Tired of trying to figure out which Abranet is which

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larrystephens

larrystephens

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Dec 4, 2006
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I need advice on how to label the hunks of Abranet. I have 180,240,320 and 400 and am constantly studying the pieces laying around my lathe and trying to determine which is which, most don't have the number on them or it has worn off.
 
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larrystephens said:
I need advice on how to label the hunks of Abranet. I have 180,240,320 and 400 and am constantly studying the pieces laying around my lathe and trying to determine which is which, most don't have the number on them or it has worn off.
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Anymore I can go by feel. But I turn by feel anyways so that may be difficult.

One solution may be in how the weave is laid out. I buy it in spools and there is a very clear distinct pattern in each grit.
 
I take an old one and instead of throwing it away, I mark it with a sharpie. I then use it as a 'marker' for the others that are the same 'grit'. So, I mark the 400 as 400 and place all the other 400s underneath. I also place them in a ziploc as well marked on the outside in Sharpie. Hope this helps :)
 
I have a small plastic container with dividers in it. Each cut of Abranet is cut to the size I like and placed in one of the divided compartments. As I use each grit I put it back where it belongs before taking the next grit out.

One technique I have heard about, but never tried myself is to cut your abranet to size and then put a thins strip of glue at the top of each sheet. Stack the sheets in order so you end up with a "flip book" type of thing. Then you just start at the beginning and work your way through.
 
I use the foam backed abranet .... using a sharpie would work as long as the marker doesn't wear off.

I just keep a small piece of each stacked up in proper order, and I haven't gone through the first stack yet ... they last a good long while. :)


My idea though, for keeping them in order for the future, would be to re-use old pen component bags and marking the outside of the bag with the proper grit, like Ladycop is doing. I'll also take each piece and mark the grit on the underside in permanent marker, though I don't know how long the marking will last.
 
ladycop322 said:
I take an old one and instead of throwing it away, I mark it with a sharpie. I then use it as a 'marker' for the others that are the same 'grit'. So, I mark the 400 as 400 and place all the other 400s underneath. I also place them in a ziploc as well marked on the outside in Sharpie. Hope this helps :)
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I really like this idea. I'll be using it in the future. Thanks!
 
I just use a Sharpie to mark the back. If they are so worn out that you can't tell them apart by feeling them, then it's time for replacements.
 
Oh, I'm sure that would be no problem ...


There's red, blue, purple, yellow, green, and black, right? As far as I know, there's a 6-pack of abranet grits. :)
 
I use three grits: 320, 400, 600. The 320 is used only rarely, so it sits off to the side. (Also, 320 is heavier, and very easy to distinguish by look or feel). So my only challenge is sorting the 3 vs the 4 hundred grits. I buy these on rolls, thus cut my own small strips for use. The 600 are cut with the ends square, overall shape is a long rectangle. The 400 are cut so the ends are at an angle, about 30~40 degrees. So in use, it is very easy to see if the piece has an angle cut or a square end. The "shape" does not wear off with use as marking does. I am quite happy with this solution. In fact, I am a 2% happier pen turner since I started doing it this way, and it all adds up!!:biggrin::biggrin:
 
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