How long do micro mesh finishing pads last?

[Cartaphilus]

I'm a relative newbie to acrylic pen making and I do my finishing with a standard 9 pad set of pads. How long can I expect to use a set and still get good results before I should replace them? Thanks...

 

[1080Wayne]

I'm a relative newbie to acrylic pen making and I do my finishing with a standard 9 pad set of pads. How long can I expect to use a set and still get good results before I should replace them? Thanks...

Days to years depending upon how much love and attention you give them . If using them dry , won`t be too long . Use clean water with each pad , rinse off , store separately from other pads , in a pen kit bag , is what I do .

 

[MRDucks2]

Couple of things. If using on resin blanks always use wet with water. I didn't believe it would make a difference and was wrong. The polishing process is much better/quicker and the pads last longer.

If using on wood, I use dry and clean them regularly. I often blow them off with compressed air and wash them with water and a tooth brush on occasion. Some people throw them in the wash or dish washer.

If you just use them dry all the time they will not last as long.

Also, buy the packs that are the size of a 1/4 sheet of sandpaper and cut them into 4 equal pieces. Gives you 4 sets of micro mesh pads for about 20% more than the cost of a single set.

 

[KMCloonan]

Also, buy the packs that are the size of a 1/4 sheet of sandpaper and cut them into 4 equal pieces. Gives you 4 sets of micro mesh pads for about 20% more than the cost of a single set.

My process exactly!

 

[egnald]

I do pretty much the same as Mike aka MrDucks2 does. A couple of years ago I bought a bunch of them when they were on sale for $11 and cut them into 4 individual pads each 2 x 1-1/2 inches. I only use them for wet sanding and since I started adding a drop of rinse-aid, aka Cascade they have been lasting much longer than I anticipated, like one set lasts me a year before I swap them out. I use rinse aid, but I used to simply use a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid. I think the soap (surfactant) helps the particulate material wash away and in my opinion, also extends the life of the pads.

Dave

 

[Cartaphilus]

Days to years depending upon how much love and attention you give them . If using them dry , won`t be too long . Use clean water with each pad , rinse off , store separately from other pads , in a pen kit bag , is what I do .

Thanks, Wayne. Good to know. I've been spraying mine with water from a spray bottle when using, but I haven't been rinsing them afterwards. Gotta add that to the process.

 

[Cartaphilus]

I'm a relative newbie to acrylic pen making and I do my finishing with a standard 9 pad set of pads. How long can I expect to use a set and still get good results before I should replace them? Thanks...

Thanks to everyone who replied. Nice advice.

 

[1080Wayne]

Thanks, Wayne. Good to know. I've been spraying mine with water from a spray bottle when using, but I haven't been rinsing them afterwards. Gotta add that to the process.

Don`t know if it makes a difference or not , but I also dry them thoroughly after each session . However , I use compressed air to do that , which occasionally assists in de-laminating the fabric from the foam .

Be aware of the cleanliness of any surface they may touch . The farm`s shop sees a lot more metal work than woodwork , so I have to be very careful .

 

[MRDucks2]

Also stay in motion. Press a little to hard to get into a tight spot or folding to form a smaller edge (which some recommend) will burn a spot through the grit surface pretty quick. Unless I am the only to have ever done that.

 

[penicillin]

Days to years depending upon how much love and attention you give them . If using them dry , won`t be too long . Use clean water with each pad , rinse off , store separately from other pads , in a pen kit bag , is what I do .

This ^^^^ is a perfect match for what I do.

I have a large plastic drinking cup with my 9 micromesh pads. I fill it to near the top with clean water and let the pads soak for a few seconds. I leave them in the cup of water and take them out one by one to use them. I put the pad back in the cup when I get the next one. Between Micro-mesh pads, I wipe the pen blank with a clean rag to remove any grit.

When I am done for the day I bring the pads to the sink and rinse them with clean water. After that, I position them in a "fan shape" with minimal overlap to allow the pads and cup to dry completely. When fully dry, I put the pads in the cup in the cabinet for next time.

I have yet to wear out a set of pads. They last for years, but I have lost a set here and there while giving demos or whatever. I buy the 3 x 4 inch "soft touch" pads and cut them into three separate sets.

I mark the two long edges of each pad with dots from a Sharpie marker. I put 1 dot on the course brown one, through 9 dots for the ultra-fine "pink" one. Counting dots works better for me than other schemes. You can place the dots in groups of three to make them easier to count visually. You don't worry about flipping sides or orientations of the pads when you count dots. (I tried "V angles" and other tricks. For me, dots just work, but use whatever scheme works for you.)

