The Sandpaper Blog

Using sanding discs for refinishing your wood deck...

2012-01-02T14:33:00.000-08:00

10 Steps for Refinishing Your Wood Deck:

Inspect the deck for any repairs that may be needed. Check for loose boards and nails or screws that may have worked their way out of the wood. Make any necessary repairs to insure that the boards are even and the nails or screws are set just below the surface of the decking.
Sweep the deck surface to clean any twigs, leaves or pebbles from the surface.
If you need to get rid of any mildew buildup, scrub the area with a combination of water and household bleach or use a commercial deck cleaning product.
If your deck is discolored or older and neglected you may need to use a power washer. After washing, let the deck dry completely.
Prepare to sand the deck surface. Since the process of sanding involves the removal of material it creates airborne dust. Please wear safety glasses, work gloves and an approved dust mask/respirator.
The easiest way to sand off the existing finish is to rent a random-orbit floor sander that uses sanding discs. These are gentler than a drum or belt sander on the wood.
You can purchase sanding discs through your rental store or an online supplier of sanding discs for floor sanders. Start with an 80 grit to get down to the fresh wood and roughen the surface. Proceed carefully, taking off only as much wood as needed.
Go back over the decking with a 120 grit sanding discs as your final sand prior to the application of stain or sealer. Sanding the wood opens it up for better absorption of the finish.
When done sanding, sweep or vacuum all of the dust away. The more thorough your cleaning job is, the better the finish will absorb.
Coat the deck right away with your finish of choice, following all manufacturers’ instructions for application and safety. Research by the US Forest Products Laboratory shows that even a few days of exposure to sunlight can affect the wood's ability to accept stain properly.

Sandpaper for Autobody Repair

2011-12-20T11:04:00.000-08:00

The December 2011 issue of BodyShop Business Magazine features a Tech Editorial on the sandpaper used in bodyshops for crash repair. Since Abrasive Resource is one of the suppliers referenced, we are happy to share the article written by Mark Clark here:

"In a well-known auto painter time study, it was determined that those in the paint department spent one-third of their time at work sanding something. Metal shop techs are also frequently abrasively scrubbing away at the vehicle for one reason or another. While sandpaper may be a mundane item, it’s clearly a big part of what happens in collision repair. It is, in fact, a multi-point cutting tool designed to penetrate the substrate and pull the chipped material out of the scratch, leveling the old finish and providing increased surface area to improve the adhesion of the new coatings.

Universal Manufacture

Automotive refinish sandpapers are manufactured all over the world. From Mexico to Portugal to Finland to Canada to the good ol’ USA, numerous manufacturers produce quality goods to expedite the refinishing process.

An educated consumer will understand the basics of something before they can appreciate the features (the unique characteristics of that brand), which lead to the advantages (better than the other choices because…) and finally the benefits (why your job will be easier, faster or better) of any particular brand. I’ll leave it to each vendor to convince you of their features and benefits, but will endeavor to inform you about the construction of automotive grade sandpapers.

From the Bottom Up

All abrasive papers and cloths begin with the backing material, on which is applied the first coat of adhesive, into which the abrasive particles are distributed. After their application, a second coat of adhesive is applied to hold the abrasive minerals upright on the backing and minimize clogging.

The residue from sanding is composed of both the abrasive minerals breaking down into dust and the sanded surface being removed. This mixture is correctly called “swarf.” Think of it this way: wet sanding provides the truest cut because the sheeting water washes the swarf out of the way of the next cut, preventing the clogging of the remaining abrasive minerals with hot, melted filler, primer, paint or clear. With the swarf out of the way, any sandpaper will last longer.

The Backing

Most automotive refinishing sandpaper has a paper backing, although some types use foam or plastic film. Plastic film is an important development for waterborne/low-VOC base-coats, says Anne Knight of Carborundum Abrasives North America.

“Waterborne technology allows for thinner coats of paint, so it’s critical not to cut through them,” said Knight. “So if the substrate is totally flat (like film), then the ‘highs and lows’ of the grains are minimized and you get a more consistent cut, especially when using a tighter grain sizing.”

Heavy-duty abrasives can use a resin fiber backing, which is multiple layers of specially impregnated paper, and still others use cloth in various weights and stiffnesses to back the abrasive minerals.

Ordinary paper and cloth backings use a letter to delineate their thickness, strength and flexibility. By weighing a ream (480 sheets) of 24-inch by 36-inch paper, a weight in pounds is established and a letter is assigned. The lightest weight automotive paper backing is assigned the letter “A,” and heavier weights of thicker papers are rated “B,” “C,” “D,” “E” and “F.” In each case, the backing is made from heavier, thicker and more durable paper.

More durable backing papers are used with more durable and long-lasting abrasive particles. Putting a ceramic abrasive particle on an “A” weight paper would cause the paper to give out before the mineral was exhausted. Likewise, putting an inexpensive silicon carbide particle on “E” weight paper would be foolish, as the paper would outlast the mineral.

However, some manufacturers claim to have gotten around this paper weight-abrasive type issue.

“We offer a B-weight paper that’s reinforced with latex fibers to make it incredibly strong and tear-resistant, and that’s what we put our ceramic grain on…which is an exceedingly durable abrasive,” said Carborundum’s Knight. “Components can be added and formulations can be modified to enhance the strength and characteristic of a backing.”

Cloth backings are commonly used in grinding belts and are rated by their weight and flexibility. “J” weight cloth backing is very flexible and typically used in polishing operations. “X” weight cloth is heavier, stronger and less flexible, and “Y” weight cloth is extra heavy duty and used in the heavy grinding of bare metals.

