Small Rubber Backing flat and round pieces for hand sanding?

Brian Avila

Brian Avila

Joined
Jan 2, 2011
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So I am interested in making some different hand sanding sticks and jigs. I want to get different durometer rubber pieces flat and then some round tube that I can use around some metal rod stock in small pieces, because I don't need to buy a $30 piece just for the 3" long x 1.5-2" wide pieces.

I was curious if you guys had any good suggestions about where I could find small, different durometer rubber pieces that I could use for my sanding tools?

I have gone to ACE Hardware and HomeDepot here in town and have not found anything and when I ask they say they have no idea.

-Brian-
 
TheWeatherman said:
So I am interested in making some different hand sanding sticks and jigs. I want to get different durometer rubber pieces flat and then some round tube that I can use around some metal rod stock in small pieces, because I don't need to buy a $30 piece just for the 3" long x 1.5-2" wide pieces.

I was curious if you guys had any good suggestions about where I could find small, different durometer rubber pieces that I could use for my sanding tools?

I have gone to ACE Hardware and HomeDepot here in town and have not found anything and when I ask they say they have no idea.

-Brian-
Click to expand...

The hardware store folks have no idea what you are doing and have no imagination

I prefer to just walk every isle and try to remember what's there.


Is this mainly for filework?
How big do you want tube ?

chopsticks are wooden, but are tapered and will fit many instances


Rubber tube is called hose, home depot here has several sizes of clear tubing
Auto stores have some in fuel and radiator hose, from 1/4" to 2 or 3"


Door wedges are rubber
http://www.ruhelamin.com/_portfolio...bsite/products/cleaning/large/Door Wedges.jpg

Hockey pucks are available in hard and sponge.

scrapped out wheels from rollerskates and skateboards

bicycle tire innertubes

sidewalls cut from scrap tires

soles from scrap shoes and boots

floor mat runner - carpet stores sell it by the foot or yard

fridge magnets

Auto parts stores sell rubberized cork sheet - really popular on 9" disc sanders an a nice flat level layer

see a scrap car lot for mud flaps, heck - cars and 1/2 plastic and rubber who knows what you could find.
 
No, not for file work, just handle sanding. I find that I use a round wooden stick a lot and need something a little harder or softer at times.

Those are really good suggestions, and not what I was expecting. Thanks.
 
I use curved and flat linen micarta as well as hard pieces of rubber and most of the stuff listed above. Frank
 
The best I have ever used as far as a rubber backing is "printers mat" only about .005
compression and very durable. I find rubber that is too thick,- to ride over stuff like handle
bolts or pins leaving them high. Cut your sticks to shape and glue it on.
Ken.
 
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Brian-

Most automotive paint supply shops sell various sanding blocks... One that I like is made by 3M. It was about 2-1/2" X 4" when I bought it, and I immediately cut pieces off of it and glued them to sanding stick/bars. I think it cost about $4-5. It's pretty hard, probably about 70-80 durometer (that's a swag).


The other stuff I use a lot is plumbing gasket material. It's a brick red color. It used to come in 12"X12" pieces, but I think HD and Lowe's both switched to selling it in 6"X12" pieces (still plenty of material, just harder to find on the shelf! LOL). I don't think I've ever been to a hardware store that didn't carry this stuff. I think I paid about $5 for a 12X12 about 4 years ago.

The red stuff is pretty soft, so don't go crazy with it early on or it can wash out grind lines. But it works really well for "final pulls." I works really nice on handles. I use steel bars when sanding over Corby bolts because a sanding stick with any give will leave them proud of the handle material and it will look lumpy.

With any of the "cushy" materials I use, I just super-glue the pieces to the sticks and then grind them to what I want.

Like Sam (123...) mentioned, if you just wander around a hardware store you'll find all kinds of crap that will work great for this type of thing.

I have a sanding stick that I made from a piece of dowel, 1/4" rod, and some very heavy wall tubing that I picked up at the local hardware store, that works awesome for sanding curved areas.




One thing to look for, IME, is that the material doesn't have any woven material embedded in it--- IF--- it's something you want to reshape. Most of the stuff I have (like the brick red gasket material) can easily be reshaped, with the 2X72, a 9" disc, a sharp knife, milling, turning, sanding by hand, etc... then returned to a nice smooth surface.

The stuff that has woven material in it, typically will go to hell on 'ya if you try to change the shape.



I have about 3,700 sanding gizmos... Not cuz I need 'em... I just like making new ones and trying them out. ;) :D


***edited to add*** Okay, Sam didn't specifically say to wander around a Hardware store, I guess that was part of my mis-interpretation of his post. :foot: but I stand by it being a good way to find this sort of thing. :)
 
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Thank guys. I haven't gotten to the point where I can just walk the isles and come out with something that I was planning on using in the hardware store. I absolutely hate just walking around like a zombie in the store looking for something.

These are good suggestions. I will have to just walk around and look and find out what I want to use.
 
I would like to second the rubber gasket material at Home Depot. Jason Knight told me about that earlier this year. Get the firmer kind though. My Home Depot sells 2 types, one is softer.

Also poundo board from Tandy was recommended to me by Scott McGhee. It works good also and you can get a big piece of it to hoard away. The thing that has worked best for me was a piece of steel used like a Don Fogg sanding stick so I can get after it with some authority in the early stages.

Good luck with your hand sanding quest. It is a most frustrating yet satisfying journey.
 
NickWheeler said:
One thing to look for, IME, is that the material doesn't have any woven material embedded in it--- IF--- it's something you want to reshape. Most of the stuff I have (like the brick red gasket material) can easily be reshaped, with the 2X72, a 9" disc, a sharp knife, milling, turning, sanding by hand, etc... then returned to a nice smooth surface.

The stuff that has woven material in it, typically will go to hell on 'ya if you try to change the shape.



***edited to add*** Okay, Sam didn't specifically say to wander around a Hardware store, I guess that was part of my mis-interpretation of his post. :foot: but I stand by it being a good way to find this sort of thing. :)
Click to expand...

That's what I meant, you never know what's there and what you might use it for until you see it - maybe you remember later when you need it.
I try to walk every asile, because you never know where they might put something, or what "off-label" use you may find.

That's a good point on the woven materials.

I didn't even think of sanding blocks, should have been obvious :)
 
Oops, I double checked....

It's not actually a 3M sanding block, it's a 3M squeegee. At least I guestimated the size pretty close. And it's cheap.

This is it---

http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd_3m_wetordry_rubber.cfm

3M-55171.jpg
 
Go to Northern Tools and they have a kit of rubber sanding blocks for autobody shop use.

I personally use a block of leftover ebony from a project that is too small for anything else.

For gentler usage its my fingers behind the sandpaper.

Good luck.

Larry
Tinkerer
 
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Sorry for the high-jack, but what is the use of the rubber on a sanding block?
I use plain wood and my fingers, where does the rubber come in?
 
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