Sanding Grits????

[Troy Cole]

I was just wondering if anyone had advice on what sanding grits to use. I seem to still have scratch marks after sanding. I normally sand using 150,240,320,400,600. and MM to 12000. Thought mabye I should be using a different grit somewhere. Thanks in advance for any thoughts our advice. I don't post very often but read through the forums daily and really appreciate the great information posted here. Have A Merry Christmas.

 

[hunter-27]

My only advice is to get good with a skew, start at 280 or 320 and go from there. If ya get really good, just start with the micro mesh. :wink:

 

[gvanweerd]

well from a rookie like me. i sand in the same order. but with the micro. ( if it's acrylic ) I get the micro wet. and i do it twice. go up to 12000. them go back to 1500 and work your way up to 12000 again. comes out pretty slick.

 

[KenV]

Rus Fairfield has his sanding tips if you want another opinion -- (similar to below)

But -- if you have scratches, you did not sand out the preceeding grits marks before moving ahead to finer grits. The one that are hard are the grain tears (wood) and tiny chips (acrylic). If you miss one, head back to the low grits and start again. Polishing with high grits will not remove earlier scratches, but will polish the wood/acylic around the scratch.

Spend the time and effort on the lower numbers to get ALL the marks out -- sand with the length of the tube as well as around the tube.

Put a light close to the axis shining across the blank, or use a magnifier (like mag eyes) to critically examine things before moving ahead.

Especially for wood, you may need to put backing behind the sandpaper to keep it from flexing with the grain -- like a tongue depressor or large popcycle stick.

P.S. Rule of thumb - select your start depending on how smooth you turn, and do not exceed 50% increase in grit count -- 120 + 50% = 180 400 + 50% = 600

 

[nava1uni]

Also wipe the surface between different grits so that you remove all of the previous grit and it is not still on the surface marring your finish. Also as mentioned above I stop the lathe and sand the length of the blank and again wipe off grit.
If it is acrylic when finished sanding I use a paste to remove any remaining scrathes before the final polish with plastic polish. I use chrome polish/polishing compound for cars and it works great,

 

[leehljp]

For me, it was an "experience" thing. With experience and putting "flatwork" mentality behind, I quite using the lower sandpaper grits, and as I did, the scratches disappeared. I start off with 400 (but on rare occasions, I do drop back to 320).

This is pens, and IMHO, pens don't need the sand paper grits of large areas that flatwork needs. If it looks like it really needs to be sanded with 180, 2x0, to reduce the size, then it would benefit from being turned a little smaller. If the wood is too rough when near size, then tool using techniques could use some practice and changes.

There are some segmenting situations in which even fine sand paper creates far more work that the good that it does.

AND there was one vertical segmentation in which I was too scared to use the chisel beyond the original rounding. From there I did use 180 to get to within about 1/16 size and then moved to 320 to near size and from there to 400. That was because of the fear of the segments separating from a possible chisel catch.

 

[HawksFeather]

My only advice is to get good with a skew,:

I have a couple of good Lancer skews and his DVD, but I still don't get the results that people that know how to use one get. Maybe in time. Till then, I will keep sanding as mentioned above.

Jerry

 

[WildcatHollow]

Sanding Strategies...

I used the traditional 150, 240, 320, 400, 600 with my first pens, and always managed to either create scratch marks or remove more surface than I wanted.

So I tried several approaches, and here's a finishing routine that works for me:

1. Burnish with 0000 steel wool. I move the steel wool quickly from side to side against the surface with medium pressure.
2. Sand with 400 grit. Use this to size the ends with the bushings. Again, make certain the sandpaper is in constant motion.
3. Stop the lathe and check for blade marks. If they are still present, continue sanding with 400 until they're gone.
4. 0000 Steel Wool.
5. 600 grit sandpaper - very lightly.
6. 0000 Steel Wool
7 Clean the surface with Acetone.
8. One or more passes with Triple E.
9. Hand turn a pass of Mylands.
10. Another Mylands, motor on, slow speed (1200-1300 rpm)
11. Another Mylands, motor on, slow speed.
12. Polish motor off with a cotton cloth.
13. Beeswax, motor on. Buff with cotton cloth.
14. Polish, motor off with cotton cloth.

 

[Bree]

I was just wondering if anyone had advice on what sanding grits to use. I seem to still have scratch marks after sanding. I normally sand using 150,240,320,400,600. and MM to 12000. Thought mabye I should be using a different grit somewhere. Thanks in advance for any thoughts our advice. I don't post very often but read through the forums daily and really appreciate the great information posted here. Have A Merry Christmas.