Bottom of the Backing

Sandpaper is attached to the power sander or the sanding block in various ways. If the sandpaper is to be manually clipped onto the tool, then nothing but bare paper is on the bottom of the sandpaper. For many years, auto body techs applied glue from a squeeze tube or spray can to both the backing pad on the tool and the bottom side of the sanding disc to attach the sandpaper. This application of disc adhesive was time-consuming (the most expensive thing in any body shop is labor time!), and when a ribbon of glue from the tube wasn’t smeared flat, the paper wore out prematurely on the high spots of attachment glue.

When abrasive manufacturers began to coat the bottom of the sanding discs with pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA), both the quick attachment times and the lack of high spots were a welcome change. Hook-and-loop attachment systems are not only fast and high-spot free, they run cooler because air can circulate under the sandpaper. Also, the paper can be easily removed and reattached, which is not always possible with many glued attachments. This is useful with 36 to 40 grit papers on airboard or hog sanders because it makes it easy to save and reuse sheets or discs that aren’t worn out.

The First Glue Coat

Correctly called the “make coat,” this adhesive is applied to the top of the paper backing by spraying, brushing or rolling it. It’s often made from animal hide glue or a man-made adhesive resin. When constructing wet-or-dry sandpaper, animal hide glue isn’t a good choice as the water will dissolve the bond and let the abrasive minerals come loose. How the adhesive is made and how it’s applied is one of the many differences in the shop’s cost of sandpapers. More expensive resin bond adhesives and precision application methods make for a sharper-cutting and longer-lasting sandpaper, but cost more than cheaper glues and less accurate application methods.

Abrasive Mineral Type

Some abrasive minerals are found in nature, others are constructed by mixing or synthesizing minerals or resins under high heat. Naturally occurring minerals like emery (fingernail files), garnet (balsawood airplanes) or flint (electronic contact points) are too soft for use in auto refinishing. We need an abrasive grain that’s hard, sharp and durable. Three basic manmade abrasives are used in our business:

Silicon Carbide. Silicon carbide is made from sand and carbon fused together in an electric furnace. It produces an abrasive mineral that fractures easily into sharp wedges. While those multiple sharp edges do a great job cutting, they’re not very durable as they just continue to fracture into smaller and smaller wedges. This is the mineral of choice for fine grit papers.

Aluminum Oxide. Aluminum oxide is a synthetic mineral made from bauxite, coke and iron fused together under varying temperatures; some is heat treated, some is not depending on the application. Its improved hardness fractures in larger chunks, cuts cooler and has a longer life than silicon carbide particles. However, because it cleaves in larger pieces, it doesn’t have as many extra sharp edges.

Ceramic. Ceramic abrasives combine the best of both worlds in that they’re very sharp, very hard, extra durable and run cooler. These particles may contain zirconium dioxide, which, when combined with alumina (used in the production of aluminum metal), creates a very hard particle that fractures in much smaller, sharper chunks. The actual formula for a particular brand’s ceramic abrasive mineral may be proprietary, and the manufacturer may have a specific name for their version. It usually takes more downward pressure on the sander to force the ceramic mineral particle to break down. In any case, these abrasive particles are created under the highest heat from the most sophisticated ingredients and cost the most to produce. Their micro structure won’t cleave or break away, which easily makes them very long-lasting.

As labor time is the most expensive thing in a body shop, any abrasive paper that lasts longer between disc changes will pay for itself quickly. If the cheap paper discs wear out and need to be changed every few minutes and the shop’s door rate is $42 per hour, then every minute the tech wastes changing discs more frequently costs 70 cents. Longer-lasting ceramic discs may quickly recover their additional costs.

Abrasive Mineral Size

Exactly how big the abrasive crystal is determines the “grit” number assigned to that size. There are three commonly used methods to grade particle size in automotive sandpaper. At 180 grit size, all three method’s particles are the same 0.00304 inches in diameter. Above and below that specific grit, there are slight differences in particle size, depending on which abrasive grading method is used.

ANSI. ANSI (American National Standards Institute) is the grading method most commonly used over the history of our business. With a 16-grit particle the largest and a 3,000-grit particle the smallest, these are the numbers we were raised with. To oversimplify, this method uses something like a kitchen sieve. Put a handful of abrasive particles in the sieve, shake it and everything the size of the sieve hole and smaller falls through, while larger particles remain in the sieve. The trouble with the ANSI system is that as much as 25 percent of the graded particles aren’t the same size. Common sense says that half will be smaller than the sieve hole and half that wiggle through will be larger. These coarser, “wild” grits can cause problems. If your 220 grit paper has some 280 mixed in, no problem. If your 220 paper has some 150 grit mixed in, that’s an issue. The larger particles may have slipped through the sieve sideways or snuck in.

FEPA. FEPA (Federation of European Producers of Abrasive) is a tighter grading system, and more of the particles are the same and uniform in size. You know when this method is used because the grit number is preceded by the letter “P” as P-220 or P-400. A 320 ANSI particle is about the same size as a FEPA P-400 particle. A P-1200 FEPA is about the same size as an ANSI 600.

JIS. JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) is the tightest grading system commonly used in automotive sandpapers. Virtually all the particles are the exact same size when graded this way. This system uses a tighter grading system with less opportunity for “wild” grit to make it through to the sandpaper. There is no leading-letter indication that this is how the abrasive grains were sized; you would have to be told which system was employed (unlike the FEPA method, which always has the leading “P” before the grit size).

