tested.

Thanks for reminder and sharing this information!
 
Hi, I just saw this conversation. I agree, the micromesh cloth is far superior to anything else. I bought some Abranet sanding cloth and sanding blocks for another home project but I quickly realised once I started using them how much better they were to anything I had used before. Some of the small hand shapers can be connected to a shop vac and there is no dust or clogging at all. Once I had finished the job I bought them for they went straight to the modelling. The abrasive cloth hardly wears and I have been using the same pieces for ages. Avoid steel wool if possible, the steel fibres can get embedded into the wood grain and can cause rust staining later on which will leach through paint work and cause dark patches on bare wood, even after it is sealed.

www.mirka.com

Abrasives & Polishing Compounds

Here you find our abrasives, sanding paper, sandpaper and polishing compunds for all your surface finishing needs. Sanding can be dustless and easy with Mirka's solutions. With the right polishing compound you can get a high-quality finish.
www.mirka.com www.mirka.com

www.mirka.com

Hand Sanding Tools: Hand Sanding Blocks and Pads - Mirka

Mirka hand sanding blocks and pads in all different shapes and sizes. See our wide collection of hand sanding tools.
www.mirka.com www.mirka.com
 
These are my go to blocks, of which I have several already set up with different types of grits. It has both a straight edge and a rounder one.

Amazon and the chinese sites have them, but search for them as LEATHER sanding blocks.

The 150 thru 600 grit come from the multiple sandpaper dispenser. They are cloth backed !

Higher grits were cut from sanding sheets.


IMG_3934.jpegIMG_3935.jpeg
 
I have been using foam core board that you can pick up at any art supply store. It is easy to cut to whatever shape you want and it is sturdy yet giving. To attach the sandpaper I use rubber cement (Elmers, Gorilla brand). I apply the glue to the board and the sandpaper and let it dry. the two will attach easily and just as important they will peel apart easily when you want to replace the worn out sandpaper with a new piece of sandpaper. Emery boards at woman's beauty supply stores are also cheap and come in a variety of sizes.
 
Speaking of which... I just got yet another sanding tool. My first impression is - WOW! In my opinion, it is an inexpensive and very solid tool to sand flat and curved surfaces. When I say very solid, it is a very good quality, made from aluminum alloy ( somewhat heavy in your palm), and crafted well. It is also packaged well, it comes in a clear plastic container.

600_4209.jpg

The bottom is straight and flat, Looks like it was machining.

600_4207.jpg

The top is nicely curved for palm holding, it could also used to shape irregular (curved) spots.

600_4205.jpg

Replacing the sanding belt is a breeze. With a turning knurled nut, you release the mechanism to loosen the tension, It takes less than a minute to get another belt with the desired belt.

600_4204.jpg
I wish it could be a bit longer to make a great companion for fairing the hull. But this size makes it a very versatile sanding device, IMHO. I bought a tool and each of 11 belts grits from #60 to #100.

600_4208.jpg

if interesting, below is the link!

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top