Sanding abrasive media

[Bob Blarney]

Hello, here's my favorite abrasive for sanding wood:

 

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Ultra-Flexible-Sanding-Sheets-and-Rolls/?N=5002385+3293390774&rt=rud

 

It lasts a long time, and is quite flexible and stretchy.  It's more heat resistant and doesn't clog as fast as any other abrasive that I've used.  I haven't tried gluing it to sticks and rods yet, but I expect that it will adhere with contact cement.  

 

When using any kind of abrasives for power sanding, it's important that the surface speed (ft/sec or m/sec) is controlled and not excessive.  When abrasives are used beyond a certain speed (depending on the abrasive or material), the heat generated from friction will cause the abrasive particles to separate from the backing or will clog with material.   Although this 3M abrasive is not particularly recommended for power sanding, it seems to have a wider tolerance than many other abrasives, such as for tapering masts and spars.  But as always - test for yourself.

 

 

[Moab]

Thanx for passing along Bob. I've used them and they are excellent. The only problem I have with them (not really sure this is the brand it might be Norton) is that the they don't allow you to cut small pieces and glue them to a small piece of wood for sanding in small places etc. It has a backing that doesn't seem to allow this. I usually use white glue to do this since some of the pieces are relatively large and using ca doesn't seem to be cost effective. Not sure if anyone else has this problem and like I mentioned I'm not sure it's this brand....Moab/Allan

[Bob Blarney]

On 2/24/2018 at 2:14 PM, Moab said:

Thanx for passing along Bob. I've used them and they are excellent. The only problem I have with them (not really sure this is the brand it might be Norton) is that the they don't allow you to cut small pieces and glue them to a small piece of wood for sanding in small places etc. It has a backing that doesn't seem to allow this. I usually use white glue to do this since some of the pieces are relatively large and using ca doesn't seem to be cost effective. Not sure if anyone else has this problem and like I mentioned I'm not sure it's this brand....Moab/Allan

I doubt that white or most water-based glues would be adherent.

 

I'll glue up a piece with contact cement today and get back to you with the result.  I'll use DAP Weldwood contact cement, as one would use it for gluing plastic laminate onto particle board for a kitchen countertop. 

 

An alternative for attaching it to a stick would be to use two-sided woodturner's tape that is used to secure wood for turning on a lathe.  It is pressure sensitive and gets a pretty good grip.  

[Bob Blarney]

This works well. Just follow the instructions on the bottle. If you make a custom stick/handle and wish to reuse it, the cement can be softened and dissolved with spirits of naphtha, or xylene. 

[Bob Blarney]

hmm, I might mention that the snap-knife made by Stanley has a very useful feature.  Instead of a wiggly click-stop mechanism that sets the blade's exposure, it has a knob that screws down to lock the blade tightly with no wiggle.  I had a 9mm version that I've lost, and I hope that it will turn up.  Maybe I put it in a 'safe place' - so safe that I can't find it.  Also, it's possible to whet & hone these blades to a sharper edge, but I usually switch to a scalpel instead.