As an aside, grading abrasive particles in microns will produce an extremely uniform grit, as each one is exactly some exact micron in diameter. The problem is that we all know a smaller number is a coarser grit and a larger number is a finer grit (24 = coarse, 400 = finer). In microns, it goes the other way – a smaller number is a finer grit, and a larger number is a coarser grit (715 = coarse, 25 = fine). A confusing change; it’s hard to teach an old dog (or entire industry) a new trick.

Mineral on the Backing

Now with the paper backing weight chosen, the make coat of adhesive applied and the mineral and grit size established, it’s time to stick the abrasive into the glue. The cheapest method is to simply sprinkle the abrasive grains onto the backing, much like applying salt to your food or spreading grass seed by hand from a bucket. In this method, the grit sticks where it lands, and some particles will point up, down or sideways.

More expensive methods use an electrostatic charge to get the minerals to point up and coat the surface evenly. Whether the paper has a negative charge and the minerals a positive charge or the opposite, the minerals are attracted into the glue uniformly. Like every other step so far, more expensive choices make for longer-lasting sandpapers.

How much of the paper’s surface is covered with the abrasive mineral matters as well. When sanding something that will melt (body filler, primer surface, paint), you must have spaces in between the particles for the melted material to lodge momentarily until the next stroke of the sander can spin it out.

All automotive papers are “open coat” abrasives, meaning the minerals don’t cover the surface but rather have empty spaces between them. When grinding bare metal, “closed coat” abrasives are the choice because there are more of them and the bare metal won’t melt under the heat. To illustrate this point, take a painted part over to the bench grinder, which has a closed coat (solid abrasive) grinding wheel on it. Hold the painted part against the spinning wheel, and you’ll see that in moments, the melted paint covers the abrasive particles, clogs the minerals and prevents any more paint from being removed.

Second Glue Coat

Correctly called the “size coat,” this second application of adhesive has several purposes: to help hold the abrasive minerals upright, with the sharp edge out; as additional glue to physically hold the minerals onto the disc and not be broken off easily; and to help slide the swarf out of the way.

Untreated (no lubricant) sandpapers are often brown in color and could be called “production” paper. Lubricated papers have zinc stearate powder added to the size coat of adhesive and prevent the loading of the papers with swarf. Described as free-cut or no-fill, they last longer than untreated papers because they don’t clog as quickly. Zinc stearate is a slippery soap used in “fanning powder,” which magicians use to make a deck of cards fan out. This soft white powder is also used as a mold release agent to prevent the molded part from sticking to the mold in manufacturing.

One of the things that distinguish sandpaper brands is how well their anti-load lubricant works. Much like the production of ceramic abrasive particles is proprietary and unique to each manufacturer; their particular blend of anti-loading soap is, too. In an effort to distinguish improved versions from cheaper offerings within one brand and certainly between different brands, the manufacturer will add coloring to the final coat to distinguish their version. This is how refinish sandpapers came to be white, yellow, orange, pink, gold, green, blue, red, purple and any other color you might name.

One Among Many

In each case, the sandpaper manufacturer wants their blend of backing weight, adhesive type, mineral construction, particle size, mineral application method and lubricated adhesives to stand out from the other guy’s version. Like anything else in life, you get what you pay for. Lightweight papers, cheaper glues, softer minerals, causal grading systems and minimal lubricants cost less. Heavier backings, better resins, harder minerals, tighter grading and sophisticated lubricants cost more.

A productive body shop recognizes that techs’ labor time is far and away the biggest expenditure. That said, the smart choice is to buy the best, fastest cutting, longest lasting refinish sandpaper available. Your jobber will be happy to explain all the features, advantages and benefits of their brand…now that you know how it’s made!

Mark Clark is a well-known industry speaker and consultant. He’s celebrating his 23rd year as a contributing editor to BodyShopBusiness. To read this article in the context of the magazine and to access an additional Sandpaper Spec Chart, please visit the BodyShop Business Website!

Buying Your First Sander

2011-11-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

My son is at the age now where he is setting up his first workshop and is ready to move on from always borrowing Dad's tools to owning his own. Recently, ShopNotes ran an article in their "Setting Up Shop" series devoted to buying your first sander--I wish I had written it, because I agree with everything they said!

When it comes to buying your first sander, my suggestion is to get a 5" random orbit sander. This tool provides a good balance of features to tackle all kinds of tasks. And once you get an idea of its capabilities and limitations, you can use that information to guide your decision for buying other sanders.

Because tool models are always changing, I usually hesitate to recommend a certain brand or model. Instead, I like to look for specific features. So here are the things I feel are important in a sander:

The Sanding Pad- The 5" diameter pad is small enough to use one-handed but large enough to keep surfaces level. Another thing I look for is a hook and loop pad. Switching (and reusing) sanding disks is just so much more convenient than pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) disks. Note: you can buy hook and loop replacement pads for most PSA sanders. Abrasive Resource carries these on our website:
5" Conversion Pads .

Dust Collection- Also high on my list of priorities is dust collection. Some tasks, like flattening a panel, can generate a lot of dust. Keeping it out of the air (and my lungs) is important. Although all sanders come with some kind of filter, I look for sanders that offer easy hook up to a dust collector or shop vacuum.

Comfort- Finally, I look for a sander that feels comfortable. Admittedly, this is the most subjective "feature". You'll need to get your hands on several models to find out which one is a good fit. Some sanders offer two hand positions: a top mounted handle or a center body grip.

