Here is my list of sanding and MM.
I start with 150 grit if I left the turned barrel proud of the bushings, usually I can start with 220.
I use the 220 grit to make the CA slurry that I use on all my wood pens to fill the grain and small voids. actually I can get some voids that are not so small if I build up enough sawdust before adding the CA. this is all done at the slowest speed my lathe has (don't know what it is in R.P.M.) my lathe simply has three speeds but what they are is not known.
I then resand with a fresh piecs of 220, and proceed all the way up to 12000 MM.(High speed) in effect polishing the wood itself.
I then put my CA finish, at low speed, over the polished wood, starting again at 300 grit (220 if the CA went on roughly) putting the lathe back on high speed I again go all the way up to 12000 MM. I stop the lathe and and sand with the length of the barrel any time I am using anything courser than 4000 MM. higher grits I simply sand with the lathe turning.
My main problem with melting the MM is when trying to push the corner of the MM into the blank to reach curved edges etc.
I use the foam block that came with my first set. I have also glued MM to old mouse pads and this has worked just as well and I don't have to wrap the sheets around a piece of foam for every change in grit.
I use very light pressure if you can even call it pressure. It is more like just touching the blank with the MM. I also keep the M m moving forward and backward as I also move it from one end of the blank to the other. this way no single spot of the MM gets to hot. to much pressure, which is not a lot, or letting one spot of the MM stay in contact with the blank, will cause it to melt in a big hurry.
