Laziness is the mother of Invention!

[keithncsu]

So I know others have experienced this as well but I've had issues with Spectraply and the colored dust filling in pores and making it look not as crisp. It is most noticeable and looks the worst on blanks with the natural/white layer next to something dark - mainly blue in my experience. I've read on here that you can use sanding sealer, etc but I don't have any. I've also read you can use compressed air to blow the dust out before final finishing.

Now comes the laziness part. I turned a red/white/blue blank last night and got the same colored dust issue. Being lazy and it almost 10pm I did not want to pull out the air compressor and get it going. And I didn't have any canisters like you would use in an office environment. But I happened to notice a roll of handy duct tape. So I pulled a piece off and folded it over on itself. I used it to "peel" off the loose sawdust as if you were getting lint off of a piece of clothing. It was by no means perfect but it worked surprisingly well!!

The picture below shows the left blank after using the tape. The right blank is just as it was after sanding. You can see a difference for sure. I saw/felt no tape residue either - just in case you were wondering.

I'm sure it's not the best "trick" ever shared but it worked for me!!

 

[Skie_M]

I haven't messed with spectraply or the other composite woods like it yet, so I haven't tried this technique to see if it would work ....


But, in my mind, I think the best way to approach this type of problem is to stop just short of sanding and seal the surface with thin CA. Once it's well sealed up, then sand it smooth and clean up with rubbing alcohol (not acetone)... though I don't know how well the dye in the spectraply would handle the alcohol, acetone would dissolve the CA and probably the dye too!

After you clean off the initial sanding residue, apply CA again to re-seal the surface and close up any holes that just opened up, and continue with sanding and finishing.


If alcohol does make the inks bleed, then I would choose a tack cloth or other method to remove the sanding dust.

 

[leehljp]

A third way is to keep your just sharpened scraper - sharp. Use the scraper to turn it down to size. A SHARP scraper and high speed will make a smooth finish without the need for sandpaper. AND it is clean! If the wood is soft, turn it to just before finish and coat it liberally with thin CA, turn it a tad (high speed), coat with CA, turn it a tad, coat with CA. Smooth and no need for sanding.

 

[keithncsu]

Both are true, and to my rookie mind, valid theories. But I'm not messing with CA anymore haha. That stuff makes me feel miserable even with dust collection and fans. Hence the "innovation."

 

[SteveJ]

Another innovative use of duct tape! Thanks for the tip.

 

[Curly]

In traditional finishing one wipes the surfaces of furniture off with tack cloth. A cheese cloth with shellac on it. Removes the dust and won't affect finishes. Your duct tape is a variation.

 

[Herb G]

Hey! If the Mythbusters can build a bridge out of duct tape, he can certainly use it to clean dust off a pen blank. Congrats for the discovery my friend.

 

[terry q]

I stabilize all my spectra ply blanks. Haven't had a problem since.