Now all that's left is the sanding discs! Abrasive Resource converts discs in any size, grit, backing and vacuum hole pattern in both the self adhesive PSA style, as well as the hook and loop backed discs. Visit our random orbit sanding disc page and give us a call at 800-814-7358 if you have any questions! Sanding Discs from Abrasive Resource

How to Achieve a High Gloss Varnish Finish on your Wood Projects

2011-10-13T14:32:00.000-07:00

After sanding your wood piece with a final sand of P220 grit paper, remove the dust using either a vacuum or a tack cloth. Apply a coat of orange shellac and let it dry for 30-45 minutes. Now apply your first coat of varnish and let it dry for 12-24 hours.

If you apply the second coat the next day, there shouldn’t be any need to sand the first coat because the second will bond chemically to the first. If, however, more than a day has gone by since the first coat, the second coat will no longer chemically bond to the first, so you will need to scuff sand the first coat with P220-P320 grit sandpaper to give that second coat a physical bond.

Now it’s time to level the first two coats. After the second coat has dried for at least 24 hours, sand it with P220 grit sandpaper. Sand with the grain, using a rubber or cork sanding block on flat surfaces to keep the pressure uniform. Use your fingers only when you can find nothing else that will work as a sanding block—and switch to P320 grit so that you don’t cut through on edges or details!

As you level the surface, you should reveal a pattern of dull and shiny areas…the dull areas are the high spots being planed down by the abrasive and the shiny areas are the low spots that haven’t been touched. Don’t try to remove all the shiny areas completely, because you may accidently cut through on the edges.

After removing the sanding dust, apply a third coat of varnish. Let it dry for 12 to 24 hours. Now you’ll need to make a judgment call—do you have an unfilled pore pattern showing or do you feel that your first three coats were fairly thin? If so, now is the time to apply a fourth coat directly over the third. Let the fourth coat dry for 48 hours.

Sand this third or fourth coat with P400 grit SC Waterproof sandpaper, again using a sanding block. Lubricate the paper with water, adding a drop or two of dishwashing detergent to prevent clogging. Frequently wipe away the slurry to check your progress. If the varnish is making little balls on the sandpaper, that is an indication that your varnish needs to dry longer—even several days! Look for the same dull/gloss pattern as before, but aim for having fewer shiny areas and a flatter surface. Wipe down the piece with mineral spirits to remove any dried slurry.

For the final coat, thin your varnish with about 15% mineral spirits so that it flows on with virtually no brush marks, filling any hollows. Now let this final coat dry for at least 48 hours—but even longer is better. The harder the finish, the smoother the final result will be!

Now it’s time for your finish sanding. Begin with a light wet sanding in P1000 grit SC Waterproof sandpaper to remove the dust nibs and any small brush marks. If the sandpaper starts clogging, stop sanding and wait another day or two for additional drying of the varnish. Once you are in this final sanding stage, regularly check your progress until 80-90% of the surface is dull. Go light on the edges and small details.

Next, wipe down the piece with a damp sponge and clean water. Repeat the sanding process with sandpaper in P2000 & P3000, being careful to always clean the surface entirely before moving onto the next grit. You should only have a light sprinkling of low, shiny freckles left behind on the flat surfaces. You can continue this process all the way up to a P 5000 grit sandpaper finish if you would like! Finish by rubbing out to the desired sheen with a wax.

You can find all of the sandpaper mentioned in this blog post on Abrasive Resource's Online Store.

Abrasive Resource introduces the new “Big Foot” Sanding System

2011-08-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

Abrasive Resource, a leading US converter and distributor of abrasive sanding supplies, is pleased to announce its’ expansion into manufacturing drive pads and custom back-up pads for use on the GEM® Orbital Sander/Polisher. These slip on pads, along with 11 x 5 or 12 x 6 hook and loop sanding discs, make up the Big Foot Sanding System.

Abrasive Resource has served the wood and solid surface markets with sanding discs for over 25 years and the addition of custom back-up pads designed for use on the GEM Industries® Orbital Sander was a natural progression in their offering of abrasive products and supplies. Now, in addition to distributing the popular GEM sander, Abrasive Resource will also provide fabricators and shops with options of an 11” diameter pad with a 5” center hole or a 12” diameter pad with a 6” center hole.

The Big Foot Sanding System allows the sanding pressure to be concentrated on the outside diameter of the back-up pad. This provides a uniform scratch pattern and relieves any loading that may be created in the center of a traditional solid sanding disc. The slip on back up pads are tapered on the edge to enable finishing all of the way up to a back splash. In addition, the 5” or 6” center cut out discs are available with any vacuum hole pattern and are included at no charge to use with a shop’s smaller disc sanders.

To learn more about the “Big Foot” Sanding System, visit www.abrasiveresource.com.

Introductory kits are available in the 11” x 5” size at http://www.abrasiveresource.com/detail_sale115BPDDVKIT__DonutDiscs__Blue_Hook_and_Loop_Sanding_Discs.html .

The 12” x 6” size can be found at http://www.abrasiveresource.com/detail_sale126BPDDVKIT__126bluhookdisc__Blue_Hook_and_Loop_Sanding_Discs.html .

