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What grit for disc sander?


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What grit do folks use in their disc sanders?  I see Jim Byrnes sells 80, 180, and 320 grits on his site for use with his disc sander....seems to me that 80 grit might be more aggressive than needed for forming small pieces, and the 320 grit while great for a nice finish could have a tendency to burn if one is not careful.  That would make 180 the obvious choice.

 

Am I right on this, or am I missing something?  In reality it seems the best option would be to have more than one grit available, does anybody have multiple disc sanders in their shop or do you have multiple plates and switch grits depending on the work at hand?

 

Looking for some real and practical experience here from folks who have successfully addressed this issue...

Cliff Ward

Cary, North Carolina

USA

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I bought some of each when I got my sander but haven't found any reason to use anything but 180 grit so far.  I've been sanding primarily  basswood, Swiss pear, and walnut.  Any need for coarser or finer and I've sanded by hand.  It would be a bit of a pain to be swapping sanding disks very often.

 

 

Doug

Current BuildsBluenose II - AKrabbenkutter / Prince de Neufchatel / Essex Cross-section / Syren / Barque Stefano / Winchelsea / Half Hull / Maria HF31 - Dusek / Bandirma - Turkmodel

On the Shelf: Santisima Trinidad and Cross Section / HMS Cutter Alert / Tender AVOS / Confederacy

Suspended Build: Bluenose II - Billing Boats Nr 600 

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I use 100 and 150 only, and I get great results.

John

 

Member: Hampton Roads Ship Model Society

Current Builds: Tugboat Dorothy  Newport News Shipbuilding Hull #1 (complete)

                            Iron Clad Monitor (complete) 

                            Sardine Carrier which I will Name Mary Ann (complete)

                            Pilot Boat John H. Estill Newport News Shipbuilding Hull #12 (my avatar)

                    Harbor tug Susan Moran

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Hi Cliff

 

I use  180 and 320 for finishing..

You may find it hard to get them off, so I use a small brush with acetone and pull the disc as you apply the acetone to the back of the disc.

 

Denis.

Edited by DenPink
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80 grit ir ROUGH !!! you can destroy your hard work in seconds We are by nature on this website as Modelers making small things so we need to be very careful 

using 80 grit can be a bit like "The Bull in the China shop" not quite sure it has to be a china shop I am sure a Bull would make a mess in any shop, except perhaps a butchers shop, but back to the point 80 grit is very very ROUGH so be careful Pick your fight Hard wood 100 grain soft wood 220 grit or just spend more time cutting closer to the mark so you do not need to sand so much off remember the more you sand the more stress you put into the wood so more likely to snap

Happy sanding 

Andy

Current Build

HM Granado CC

Past builds

 HMS Chatham CC, HM Convulsion CC,  Duke William German Kit, Fair American LSS, The Wright Flyer MS

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Depends on what you are sanding.  I use 80 grit to remove lots of wood quickly but never try and get right up to the line with it.  180 works well for doing the clean up on parts.  Finishing should be done by hand to avoid going to far.

My advice and comments are always worth what you paid for them.

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I just use 120. If something needs care I move towards the centre where it spins slowly. If I need to take a lot of material towards the edge. The aluminium oxide paper lasts ages and although with use the grit increases to maybe something like 150, it continues to sand well. 80 is so rough it leaves scratches and 180 and above is just not aggressive enough, these are more finishing grades. All finishing is done by hand, 400 is silky smooth

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Thanks folks, exactly the type of information I was looking for.  While there's lots of variety in exactly what grit people are using, it does seem that most are using a medium grit for general forming on the disc sander then a fine grit for finishing, primarily via hand sanding.  This seems to make a lot of sense...I'll plan my tool selection and actions accordingly.

Cliff Ward

Cary, North Carolina

USA

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I use the 180 grit for everything. Your can remove as much (towards the end) or as little (towards the center) as you need with a smooth finish. If you need 80 grit you probably should be cutting your wood to closer tolerances before this point. Changing the paper is relatively easy but does take some time and a lot of mineral spirits.

Greg

website
Admiralty Models

moderator Echo Cross-section build
Admiralty Models Cross-section Build

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Pegasus, 1776, cross-section

Current build
Speedwell, 1752

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Thanks Greg...180 grit is what I settled on from earlier respondents....actually ordered a disc sander from Jim Byrnes earlier today.  My old Dremel disc/belt sander had served me well over the years but was always difficult to do fine work with so I finally passed it along and upgraded this important sanding tool on my workbench.

Cliff Ward

Cary, North Carolina

USA

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The results are dependent not only upon the grit.  One factor is the speed of rotation or linear travel of the sanding media, then the material that is being sanded. There are different types of grit material that are used for different work materials.  I use silicon carbide belts for sharpening tools, micromesh for plastics and very hard woods.  My favorite abrasive for hand sanding wood is:  https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Ultra-Flexible-Sanding-Sheets-and-Rolls?N=5002385+3293390774&rt=rud , and there are analogs for disc sanding.   The pressure applied to the workpiece should not be heavy, and worn out 220 is not a substitute for 320 or 400 grit.  

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Thanks Bob, those 3M products look great.

 

cheers

 

Pat

If at first you do not suceed, try, and then try again!
Current build: HMCSS Victoria (Scratch)

Next build: HMAS Vampire (3D printed resin, scratch 1:350)

Built:          Battle Station (Scratch) and HM Bark Endeavour 1768 (kit 1:64)

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