Originally posted by lwalden
Marc- got a feeling you're going to love the abranet. It does last a long time, and with the net backing doesn't load up nearly as much as regular sandpaper so you end up with less heat build-up, and a little less possibility for contamination of light wood by darker wood sanding dust when working with segmented blanks. At some point, if you haven't already, you're going to cut the sheets into smaller pieces. Have a sharpie handy! Number the fuzzy backside!! You'll either end up cutting a piece that doesn't have the lightly printed grit identifier on the back, or after several uses it will start to fade (the pre-printed grit number) and you'll find you're spending a lot of time trying to figure out which sheet too use next (unless you're a heck of a lot more organized than me, which isn't hard to accomplish...). I've found it's easier to write a single number on the fuzzy backside, rather than the 3 digit grit number itself- #1 for 120, #2 for 180, #3 for 240, etc... which also helps when my kids are turning pens. Easier at their age to follow one through five, rather than 120 through 400. Come to think of it, that might be easier for me as I continue to age as well...........
I normally cut mine into roughly square shape- 2 3/4" X 2 3/4". Most of my sanding I'm doing with the abranet positioned 45 degrees to the blank, so I am using one of the 4 corners. Gives you better control, from working with just the tip, to all the way into a width that is as wide as the blank itself. Also makes the most economical use of the abranet- leaves very little in the center that doesn't get used as much as the perimeter sections of the sanding net. While it does last quite a bit longer than regular sand paper, keep an eye on how well it's cutting. It's easy to keep trying to use it past it's useful life, so when the 120 starts cutting at the same level as the 180 or 240, time to pitch it and cut a new piece or two. If you ever get some of the 80 grit, it works great for rapid removal on tru-stone and the rattlesnake blanks you get from Arizona silhouette that can be a little more prone to chipping than some of the other snake blanks from casters like Don Ward and Bruce Egolf.