Media Contact:
Debbie Swanson
Abrasive Resource
900 Lund Boulevard #100
Minneapolis, MN 55303
mail@abrasiveresource.com

Choosing the Correct Backing for Your Sandpaper & Abrasive Products

2011-08-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

Whether paper, cloth or film, the backing used for coated abrasive products must be smooth enough for a uniform adhesive coating, strong enough to withstand grinding pressures and flexible enough to conform to contours if that is necessary to your application.

Paper: The paper backings used for coated abrasives are highly specialized technical papers made to very exact specifications for abrasive use, thereby assuring certain essential physical properties such as finish, strength, adhesion, flexibility and weight.

Paper weights are determined by the number of pounds in a papermaker's ream of 480 sheets that are 24" x 36" in size. The standard paper weights used in coated abrasives are shown below and are indicated by a letter code which appears immediately after the grit size on the finished product backing. Briefly stated, the lighter the backing, the greater the degree of flexibility and the heavier the backing, the greater resistance to tearing.
A-weight (40 lbs) -Light and flexible. A weight is primarily used for sheet products used on hand sanding operations in grits 80 and finer.
C-weight (70 lbs) -Stronger and less flexible than A weight. This backing is chosen for hand sanding and for use on small, portable power sanders. Used for intermediate sanding in grits 36 through 80.
D-weight (90 lbs) -Stronger and less flexible than C weight. This backing is also used for hand sanding and small, portable power sanders on coarse and intermediate grits 24-80.
E-weight (130 lbs) -Stronger and less flexible than D-weight, this backing is primarily used on roll, belt and disc applications where high resistance to tearing is needed.
F-weight (165 lbs) -The strongest, least flexible paper backing utilized. Used primarily for heavy-duty sanding discs, sheet goods and sanding belts used in the floor sanding market and paper wide belts used in woodworking applications.
Cloth: Cloth backings are more durable than paper, offer greater resistance to tearing, and tolerate continual bending and flexing during use. The cloth used for abrasive backings are manufactured in the traditional way most cloth is processed--by interlacing threads running at 90' angles with each other. The friction at the numerous points of intersection hold the fabric together. Cloth used for abrasive backings often requires desizing, shrinking, drying, stretching, filling and calendering in order to produce the desired strength, flexibility and coating surface.

The standard cloth weights used in coated abrasives are also indicated by a letter code which appears immediately after the grit size on the finished product backing.

J-weight (Jeans) -The lightest and most flexible cloth backing, this backing is used where finish and uniformity of surface are more important than stock removal. Most often seen on abrasive shop/utility rolls, cloth sheets and sanding belts. Ideal for finishing, blending and where considerable flexibility and conformity are required, such as contour work on curved surfaces.
X-weight (Drills) -Stronger and stiffer than J-weight, this backing is used on a multitude of abrasive products from coarse grit stock removal through fine grit finishing and polishing. Consistent productivity, good finishes and long product life are characteristics of abrasive products made on an x-weight backing such as sanding belts and cloth sanding discs.
Y-weight (Heavy Duty) -The strongest cloth backing utilized, this backing is used on coarse grit products designed for extreme pressure and heavy stock removal operations. Used most often in heavy duty, long life premium abrasive belt materials.
Polyester Film: Polyester based film backings offer special properties that lend themselves to specialized sanding applications. Film backed abrasives offer thicknesses having ultra tight tolerances...which is important for the electronics, fiber optics and surgical instrument/medical applications. The benefits of a film backed abrasive product is now also being realized in the automotive and solid surface markets.

Sanding Wood

2011-06-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

Wood surfaces are not only sanded to make the surface smooth! Although that is the most important reason, there is another factor to take into consideration: wettability.

This concept is easily demonstrated with The Water Drop Test. The photo to the right shows the differences in wettability on a piece of yellow birch. The two arrows are pointing to the inactive and activated surfaces.

The test has three drops of water placed on the surface at the same time. The drops were then photographed after 30 seconds. The water on the left was dropped on an unsanded wood surface and as you can see, it has kept its large contact angle with the wood surface. The surface under the middle drop was sanded with two passes of 220 grit sandpaper and you can easily see that the wettability is much improved. The last drop has almost completely soaked into the surface. Why? This section of the wood was treated to five passes of the 220 grit sandpaper.

So, why is this important? Because it reminds us that when sanding the surface of wood you are not only making the surface smoother. You are also reactivating the wood. Both time and heat cause extractives like tannins, oils & resins from within the wood to rise to the surface. Think about how this may affect your finish on the wood. Bottom line: All wood should be sanded no greater than 24 hours before it is finished and sealed.

Properly sanded surfaces result in beautiful finished products. You will save time and money by reducing the amount of finish needed--one would have to use only a fraction of the coating or stain on an activated surface! And even better is that by allowing the stain to wick out evenly you achieve a much more uniform color and finish.

Source: WoodworkingNetwork.com
For more information on sanding wood or any other surfaces, please give Abrasive Resource a call at 800-814-7358 or check us out online at AbrasiveResource.com

Wood Sanding for a "Green" Finish

2010-12-13T11:19:00.000-08:00

If you're hopping on board the "Green Finishing" train, you need to consider how to move from solvent-based coatings into water-based finishing. The average final sanding grit for solvent-based finishes ranges between 150-220 grit. When using water-based finishes, the final sanding grit usually runs between 220-280 grit. Moving to a higher abrasive grit for water-based finishes allows for a higher polish of the wood to reduce fiber raise and minimize stain blotching of the wood.

Softer species of wood will stain best when up to 280 grit sanding abrasives are used. Harder, tight grained species of wood may only need the 220 grit as a final sand. To be successful in water-based finishing, you need to rethink the process from start to finish. This surface preparation is your first step.

