Replies

1. 
   SCFrankland | Jan 14, 2004 07:29pm | #1

   Mike I am not sure now this would work but if you wiped thinner over the surface to be sanded to remove some of the woods resin as they do in gluing up oily wood. Maybe worth a try on some scrap. Also not sure how this may affect your finish.

   Scott C. Frankland

   Scott's WOODWORKING Website

   "This all could have been prevented if their parents had just used birth control"

1. 
   PlaneWood | Jan 14, 2004 08:47pm | #2

   Scott -

   I hadn't thought about doing that first.  Will have to try it.  Will use acetone though and will let the pieces soak immerged for 30 minutes or so.

   I once accidentally left a piece of rosewood in acetone over night.  It leached out all the oil and wax and turned it white in color.

   Thanks!

   PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)PlaneWood

2. 
   Tao | Jan 15, 2004 01:24am | #3

   After sanding a flatcar load of ponderosa pine per week for longer than I care to remember, I learned a couple of things:

   Sanding belts clog worse when they get hotter.  Heat is generated by too much pressure, dull grits, and sanding too long in one place.  We avoided heat by using the sharpest grits consistent with good wear, cutting just enough to remove the marks from the previous grit, and keeping feed speeds high to avoid heat buildup in the wood.

   The other thing is that crepe rubber blocks do a good job of cleaning belts if you don't let the sawdust set up.  We cleaned the belts right on the machine, holding the crepe blocks in a wooden clamp to keep from sanding our fingers.

   I don't know whether you are using a wide belt, drum or stroke sander, but maybe these obsevations will help.

   BTW, you do know that acetone is absorbed through the skin and does nasty things to your liver and brains, and is a pretty strong carcinogen as well, yes?  It had a nasty reputation even before all this health hype, and it's one of the few solvents I am particularly careful with.

   Michael R

1. 
   PlaneWood | Jan 15, 2004 03:27am | #4

   thanks woodwiz.

   I use rubber gloves and a paint brush with the acetone.  Never touch the stuff.

   PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)PlaneWood

2. 
   Elcoholic | Jan 15, 2004 05:20am | #8

   "BTW, you do know that acetone is absorbed through the skin and does nasty things to your ... brains"

   Hmmm, this explains a lot.  Acetone is the active ingredient in nail polish remover and they use it straight for removing acrylic nails at the nail salons.  My wife walks around for 4 hours with her fingers all spread out and won't touch anything.  She also says it'll take 20 minutes for a "fill" but it always takes an hour and she's never really completely happy with the job.  So she reshapes them with a file after she paid $25 to have them done.  I tell her she should learn vietnameese if she want's to be understood and she just gives me the look.  No wonder my wife is so goofy after she has her nails done.  I thought it was stupidity or insanity, now I feel bad because it's dain brammage.John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking

   Life is tough.  It's tougher if you're stupid - John Wayne

1. 
   Steinmetz | Jan 15, 2004 06:40pm | #9

   Elco,  Now you've done it. Nowadays it's considered rude and insensitive to treat women as 'Twit's.

    A lot of women read these posts and you're sure to get a dressing down as soon as they finish watching Oprah and Dr Phil.

   Just because most of them vote for Ralph Neuter or can,t parallel park, it doesn't make them second class sisters.

   Ed from Mississippi's girl will rake you over the coals unless you change your chauvinistic ways.

     Learn to each quiche and drink green tea.  Stein.

   Edited 1/15/2004 10:54:16 AM ET by steinmetz

   Edited 1/15/2004 10:56:31 AM ET by steinmetz

3. 
   WayneL5 | Jan 15, 2004 04:08am | #5

   I've used the no-clog sandpaper for hand sanding and it worked really well.  Maybe they make it for belt sanders?

1. 
   PlaneWood | Jan 15, 2004 04:15am | #6

   Wayne -

   Can you be more specific?  What brand paper, what kind, etc.

   PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)PlaneWood

4. 
   CharlieP | Jan 15, 2004 04:44am | #7

   I haven't tried cleaning Rosewood out of the belts, but I learned a trick for cleaning sanding belts for my Performax from someone who does a lot of rosewood...

   Spray simple green (cleaner) on the belt.  Depending on how dirty, scrub with an old fashioned scrub-brush.  Rinse thoroughly in clear water.  Some belts lie flat, others curl unbelieveably tight.  Use a couple bricks on the end of the belts when you lay the wet belts on the deck to dry (the curly belts are hard to lay flat but it can be done).  Next day when they are dry it is hard to tell them from a new belt. 

   Be sure to mark the grit with a magic marker - some of the labels wash off the belts.