preventing off color sanding dust on light woods

[Heirloom Woodturnings]

What is the best way to prevent a dark colored sanding dust from becoming lodged in the small pores of a lighter colored wood????

i.e. I have done pens with a purpleheart/maple laminated combination but I ended up getting some of the fine purple sawdust into the maple and it wont come out unless i turn down further. I recently also had trouble with an angle laminated rolling pin blank made with maple and paduak. What is the best way to keep the lighter color woods pristine during the sanding process???

 

[Mac In Oak Ridge]

You would have to selectively put a sealer on the white wood before sanding. Shellac or CA or what ever you use as a sealer in your finishing program. Then sand the Purpleheart and seal it. Then put your final finish over both.

 

[dougle40]

Keith,
Have you tried coating the turned down blanks with CA before you sand . That should seal the open pores in the lighter woods and prevent this from happening.
Haven't done this but it does sound feasible .

 

[jkirkb94]

Mac has a good idea that I have tried. I first sanded the lighter wood, sealed it with either sanding sealer or CA, then went to the darker wood. Also remember not to use dark colored sandpaper. Kirk[8D]

 

[woodwish]

I posted the same question a few months ago due to problems of getting black dust from the bushings into light wood, and got lots of suggestions. The best one I got for pens (other than to be careful not to sand the bushings) was to seal the wood before sanding. Now I rub on sanding sealer with a rag, take it off the mandrel while I work on another pen, put it back on to sand through the grits (rarely over 400 for light woods), then friction polish and a good coat of paste wax. Works for me anyway.

 

[wayneis]

Try wiping with denatered alchol.

 

[jimr]

I have good luck with using acetone and very lightly buffing with 0000steel wool. So far when I have touched the dark sanding residue with steel wool and acetone, or denatured alcohol, it has done the trick. They also dry very fast so no down time.

 

[Fred in NC]

All the suggestions above are good. One more: a semi-stiff brush used in the direction of the grain. I use it a lot with oak.

 

[Gary]

I think if you hang out here long enough, you will eventually get the answer to every pen turning question there is...it's like the mystical temple where eventualy one finds the answer to the ulitmate question.[^]