Sandpaper color tranfer

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BobRad

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How do I deal with the risks of color transfer when using the same piece of sandpaper with different color woods? If I use separate pieces for each species its hard to keep track of and could get very expensive. Can I get away with it at lower grades of paper and similar color woods?

I'm guessing that going from wood to acrylic is not a problem and there is not grain for dust to get stuck in.
 
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I no longer have a full size compressor- how about canned air or a mini compressor for an air brush?
 
A sheet of sandpaper can be cut to yield 22 pieces that are 1 inch wide and 4.5 inches long. A sheet may cost about 50 cents meaning each piece would cost about 2.5 cents. If I use 4 grits per pen, my total cost would be about 10 cents per pen which I can use for probably 2-3 sets of pens.

This would seem to be a minor cost for each pen.
 
I'm using 3m no load - I take a sheet and tear into quarters then fold those over to get thickness - it costs me $1.30 per sheet - and if I go through 6 grits and and datarts again for another wood - that $2 - too high - with the same wood color it could be used for several pens of course - right now if I have brown "stains" on the paper I would reuse for another brown wood - but start with fresh paper for a maple

But I'm concerned if I start working with other woods that may stain more, such as padouk. But at this piunt, I don't have enough experience to know what woods to worry about or when its an issue. I used a bunch of assorted hardwoods in a non-lathe custom piece several years ago and found I had to sand the padouk last to avoid transfer and then throw the sandpaper away
 
Folding it into quarters is very wasteful . I use Norton 3X 9X11 sheets bought in 20 sheet packs ($15 a pack in home depot) but I cut mine into 1" X 4.5" strips which yields 22 strips per sheet and use a new strip for each pen so I never have to worry about cross contamination . Also you will get a more consistant scratch pattern with a fresh strip which is much easier to remove then the scratch pattern left with a used strip .
 
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Bob, you either want to worry about the $2.0 cost or take the advise Butch and Rick gave you and cut the sheet into 22 pieces. the other thing you forget is that you either want to save a penny ,but waste a pen that cost you about $25 that don't make sense. The other thing is that if in CA sheets of sand paper are expensive then have someone in US buy a whole lots of them and just put them in an enveolpe to you.
 
I use Norton 3X and abranet and I cut them into multiple pieces and I use several pieces per pen to ensure that no contamination occurs. I cut my pieces a little shorter then others but I figure the cost is just part of producing the pen or other object.
 
I use an old paper cutter like this one to cut sandpaper into small strips.

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch-x-9-3-4-quarter-inch-paper-cutter-9805.html

Most sandpaper is 9x11 inches. Cut it lengthwise first. Then, cut the larger pieces into 1 inch wide strips which should yield 22 pieces. At $1.30 per sheet, each piece will cost about $0.06 each. With 6 grits, you're down to $0.36 per pen if you use a fresh strip each time.

I usually find I can use each strip for about 2 pens. Sometimes the first grit or 2 needs to be replaced because I've used it 3 or 4 times to get the initial sanding smooth enough.
 
I use these guys to buy sandpaper in bulk. You may check to see if you can get a better deal here or some of the other sources.

http://www.woodworkingshop.com/

I usually use this sandpaper to do all my sanding.

http://www.woodworkingshop.com/cgi-bin/477F0989/mac/qryitems.mac/itemDisplay?qryType=STYLE&itemSt=SH4X5SC&coreDsc=4%2E5%22%20X%205%2E5%22%20SILICON%20CARBIDE%20SHEETS%205PK

I can use wet/dry paper to sand until I need to use MM and also use this for wet sanding acrylics. I also use the sandpaper most folks use for wood for various materials.

I find myself reaching for the 80 grit occasionally when an item is prone to shattering or tearing. I can rough sand until I approach the final diameter and then begin the finer grits.
 
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beck3906 said:
I use these guys to buy sandpaper in bulk. You may check to see if you can get a better deal here or some of the other sources.

http://www.woodworkingshop.com/

I usually use this sandpaper to do all my sanding.

http://www.woodworkingshop.com/cgi-...oreDsc=4.5" X 5.5" SILICON CARBIDE SHEETS 5PK
Click to expand...


Rick; Yep; Cut it into 3/4" strips, and wash/brush the strips when dirty. Can be reused three or four times if not abused.

I'm Pennsylvania Dutch; we think the Scots are spendthrifts!

Sand Wood dry at medium speed, Acrylics wet at slow speed.
 
I cut mine even smaller. 1/2 by about 2 (give or take). Gives me even more per sheet. I can use the same piece up until I put on CA, then the CA loads the paper so quick I need to use multiple peices. I used MM for the first time 2 days ago, and noticed that it doesnt load up like sandpaper (even dry). Very nice stuff. I washed the MM in soapy water afterwards.

I picked up the rolls, which are nice too.

For the cost concious, Harbor Freight has a 4 pack of the rolls for $10. Doesnt have the 600 grit, but from what I read 1500 MM is about the same as 600. What I did was buy a 5 roll pack from woodcraft, then the HF pack to refill the first 4 grits.
 
BobRad said:
How do I deal with the risks of color transfer when using the same piece of sandpaper with different color woods? If I use separate pieces for each species its hard to keep track of and could get very expensive. Can I get away with it at lower grades of paper and similar color woods?

I'm guessing that going from wood to acrylic is not a problem and there is not grain for dust to get stuck in.
Click to expand...

I use compressed air to blow the paper off, sometimes, if I'm worried about contamination... mostly just use another new piece.
I picked up an idea for keeping my paper straight, from a friend in Australia. It's called a Sandpaper Tree.
1/2" all thread for the center post, bolted to the top of my rolling tool table. On top is a peanut can for my 0000 steel wool. The fingers are just two cut outs of tin for each finger, with the ends bent separate a little, to allow easier insertion of the pieces of paper. Separated by short pieces of 1/2" id tubing. Finger set for each Grit of paper - 80, 120, 180, 220, 320, 400, 600. Turn the fingers to any direction you want to keep 'em separate. ( Micromesh pads are kept in a small box attached to my Little Vic's table.)
 

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I just use auto body paper. Martin Senour. Starting with 400 grit. If it gets dirty I just wash and set aside. One small piece will do a lot of pens with each grade. Just like MM. I have 2 sets. Use each a while, wash & let dry. I still use the first set I got 5 years ago. and they still do the job. Like said--don't let the 2 bit stuff keep you from doing your best on whatever.
 
Being frugal is sometimes a good thing but when it comes to sandpaper I'm not so sure . Yes you can get several pens out of a single piece but there is some problems to consider . When you sand something some of the grains fracture and leave odd sized grit particles which will leave a different sanding pattern , not always desirable . Sometimes the grit will clog between just a couple of grains also leaving a less then desirable sanding pattern and sometimes grains will get torn away leaving voids in the sanding patterns . None of these things are good if you want a flawless finish .
Due to the nature of what we want to get in a finish the cost of a new piece of sandpaper is negligible when you want a top dollar finish .
 
I use the 5 pack rolls from Woodcraft. I generally pull a little bit out cut the strip in half a bit with scissors then take a 2" or so cut off one of the halves. When I go back for another piece just cut a small strip from the other half hanging there. I usually only need a 1/2" x 1" - 2" strip per grit generally.
 
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