What kind of sandpaper does everyone use? I am using all different kinds, but can’t seem to get anything to last as long as I think it should. Is Aluminum Oxide the best or is there a better solution. Also does the brand matter or just the type? Maybe it’s my sanding method that are poor.
Thanks,
Adam
Replies
The only thing that really worked for me was switching to sanders that use vacuum dust collection. Now that's almost all I use. Nick
Adam,
I bought a Porter Cable Variable Speed Random Orbital Sander earlier this year. Prior to that I had always sanded by hand, having had had a bad experience with (ordinary) orbital sanders many years ago.
Not only does the ROS do a better and faster job than I can by hand, but the sanding disks outlast equal areas of hand sandpaper by an enormous amount. Sometimes I find myself throwing away a disk just because I've become bored using the same disk so long. These disks are more expensive than an equal area of hand sanding paper, but their longevity far outweighs their cost. They are far more economical than ordinary paper.
Of course, I can't use the ROS for everything, but the 90% + that it takes care of makes using ROS disks the best cost method.
I buy my disks from Klingspor, 100 per pack.
R
Rhyno--the longest-lasting sandpaper in the known universe. This is a good company and they will cut sleeves to the size you want for a paltry 50 cents or so. I believe they have the best price on Scotch Brite pads, too, but i'm willing to be wrong about that.
Occasionally I do precision sanding (is that an oxymoron?). For that I glue the sandpaper to a piece of wood and sand with that. This seems to make the sandpaper last longer by a factor of 3 or 4.
I also think that the brand matters; any of the name brands are pretty good. Those unusual brands may last as long but I don't think they do as good a job; I suspect that the grit size is not as uniform.
Aluminum oxide is the best abrasive for general sanding of raw wood; not all created equal. Look for the industrial brands for good quality, not anything sold in hardware stores unless it's an industrial brand. I'v always had good look with SIA.cabinetmaker/college instructor. Cape Breton, N.S
3M seems to make a good brand of Al-Ox. Silicon Carbide, I think, is used in all of the finer grits (>400) Maybe its the other way around, but I don't think so. For longest lasting sandpaper, Alumina Zirconia is the way to go definitely. It is a harder particle than any other, but it only comes up to 220 grit, and is very rare at that. Works great for fast removal. Norton makes this and calls it NorZon. It is easy to spot because its blue.
Tom
I agree with the blue zirconia alumnia, but I have only seen it as fine as 120. Where do you find the 220? It lasts forever, it seems.
I have found it in one shop here in St Louis. They only sell it by the sheet, and it is ~$.35 each. It is Norton NorZon. I tried contacting them to see where else this was sold, but had little success. If you want I could give you their name and number and you could try to get them to send you some. Else I could mail some to you if you really really wanted.
Tom
That is very thoughtful, but I will not ask you to go to the trouble. I will take a look on the net to find a source.
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