Micro Mesh question

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Woodchipper

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Mar 15, 2017
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I got the big sheets of MM at Woodcraft. I cut them into 1 inch wide strips. I can use the four ends for polishing any synthetic material or CA finish. My question- can it be cleaned and reused? I'm mixed- clean with lots of water and a toothbrush which might embed the particles in the MM. Or toss! I know it is said to use sandpaper like someone else is buying it. Thanks.
 
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DrD

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Jun 26, 2019
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I literally soak them in hot water with a drop of Dawn, rinse while rubbing with my fingers and hang up to dry. I'm literally using the same MM strips for years now.
 

studioseven

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May 6, 2014
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Wisconsin
I use hot water and a toothbrush. You can polish quite a few pens with one set but they do have a shelf life. The abrasive material does wear and off and they will need to be replaced. You'll notice that it starts taking longer and longer to polish your blank. That's when it is time to replace.

Seven
 

leehljp

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Feb 6, 2005
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Tunica, Mississippi,
It helps also if one takes care of them in using them. I "burnished" a few early on with too much pressure, and at lathe speeds too high!🙄 IF used correctly, they clean well as mentioned.
 

penicillin

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Feb 27, 2019
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I clean them one by one under running warm water in the sink, no soap or detergent. I rub and squeeze them with my hands and until the white CA and other films are mostly gone. It works for me.

I cut up the larger pads to make three sets. I used the same set on ~50 pens, then forgot that set at a demo. My next set is still going strong. I still have one set unused set.

Hints:
* To save money, I buy the 3x4 inch pads and then cut them into smaller pieces to make multiple sets. You can get at least three sets of pads from them. I bought one set at the local Rockler; haven't needed more. The website shows them as gray, but they are colored same as the 2x2 pads. (3x4 Micro-mesh pads: $27.99, item #27940. The 2x2 pads are $19.99 #30710)

* Write dots on opposite edges of the pads with a Sharpie marker to make it easy to sort them in order. Put one dot on the edges of the first pad, two dots on the second pad, up to nine dots.

I tried drawing a "V" shape on each side of the stack, but found that the pads were much harder to sort, especially because the two Vs don't line up the same (the pad may be rotated left/right or flipped up/down, so getting the "V"s straight is hard. One V is easier, but then you have to arrange the pads with the marks on one side, and you still have a flipped up/down problem unless you draw a perfectly centered V, which is beyond me.

Use dots. Counting dots always works and you don't have to arrange the pads in any particular orientation.
 

Woodchipper

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Mar 15, 2017
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Location
Cleveland, TN
I cleaned mine but tossed them as there was still some crud embedded in the grit. I chatted with an experienced pen turner at our meeting last night. He quit using MM and wet sands with 400 grit W/D sandpaper. He said to either sand the last coat of CA or sand between each coat of CA. I mentioned using the Hut Ultra Gloss, he said it is good, too. I would like to know what he had forgotten over the years.
Used the dot system, got the idea from marking my fly lines to keep track of the sizes. One dot for one unit. After five, a long line plus the needed number of dots to get the number.
 
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