If you would like to try some sample sanding products in a finer grit for water-based finishing, please visit our website at www.abrasiveresource.com or give us a call at 800-814-7358!

Surface Speeds for Metal Finishing

2010-09-09T10:30:00.000-07:00

The effect of surface speed when grinding and finishing metals is addressed in the "Metal Finishing Guidebook", published by Elsevier. They ask us to think of each individual abrasive particle on the abrasive belt as a single point cutting tool. The speed of the belt or number of times a minute each particle contacts the work in a given time frame, will determine the rate of removal and the working life of the individual particle. An increase in the surface speed will cause the pressure to be applied to many more particles in a given time frame and will reduce the penetration of a given particle into the workpiece. When this speed reaches beyond a critical point, rapid dulling of the abrasive grain takes place, the rate of cut decreases, and excess heat is generated.

To resharpen or restore the cutting capacity of the abrasive, added pressure must be exerted to cause fracture of the grain. This added pressure will generate added heat and soon, burning will result in removal of the belt. Conversely, as speeds are slowed, more pressure is exerted on each grain, causing the grain to resharpen with less heat generation. To understand this more fully, the Metal Finishing Guidebook refers us to the following table, where suggested speeds, abrasive, contact wheel, grit size, lubricant and operation have been compiled into a quick reference chart: Suggested Surface Speed and Abrasives for Various Metals.
If you have any questions regarding abrasive belts, please give Abrasive Resource a call at 800-814-7358 or visit us online at www.abrasiveresource.com.

Revive Your Furniture's Finish

2010-06-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

If the finish on your furniture appears dull and dry, but is otherwise intact, you can revive it with a simple cleaning and a coat of wax.

Start by wiping the finish thoroughly with a clean rag dampened with naphtha. Naphtha is a fast drying solvent that is often used as a lubricant for rubbing out hardened shellac finishes and can improve an older shellac coating with a simple rub down. One of the most popular is VM&P Naphtha, which should be available at the big box home improvement stores as well as hardware stores and paint stores. This step removes any oil-soluble grime.

Then, switch to a detergent to remove water-soluble dirt. One squirt of Dawn
brand dishwashing liquid mixed into a pint of warm water. Use a slightly dampened cloth, not one that is dripping wet!

Next, lightly dry sand the finish with a 400 grit sandpaper and follow up with a 600 grit. The goal here is to remove only the very top layer of finish, but not to sand all the way through to the wood.

Wipe off the sanding dust with a rag dampened with the naphtha and then use a natural or dark-colored paste wax (depending on the color of your wood) to bring the luster back up.

"Buffing out a Finish"

2010-06-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

Whether you are buffing out a car, a floor, some metal parts, a countertop or even the finish on a guitar...the verb "buff" derives from the obsolete English word buffe, from the French word for buffalo.

When buffalo were abundant in the 19th century, buffalo hide was used for polishing metal to a high gloss. Soon, any sort of soft leather used for polishing was coined as a "buff", which then inspired the verb "to buff".

Sandpaper Grits

2010-04-23T08:54:00.000-07:00

Sandpaper grit size refers to the size of the particles of abrading materials embedded in the sandpaper. There are a number of different standards that have been established for grit size. These standards establish not only the average grit size, but also the allowable variation from the average. The two most common are the United States CAMI (Coated Abrasive Manufacturers Institute, now part of the Unified Abrasives Manufacturers' Association) and the European FEPA (Federation of European Producers of Abrasives) "P" grade. The FEPA system is the same as the ISO 6344 standard. An additional measuring system used in sandpaper grits is micron grade (generally used for very fine grits). Also, cheaper sandpapers sometimes are sold with nomenclature such as "Coarse", "Medium" and "Fine", but it is never clear to what standards these names refer.

FEPA Grading: The majority of coated abrasives manufactured today use the FEPA standard (Federation of European Producers of Abrasives), otherwise known in the industry as “P” grading. Abrasives in the P scale are graded to higher tolerances than CAMI graded abrasives.

CAMI Grading: This grading standard is used exclusively by US manufacturers of coated abrasives, and is overseen by the Coated Abrasive Manufacturer’s Institute and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The CAMI-scale tolerates a wider range of grain sizes within the definition of the grit.

Micron Grading: This refers to an abrasive particle’s actual diameter in micrometers, rather than the total number of abrasive grains that can pass through a linear inch in a screen or mesh (as the FEPA and CAMI grading system use). Micron grading has the tightest tolerances for grain size and in abrasives are typically used only in fine grits, when a stray scratch from an outsized grain would make a substantial difference to the finish.

If you have additional questions about sandpaper grits and how they compare to one another, please give Abrasive Resource a call at 800-814-7358 and be sure to download our grit comparsion chart at abrasiveresource.com
Abrasive Resource is your source for the finest abrasive products!

Surface Prep on Metallic Paint Cars

2010-02-16T10:33:00.000-08:00

In the January 2010 issue of Bodyshop Business, contributor Nathan Tarr writes on how to "Conquer Metallic Colors". Nate is both Sikkens certified and PPG certified and has been working as a painter for the past five years. Here's an excerpt pertaining to the importance of proper sanding...

