Sanding decoratively turned acrylics

[mecompco]

I've no problem getting a flawless finish on cylinders. Today I thought I'd try adding a couple of beads to an acrylic blank. Absolutely could not get the radial marks out. Finally gave up and turned it round.

I'm sure I'm missing something (I know, I know, get better with the skew) and I'd like to figure it out before I start working on some bottle stoppers.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Regards,
Michael

 

[1080Wayne]

In my opinion , simple curves are far more elegant than beads and coves . Tried them once when I first started turning . Have never had a potential customer say they would only buy a piece that contained them .

 

[jttheclockman]

There was a member here that was well known for using beads and coves in his pens all the time. He went by the name of YoYoSpin ( Ed Davidison) He has many videos in the library. He has many examples of pens in his album but most of all if you go to his web site he has a ton more. He always sanded to a certain grit and then hit the polisher and they came out great. Check him out.

 

[Carl Fisher]

You can use a variety of techniques.

Foam backed sandpaper helps follow the contours. They make micro mesh in what looks like popsicle sticks (think emory board for nail files) that can help you get into the valleys. Buffing is a big one to get into the grooves. You can make sanding sticks with various profiles to wrap under your sand paper.

Just a few ideas.

 

[mecompco]

Thanks, I will check out the vids in the library. This was a blank I cast in two colors, half dark blue, half dark grey from PR. The grey side actually looked pretty good, the blue side, however, I could not get the grooves to clean up. Tried dry sanding with 400 grit (more than once), wet sanding with MM (many times), buffing with Tripoli and WD (several times).

Regards,
Michael