New with sanding

[eugene22_73]

I have made a small amount of pens and have came across this web site. One area I need some help with is the sanding part. I have ordered the MM. But I would like to know the correct way to properly sand the blank. You want to get rid of all sanding marks from the previous grit b/f going on. You sand the blank with the lathe running (the blank is going around) then you turn the lathe off and sand the blank lenght wise with the grain? Any pointers would be appreciated>

 

[Daniel]

sounds to me like you have it down pretty good. what I would ad to your list above.
Use good quality sandpaper. the lousy stuff actyually falls apart and leaves grit stuck in your wood and will cause problems when you move on to the next grit.
make sure you use all the grits in there proper progression.
for the paper I use it is 150, 220, 320, and 400. don't skip any of the ones in between. it will be different for different brands of paper but for good quality sandpaper it is not by accident that they have the steps they have.
be careful of sanding the bushings and then getting the metal particals imbedded in your wood. this is a bigger problem on light wood because you can actually see the dark residue in the grain of the wood, but a I also think it makes a really good finish impossible to get.
You may want to actually wipe the pen with denatured alcohol between each grit.
Finally don't expect to get results like you see on many pens here until after the MM arrives.

 

[rtparso]

I don't snad with the grain every grit. But I do wipe with a dry cloth every grit. I use CA as a sanding sealer after about 400. then fininsh out with MM. I use rolls of sandpaper. Good quality sandpaper is worth the money. You will love MM. Keep the MM cool and clean it often.

 

[jahlg]

i agree with the quality is worth the money. I bought the small 4 pk rolls at woodcraft, I hate it!! I buy the norton 3x by the sheet from rockler, and it does a fantastic job in comparison. Try not to use dark colored sand paper as it will bleed onto light woods. Also with MM, use it wet, works way better!