Micro-mesh pads are for brief, light use. I have learned to be careful with the "course" grit Micro-mesh pads (e.g., the brown one). Do not overuse them. If you need that much abrasive removal from the Micro-mesh pads, then you should improve your regular sandpaper technique before switching to the Micro-mesh.

I hope this helps.

 

[egnald]

I mark my pads as well. I started with "V angles" and dots like Penicillin, but I finally wound up simply numbering one corner on the face of the pads with numbers 1-9 (on both sides). I haven't found any detrimental impact from the marks on the pads. I also concur with Penicillin regarding not overusing them - I do have two of the "number 1" grits in my stack but after the first grit I only spend 10-20 seconds with each successive pad. And, I also wipe the blank dry between each grit. - Dave

 

[sorcerertd]

I am on my second set, bought after I'd been at it maybe a year and a half to 2 years. I discovered Zona paper fairly recently and use that almost exclusively now. I just find it a lot faster and easier. I definitely still use water, though.

Also stay in motion. Press a little to hard to get into a tight spot or folding to form a smaller edge (which some recommend) will burn a spot through the grit surface pretty quick. Unless I am the only to have ever done that.

Nope, definitely not the only one. That's part of why I replaced the first set. Darn those tight spots.

 

[bsshog40]

Mine last a while also because I clean them right after using them and let them dry. I also keep at least 2 sets if I'm doing more that one wet sand project. This way is in case I get any metal on them if I get too close to the bushings and possibly get any shavings on them. So then I have a freshly cleaned set for the next project.

 

[howsitwork]

I do pretty much the same as Mike aka MrDucks2 does. A couple of years ago I bought a bunch of them when they were on sale for $11 and cut them into 4 individual pads each 2 x 1-1/2 inches. I only use them for wet sanding and since I started adding a drop of rinse-aid, aka Cascade they have been lasting much longer than I anticipated, like one set lasts me a year before I swap them out. I use rinse aid, but I used to simply use a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid. I think the soap (surfactant) helps the particulate material wash away and in my opinion, also extends the life of the pads.

Dave

Thanks for that Dave.

I ve been spitting on mine ( it works but ok not ideal ) but the surfactant argument makes sense. Saliva is a surfactant but you get a bit fry after a few pens…

 

[penicillin]

Addendum to my post above:

Before I sand with sandpaper or Micro-mesh, I remove the metal bushings and replace them with the cone-shaped plastic non-stick bushings. Those cone shaped plastic bushings were originally sold to keep CA finish from gluing the metal bushings to the blank, which can easily happen.

The reasons I like the cone shaped plastic bushings for sanding is:

• They avoid the problem where you accidentally touch the metal bushing with sandpaper. The small metal bits can embed themselves in your pen blank and darken the ends.
• They avoid the problem where you sand the metal bushings and reduce their diameter, which can be a problem for the next pen.
• The cone shapes stay out of the way so you can sand and finish all the way out to the ends of the blanks.
  • -> The danger is that the sand paper can curl around the ends of the blanks, rounding them over. You do not want to spoil that perfect match you achieved with the metal bushings, so be careful!

 

[RunnerVince]

Does anyone know if you can get individual grits of the MM anywhere? I recently did a batch of 110 pens, and started with a brand new set of MM for them. By the last pen, the lowest grit was noticably worn, but the rest were fine. It'd be nice if I could get replacements for just the lowest one or two grits without having to buy a whole new set.

 

[bzahn]

Does anyone know if you can get individual grits of the MM anywhere? I recently did a batch of 110 pens, and started with a brand new set of MM for them. By the last pen, the lowest grit was noticably worn, but the rest were fine. It'd be nice if I could get replacements for just the lowest one or two grits without having to buy a whole new set.

I'm curious to know about this, too, for the same reason.

 

[egnald]

Does anyone know if you can get individual grits of the MM anywhere? I recently did a batch of 110 pens, and started with a brand new set of MM for them. By the last pen, the lowest grit was noticably worn, but the rest were fine. It'd be nice if I could get replacements for just the lowest one or two grits without having to buy a whole new set.

Yes. Micro-Surface sells individual pads for a couple of dollars each. Considering shipping, I don't know if it would be cost effective vs buying a full set of 3x4 pads and cutting them down. — Dave

 

[RunnerVince]

Yes. Micro-Surface sells individual pads for a couple of dollars each. Considering shipping, I don't know if it would be cost effective vs buying a full set of 3x4 pads and cutting them down. — Dave

Wow. Turns out it's not at all cost effective because of the shipping. $3 for a 3x4 pad and $13 for shipping. What a shame.