Surface Prep: As with all facets of working with tough metallic paint jobs, your surface prep needs to be extra thorough. Any errant sanding or scuffing scratch is no big deal on normal paint jobs, but it can be magnified 10 times when working on a champagne color or anything Honda has named Satin Silver Metallic. Being a little less aggressive will serve you well during your paint job. Consider bringing the sanding grits you use down a notch, and be extra careful with any scuff sanding. There’s no real need to be pressing down on a scuffing pad like a gorilla. With a carefully prepped and clean panel, the risk of any cringe-worthy metallic tracking will be minimized.

To read the entire article visit the Bodyshop Business website.

Sanding Hardwood Floors

2009-04-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

Preparing to Refinish a Hardwood Floor:

1. Inspect the floor carefully. Most oak floorings are 3/4" thick and can be sanded a number of times. Remove a floor register if possible, and measure the thickness of your flooring. If it is thinner than 3/4" you should consult a professional floor refinisher. Thinner floors must be refinished with the utmost skill and caution to avoid sanding through to the subfloor.

2. Try to remove the shoe molding, if applicable, so that you can sand all the way to the wall.

3. Inspect the floor carefully--tighten any loose boards and pull out or counter-sink any protruding nails or staples. Sanding exposed nails can produce sparks, which creates a fire hazard in the sander!

4. Check fuse supply as sander may overload the circuit in an older building.

5. Provide adequate ventilation.

6. Cover arches or doorways with a dropcloth or plastic covering. Stuff towels under bottoms of doors and cover all air vents.

7. Sweep the floor clean immediately before sanding.

Renting a Sander & Purchasing Sandpaper:

1. When you rent a sander, be sure you get the manufacturer's instruction manual and some hints and/or a demonstration from the store where you rented it. Be sure you also have any attachments, special wrenches and dust bags needed. Floor sanders are powerful machines and if not used properly can quickly gouge your floor beyond repair.

2. Purchase a dust mask and ear plugs if you don't already have them.

3. Purchase the appropriate sanding discs, sheets or belts to go with your sander(s). An average room will require 10 sheets, discs or belts of each grade. If you will be sanding more than one room, it is worth it to call ahead of time and order from a sandpaper supplier like www.abrasiveresource.com rather than the rental store. If you are only sanding one room, the quantity of paper needed is small enough to just buy the sanding supplies right from the rental store.

4. If you are refinishing an old floor and need to remove paint or sand cupped boards, start with a coarse grit like 16 or 20 grit and then move onto the 36 and 50 grit paper. If you are sanding an older floor that is in good shape, you may start with a 36 grit to just remove shellac or varnish. If you are sanding a new floor, simply begin with the 50 grit paper.

5. Your next sanding will use an 80 grit and the final sand can be a 100 or finer grit.

6. For a professional looking finish, use 2 different types of sanders--a large sander for the main area of the space and a smaller edge sander to get up close to the walls.

Sanding Hardwood Floors:

1. It's a good idea to practice first with a piece of your fine grit sandpaper just to get the "feel" of how your sander works. That way, as you are getting used to the process you are less apt to make a heavy gouge in the wood. When you feel comfortable, switch to the coarse grit to get started.

2. Your first process in sanding uses the coarse grit sandpaper. You are removing any previous stain, finish and discoloration as well as leveling the floor to a smooth surface. If the floor has warped boards or ridges where two boards come together, you may need to sand diagonally across the floor until smooth and then sand with the same grit again with the grain of the wood to get the sanding marks left by the diagonal sanding out.

3. Be prepared to change your paper regularly. The heat from the friction of sanding melts any old finish and this clogs up the sandpaper, making it ineffective. If you start to notice that the sanding rate is dropping, your sandpaper is probably clogged or worn out. Stop sanding and change your paper. If you continue operating with a worn out or clogged sanding paper you will eventually burn or damage your floor!

4. Follow the instructions for your particular sander. Let the sander pull you forward at a slow, steady speed. You can sand both forward and backward, but always keep the sander in motion.

5. Sand two-thirds of the floor in one direction(with the grain), then turn 180' around and sand the final third of the room with the grain. Overlap your back-and-forth passes to be sure you are sanding all areas thoroughly and to assure an even, blended finish with no sanding marks. Go forward and then return over the same area as you go backward. Move sideways in 3" or 4" increments to overlap each pass. Do not attempt to remove 100% of the old finish during this operation. Small residual amounts will be removed during your subsequent passes.

6. It's a good idea to vacuum the floor between each grit so that you aren't sanding random pieces of the coarse grit paper that may have shelled off during sanding into the floor with your next finer grit.

7. After you have done the main part of the floor with the rougher paper, use either a rented edge sander or an electric vibrating sander to sand where the floor meets the wall and in any other areas missed by the big sander using your next grit in the sequence.

8. After your 50 grit sanding, fill all dents, gouges and cracks still remaining with a commercial wood filler that is easy to sand and will accept a stain. If you have large areas that need filling, you will have to do this process twice, as the filler will shrink a bit when it dries. Allow extra time here for the filler to dry...

9. Now use your 80 grit paper to smooth the latex floor filler and remove the scratches produced by the 50 grit sandpaper.

10. Hand sand all the areas your electric sanders could not reach--inside corners, around door casings and jambs, up to cabinet kick plates, etc.

11. Time for your final sand using a 100 or 120 grit sandpaper.

12. Vacuum the floor well--to be extra sure all the dust is up you may want to tack the floor clean with a paint thinner soaked towel wrapped around a push broom or swiffer. Now you are ready to finish!

If you have questions or comments, please call Abrasive Resource at 800-814-7358. We supply floor sanding supplies from our warehouse in NY and can drop ship to addresses anywhere in the United States.

