I got my daily morning email from Rockler and they are advertising ‘abrasive paste that eliminates sanding above 240 grit’. If it sounds too good to be true….. Has anybody used it or something similar? Easy to use? Does the paste affect the finish? Just wondering if it does have a place in the shop.
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Replies
“[Deleted]”
Long before 3M existed, abrasive pastes and powders were the norm. Ever wonder how they got those super gloss floors in palaces before sanding machines? * Polishing pastes and compounds are still widely used in wood turning.
Yorkshire Paste is a combination of mineral oil ,beeswax and diatomaceous earth, you can make your own. I've tried it . I've used and still use rotten stone on some finishes ,though neat not as a slurry, as a paste it would probably work quite well.
(*Ass buffing---I don't know what else to call it -This is still done to this very day at Windsor Castle, -- nothing beats tradition! Once probably a child but today a jockey size young man sits cross legged on a butt size polishing pad and scrooging back and forth with polishing compound ( and its a good bet that they use whatever formula they used 600 years ago) buffs the place out for State dinners and such. Tough on the back I would imagine!)
I looked up "ass buffing" and got some interesting results about meth. Imagine turning my SafeSearch filter off...
Ok, thanks. I have rotten stone and at one time used it with instruction from a friend, to rub out a too glossy finish. I didn't make the connection.
Might change my name for to " Stern Wheeling"...
Reminds me of my first try looking for an online lumber dealer... DO NOT type "hardwood.com" into your browser!
I'm not sure what the difference is. In sanding, the abrasive is attached to the paper, and you move it over the wood. With loose grit, you still have to move a pad or cloth over the wood. It seems messier, potentially more hazardous, and more work.
The question was "What's this paste?" My response was that there are abrasives that have been in use for thousands of years before they came up with a way to stick it on paper and achieving a very high level of workmanship. Seems though that anyone with access to an Ace hardware and a few coins has mostly and happily made the switch to the paper version.