woodchuck alert

firkin

firkin

Joined
Jan 26, 2002
Messages
2,737
Maybe this type of abrasive has been mentioned here already, and fully covered-- sorry if that's the case.

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=4014&refcode=06INOSMX

Anyone used this stuff??

1,500 -12,000 grit....

If the stuff can work hardened steel it would be really cool, but I suspect that is too much to hope for.

Edit:

hmm, looks really interesting now!!:

http://www.sisweb.com/micromesh/

silicon carbide or aluminum oxide--says OK for metals....

Just a matter of how fast it wears out I guess. Stuff ain't cheap.
 
I used to use the Micromesh pads quite a bit. They do a great job finishing wood. The backing is almost like vinyl and they do not wear out. When they are loaded washing them in a bowl of water took care of it.

They do not work very well on steel. Regular automotive sand paper works great in 1000-2000 grit, so the pads might be a little redundant.

Matt
 
I bought a selection of these sheets last year, and think I did post something about it. Bought from 1500 up to about 6000 grit, and figured that was enough for what I needed to do. Can't remember where I got them though.

It didn't come with a sanding block, but for the small work they are usually used for, I just make one if needed. For khuks I use them to clean up any scratch marks left on the bolster or buttcap after resanding.

This is a good deal for the whole kit. I think I paid like $2.50 per small sheet.

I just used the 2000 grit the other day fixing up a polished carbon fiber radiator cover with a small ding knocked in the edge. This smoothed it out perfectly and left a highly polished finish where the ding had been.

Regards,

Norm
 
I guess for me the question really becomes how high a grit do you sand your wood (hmmm that just sounds bad) :p Particularly depending on the kind of finish you are doing, you can go real high in grit for final sanding, but the finishing (eg. removing layers like steel wooling or sanding between coats) bring you back down. Then there is the whole load issue with higher grits, I personally dont like going above 1000 grit on wood, as the loading on anything higher quickly negates the benefit. Even with the micro mesh you will find yourself cleaning the mesh more than you are sanding. I could see a benefit for a real hard wood with a real hard finish, like lets say a french polish. But then, you could always use buffing compounds and a high speed buffer at that point. Like others, for me, my instant thought would be to try and use it for hardened steel, but if it doesnt work, then I dont see much benefit. However, it occured to me, stuff like horn or plastic or ivory may be a good use for the stuff. Cant use a high speed buffer or run the risk of burning the material, not as hard as steel, but not as clog ready as wood...hmmm...I seem to have lost all my typing skills in my long break from the forums :rolleyes: :p
 
Pricey, but interesting. How sharp would an abrasive of 12,000 grit make a blade? Split molecules with it?
 
It says you can use micromesh on fingernails and jewelry. Interesting but I can't see any need.

Ice
 
Well I was wondering if it could be used instead of steel wool for wood finishing. Maybe clog less than paper.

Maybe I'm doin soemthing wrong, or getting crappy wool, but I always seem to get little bits of steel wool created, that get stuck in some crevice or carving. Also, if I ever have a job working with big magnets again, the steel wool bits would not be a good thing to track around on shoes or whatever.

I've been able to get a good shine on horn using the green honing compound-I use it on old 600+ grit paper at first, then clamp the blade and use it on a cloth.

It is surprising how easy the horn polishes up by hand.

Mentioned this before, but when sanding horn, I wet-sand using some kind of dressing (usual suspects used to keep horn from cracking). Keeps dust down(some say they have gotten sick form inhaling exotic "bugs" with the dust), paper doesn't clog and the handle looks better earlier (which helps keep the motivation up).
 
firkin said:
Well I was wondering if it could be used instead of steel wool for wood finishing. Maybe clog less than paper.

Maybe I'm doin soemthing wrong, or getting crappy wool, but I always seem to get little bits of steel wool created, that get stuck in some crevice or carving. Also, if I ever have a job working with big magnets again, the steel wool bits would not be a good thing to track around on shoes or whatever.
Click to expand...
One thing I found Ive had to do with steel wool is one of two things, be very very careful or after wooling take a stiff bristle brush like a tooth brush and go over all the carving before addin the next layer. Neither is real perfect, but alot cheaper than using sand paper. Though the idea of using the micro mesh between finishing layers sounds good, the only worry I would have would be the danger of too fine a mesh to really work at the finish layer.
 
I usually re-work the handles of villagers some.I finish sanding with 220 grit, then stain and when dry, I use fine (4/0) steel wool to apply all-purpose wood finish. 1 part tung oil, 1 part spar varnish, 1 part mineral spirits. (Boiled linseed oil works too if tung oil is not available.) Rub in well with steel wool, let sit 10 - 15 minutes, wipe off excess with paper towel or clean rag. Let dry overnight. Repeat several times until the depth of finish desired is reached. Dan K. suggested adding acetone to the mix to make it penetrate deeper and dry faster. If so add it to the quantity you plan to use, as it turns it gummy in a few days.
Laurel Mountain Forge makes some very good wood finishing products for muzzle loader builders. Their Maple stain makes satisal wood a real purty reddish color that I like a lot. Really brings up the grain and figure.
Danger:
Dispose of oil-soaked rags, towels and steel wool wads carefully. If wadded up they can spontaneously ignite. Let them dry out flat before discarding them.
 
Bri in Chi said:
...1 part tung oil, 1 part spar varnish, 1 part mineral spirits. (Boiled linseed oil works too if tung oil is not available.) Rub in well with steel wool, let sit 10 - 15 minutes, wipe off excess with paper towel or clean rag. Let dry overnight. Repeat several times until the depth of finish desired is reached. Dan K. suggested adding acetone to the mix to make it penetrate deeper and dry faster. If so add it to the quantity you plan to use, as it turns it gummy in a few days.
Click to expand...

Why acetone, and not more mineral spirits?

Unlike turpentine, mineral spirits, and many commonly used solvents, acetone is actually a quite reactive substance and will react with itself once, twice and on up to make big polymers.

Sounds like this is might be happening here. Products of even one self-reaction will not be very volatile. After several self-reactions, "gummy" substances will be made which may be yellowish or brown. It would not surprise me if some of the sicatives used in the varnish catalyze the polymerization of the acetone. The reaction is faster in acidic or basic conditions. Water is released in the reaction, which might cloud the finish. or maybe actually appear as a few droplets at the bottom of the container.


(Obtaining and keeping absolutely pure acetone is actually a real pain, in fact nearly impossible if one desires it to be completely free of water.)

Acetone seems to be used for thinning epoxies with sucess, but unless it has been demonstrated to be a good solvent for the particular application, it wouldn't be my first choice for anything except cleaning applications.

If evaporation faster than the mineral spirits is the goal, it would seem that among others,hexane, pentane, white gas without additives, low-boiling ligroin, could be used. These are all basically non-aromatic hydrocarbons, lower-boiling flavors of mineral spirits.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top