mm pad

[MrWright]

Has any one had this problem? I needed a lighter wood for a person at her suggestion. Turned the blank down to bushing, sanded to 600, then went through the full micro mesh , wet sanding. The dye on the mm leaked out on to the blank and I got a blue-ish/purple-ish unknown color.
It actually looked good on gun metal pen, but I can not get any specific
light color blank now. These pads were from PSI. Do all mm pads leak a color or is it just this company? I will try to get a picture later.

 

[capcrnch]

I'm on my 3rd/4th set of pads and I haven't had that problem at all.
But, I haven't bought a set in a few months.. Maybe they just had a bad dye run?

 

[Christian]

Were you sanding with MM on bare wood? I have never used them on anything that has not had a coat or two of CA or on acrylics. Perhaps the wood/oil/tanins/sap reacted with the MM dye?

Just my 2 cents.

Christian

 

[markgum]

did you happen to touch the bushing? that has caused me grief in the past.

 

[rogerpjr]

I agree with touching bushings, but I don't get that often, usually just when I'm using homemade brass bushings. I have found that occassionally I get discoloration when I push a little too hard on the MM or hold it in one place too long. I don't think it is dye though, but something from heat causing the MM to break down. When I do this (did it last night in fact) I just take a piece of one of the white nylon scrubby pads and hold it gently to the blank and the dark areas come right off. I then continue with the MM.

 

[jttheclockman]

Has any one had this problem? I needed a lighter wood for a person at her suggestion. Turned the blank down to bushing, sanded to 600, then went through the full micro mesh , wet sanding. The dye on the mm leaked out on to the blank and I got a blue-ish/purple-ish unknown color.
It actually looked good on gun metal pen, but I can not get any specific
light color blank now. These pads were from PSI. Do all mm pads leak a color or is it just this company? I will try to get a picture later.

There is something not right with your statement and maybe you can clear it up. Are you using MM pads on bare wood??? Are you using MM pads wet on bare wood??? Or is the blank finish with CA or some other finish and then the MM???

First I would never use wet MM on bare wood and second I would never use MM pads on bare wood at all. Third I wood never use bare wood as a blank finish.

Need abit more info. All woods need to be sealed before attempting any finishes especially light woods.

 

[KenV]

You did not identify the wood so that is an open question. Holly to maple to???

Most discoloration in wood comes from contamination migrating into the grain of the woods. Dye is probably not the real source, but it can be metals coming from the bushings. With some high tannin (acid) woods and a bit of moisture, the metal can take a dark black to purpleish color that spreads along the grain. Oak is a classic for this kind of staining.

MicroMesh is a brand name (as in trademark) and PSI is the Prince of Knock-offs so a PSI may or may not be MicroMesh Depending on your technique, if you were getting heat buildup, you may have lost abrasive into the wood surface.

Most use MicroMesh abrasives to polish finishes, not to polish woods, but do not know for sure what your processes were, and what if any finish you had (or had not) applied. I use regular abrasives to about 600 to 1000 grit and then apply finishes.

Wet sanding (with water) is appropriate only over finishes. Wet sanding of wood is usually with oil, wax, or mineral spirits (and that is normally not on pens).

 

[lorbay]

Has any one had this problem? I needed a lighter wood for a person at her suggestion. Turned the blank down to bushing, sanded to 600, then went through the full micro mesh , wet sanding. The dye on the mm leaked out on to the blank and I got a blue-ish/purple-ish unknown color.
It actually looked good on gun metal pen, but I can not get any specific
light color blank now. These pads were from PSI. Do all mm pads leak a color or is it just this company? I will try to get a picture later.

There is something not right with your statement and maybe you can clear it up. Are you using MM pads on bare wood??? Are you using MM pads wet on bare wood??? Or is the blank finish with CA or some other finish and then the MM???

First I would never use wet MM on bare wood and second I would never use MM pads on bare wood at all. Third I wood never use bare wood as a blank finish.

Need abit more info. All woods need to be sealed before attempting any finishes especially light woods.

+ 1 on this.

Lin.

 

[aggromere]

If you use bushings while sanding a really light wood, you will pick up fine metal dust that will discolor the wood. Also, I might suggest you go to MM sandpaper instead of the colored pads. someone did a group buy a while back and I got some and it works great, better than the pads i think.

 

[JimB]

Now I'm confused. I use dry MM on bare wood all the time. I go to 500 grit paper then all steps on MM. The last steps are doing more polishing than anything and 'shines' the wood. Then I put on my finish and use MM again.

 

[lorbay]

Now I'm confused. I use dry MM on bare wood all the time. I go to 500 grit paper then all steps on MM. The last steps are doing more polishing than anything and 'shines' the wood. Then I put on my finish and use MM again.

Why are you confused??? What you are doing is OK, what it looks like MrWright is doing is wet sanding on bare wood. Why I don't know.

Lin.

 

[jttheclockman]

Now I'm confused. I use dry MM on bare wood all the time. I go to 500 grit paper then all steps on MM. The last steps are doing more polishing than anything and 'shines' the wood. Then I put on my finish and use MM again.

Jim

As mentioned we are trying to find out why the person is using water with the MM on bare wood. You do not want to do this. Besides raising the grain you are introducing minerals into light colored woods. Unless he is using distilled water. Then you are raising the grain everytime you introduce water.

What you are doing is fine but to me a waste of time and money. I feel MM is designed for solid finishes or plastics. Too expensive to waste on wood. I use a couple things and it comes down to a how do I feel that day as to what I choose. I use abernet pads or just plain sandpaper. But I use the automotive grits to get to 8000 if I want to get that particular. Some woods will show more depth if you take it to a higher shine before you finsh such as oily woods and by these I mean the rosewood family which includes bacote and zircote and so forth. Woods like oak and maple and redwoods and other plain grain woods do not need this and for that I stop at 600 grit and apply a finish. When that is cured then I MM to the top. Finish with a plastic polish.

These are the ways I do things and there are many other who do things differently and it works for them. If it works for you and you are happy with the results then stick with it. good luck and happy finishing.

 

[MrWright]

Thanks for all comments. I really think I just am using MM wrong. The wood is Chestnut. Regular turning, dry sanding to 60dye, then wet sanding with MM. No CA or anything after the 600. I see this is wrong now. It is not from heat as back and forth MM sanding and little pressure. No bushing contamination as the MM pad starts to get wet color on the pad. Guess I should use CA first then finish it off with MM.
This was my first MM experience. Thanks for the tutural guys.

 

[JimB]

John - thanks for the detailed explanation about what you do and why. I'll need to do more to watch the different results I get with different woods as well as do a bit of experimenting.

 

[Smitty37]

less dust

Now I'm confused. I use dry MM on bare wood all the time. I go to 500 grit paper then all steps on MM. The last steps are doing more polishing than anything and 'shines' the wood. Then I put on my finish and use MM again.

Why are you confused??? What you are doing is OK, what it looks like MrWright is doing is wet sanding on bare wood. Why I don't know.

Lin.

Well I wet sand bare wood to reduce the dust in the air...helps keep it out of my lungs which often protest mightily when I breath a little of it.

 

[Wildman]

Wet sanding bare wood raises the grain leaving you with a rough surface. Raised grain more pronounce on some species than others. Dyeing wood can also raise grain whether using water or alcohol.

Dry sand wood until surface is ready to apply dye. Many people say do not sand after you dyeing wood. That is fine if no raised grain. If needed use 0000 steel wool or 400-600 grit sand paper to take care of raised grain after dye. You want a real light touch, or may end up dyeing the piece again. You always want some type of finish on top of dyed wood to prevent bleeding and fading.