When you are sanding make sure that for each grit you stop the lathe and sand the blank horizontally (along the blank's long axis). Do this to remove the circular sanding lines. Once you are done doing that, Put some DNA on a towel and clean the blank. Then move to the next grit. Don't skip grits.
:wink::wink::wink:

 

[Smitty37]

Sanding

I have decided that it depends on whether you are trying to create an heirloom or a writing instrument. Mostly I'm doing writing instruments that are going to be sold for $10/$12 going in and out of pockets, getting dropped, rolling around in desk drawers and so on...hence the owner is probably not going to notice some tiny sanding scratches, if he does he won't buy the pen.

I use 5 grits of aluminum oxide sandpaper, being a little more careful and critical as the grits get finer, I do minor length wise sanding between grits and buff lightly with a shop paper towel between grits. I then move to micro mesh and go to 12000
buffing lightly between grits. After about 3000 I look at the turning closely to see if there are any nicks or scratches and back up if I need to. I find that leaving a scratch with a chisel is more likely to give me a problem than the sanding itself.

 

[leehljp]

Everyone needs to do what serves them best. I have learned a lot from people on this forum. I do not sell on a regular basis and will not until retirement. I watch this forum closely concerning sales to learn all that I can. Something that I picked up from a few vendors - be careful of less than quality goods and damaged pens - people will remember that even if it is given away. Everyone that they show a less than stellar finished pen will likely remember it. Reputations for lesser quality pens is difficult to out grow. Increasing prices with increased quality is hard to pass on to former clients. Initial perception stays a long time.

 

[Daniel]

My first thought is the problem would start with the very first grit you have listed, 150. I have found that any papaer courser than 220 grit causes me problems that take special attention to get the scratches back out. also 150 is even a bit rougher than I will start with. I use 180 at most then 220, 320, 400 and then to the MM. Not that my numbers are any better than yours. It is best to buy one type of paper and get the grits they have. the better quality sandpaper progresses as it does for a reason. I also consider any sandpaper rougher than 220 grit a material remover not a sander or polisher. hope that makes since. in other words 150 or 180 grit paper do more shaping than smoothing and both leave deep scratches. also lower quality paper will have more random large pices of grit. these cause real problems.

 

[TellicoTurning]

Troy,
You don't mention whether you're talking wood or plastic, so I'll assume wood.. like Daniel, I rarely start below 180... I do my turning - especially the final cuts - with a good sharp skew and not a lot of sanding is needed... Depending on the wood, I start at 180 or 220 through 600... I use either the abranet or a good Klingspor sand paper... I rarely use anything from the BORG's on my pens... I wipe the blank with either naptha(I didn't mean napth, I meant to say acetone) or dna to clean before I start the CA finish.... I wet sand the CA finish from about 600 through the requisite 12000, wiping between grits with water to clean the previous grit off.... rarely need more than a few passes with the sanding... if I sand too much, I find that I get a lesser finish than if I just touch up the blanks with the various grits.... I also sand at high speed.. I know most say to slow down the lathe, but I just sand at the same speed I turn at.. one or two passes with each grit..

On plastics, I do not dry sand them at all... as soon as I finish with the skew, I set a tupperware bowl under the blank that has my sanding pads.. I use the little 2x2 pads that PSI sells... 600 thru 12000. Sometimes I may have to touch up the blank with a piece of Klingspor.. 320 and 400 grit - also wet, the Klingspor is cloth backed so okay to wet it... the run through the PSI pads at high speed.. two or three passes each, then on to the plastic polish... I've heard of people using brasso or an auto wax/buffer compound as a step before the plastic polish... haven't tried myself yet... I normally will do two coats with the plastic polish... apply and smooth with a course paper towel, then switch to a Viva and apply another coat.

 

[bitshird]

I do my pens with carbide insert tool, and usually start sanding with 400 them 600, Then I apply CA and allow to dry over night, then start sanding with 600 wet, then Micro Mesh to 12000.
On Plastics, same tool sand with 400 then wet sanding withMicromesh to 12000

 

[wdcav1952]

This is a link to Russ Fairfield's site where he discusses sanding.

http://www.woodturnerruss.com/FSOriginal2.html

Russ contributes here and references his site on occasion. I have read, reread and re-reread thie information on his site. There is a lot of knowledge to be found there.

 

[JBCustomPens]

I would take out the 150. I always start higher than that and get good results. Those big grits are the main ones that leave scratches.