"Quick-Ship" Programs

2008-06-06T09:59:00.000-07:00

As you're well aware, Abrasive Resource is all about quick shipping. We have always offered shipping options within 24 hours--even on custom sized belts and discs for those production emergencies that inevitably happen...

Now, our friends at Timesavers, Inc., a manufacturer of widebelt sanders based right here in Minneapolis with us, have introduced their Quick-Ship program. The company will ship spare parts on a "same day" basis, provided the order is entered by 11:00 am CST (our cut-off is 1:00pm CST, but they're close enough for our liking!) It includes parts on all 1100, 1200, 1300, 2100, 2200, 2300 and 3300 series sanders.

For more information, see www.timesaversinc.com/quickship

For a quote on widebelts that the Timesavers Sanders use, please contact us at abrasiveresource.com

Lathe Woodworking

2007-09-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

This idea was featured awhile ago in "American Woodworker" magazine and I was reminded of it the other day while watching a customer work on his lathe--sanding on a lathe can be hard on your fingertips!

To protect your fingers, cut the fingertips off a latex-dipped work glove and wear one or two of the fingertips while sanding. It serves a dual purpose--protects your skin and it also makes it much easier to hold onto the sandpaper. You can find these gloves at a hardware store for less than $10!

Safety Note: Don't wear the whole glove while working on your lathe. You could be seriously injured if the glove got caught on either your turning project or the lathe itself.

Drum Sanding

2007-06-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

Drum Sanders are sometimes called thickness sanders and are manufactured by companies like Performax, Powermatic, Grizzly, Woodmaster, Supermax, General International, Oliver and Delta. Abrasive strips are cut from a continuous roll of abrasive cloth and wrapped around the horizontal cylinder on an abrasive drum sander.

There are three different ways that you can cover the drum on your sander. You can always purchase precut strips that are the exact length you need, and they have the angled ends precut to the specification of your sander. This method is the most convenient, but also the most expensive!

An alternative is buying rolls and cutting your own strips. You can use a number of different width rolls, but the most popular and easy to use are 3" or 4" wide. The key is to trim the leading edge of the abrasive strip so that the angled edge is equal to the circumference of the drum. If you want to use a wider or narrower strip, the angle will change, but the length of the angled edge will not--always cut the edge equal to the circumference of your cylinder. The trailing edge of the strip should be cut as a mirror image of the leading end. Of course, if you always purchase the same width abrasive, you can simply use your old strip as a template to cut the new strips. The downside to using a 50 yard bulk roll of abrasive is twofold. First, depending on the length of the strips you require, you will mot likely end up with some "waste" at the end of the roll, that you can use up on a pad sander or by hand. Second, sometimes bulk rolls contain an undisclosed seam that must be cut out if you encounter it, and again, you experience some "waste" in material. Usually the cost savings for buying in bulk more than offsets any extra material you end up with.

Another method, and this is ideal for a one-man shop, is to order continuous sanding belts that are a few inches longer than the length you require. Most often, custom sized sanding belts can be made up in multiples of only three or four, which makes them less of an investment than a whole box of precut strips or an entire 50 yard roll! Once you receive the belts, simply cut the joint away and angle the ends to match the circumference on your cylinder.

Whichever technique you choose to wrap your drum, make sure that you use a high-quality, cloth backed abrasive with a resin bond. You do not want to use a lesser quality abrasive than you would use on a belt sander, so avoid shop rolls that are manufactured with a glue bond!

For more information, give us a call at 800-814-7358 or visit us online at: www.abrasiveresource.com

Refinishing Wood Cutting Boards

2007-06-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

Sand your wood cutting boards once a year to get rid of stains & nicks! Just wrap a sheet of 120 grit aluminum oxide "cabinet" paper around a block of wood (which sands more evenly than using the paper alone) and give the board a good sanding. Use a rag (or compressed air, if you have access to some...) to clean the 120 grit particles off and resand your cutting board with a 220 grit sheet of aluminum oxide sandpaper. Once again, clean all the dust and particles from the wood and wash in hot, soapy water.

Once the board has completely dried, rub it with a food-grade mineral oil from the drugstore or hardware store to reseason. Let the oil soak in and repeat, until the wood cannot absorb any more oil!

To purchase sanding sheets, check out our online store at : http://www.abrasiveresource.com/

Finish Sanding Wood

2007-01-12T13:28:00.001-08:00

Make sure you know the type of wood you are finishing before you start sanding...the type of wood you are sanding has a direct relationship to the grit used for the final sand! Soft woods such as pine and fir & closed grain hardwoods such as cherry, maple, birch and alder should be sanded with a 150 or 180 grit prior to the application of a finish. Open grained hardwoods like oak, ash, mahogany and walnut can often be finish sanded with a 220 grit.

The coarser the final grit size used, the darker the finish when using stain. Conversely, the finer the grit size, the lighter the finish will be. This also comes into play when sanding end grain. Always sand end grain one or two grades finer than the rest of the wood. Because end grain will take stain more readily than face grain (like coarser finished wood), by sanding to a finer finish you'll close the grain up a little and it won't accept as much of the stain.

Always test your finish sanding on a scrap piece of wood if possible. This will determine the correct sequence of sanding steps you need to achieve the desired color. Unfortunately, once the stain or color has been applied to your work, the only way to get it back off is to strip or sand it off and start all over again!

Questions? Give us a call at 800-814-7358 or visit us online at: www.abrasiveresource.com

Sanding Plastic

2006-10-30T13:44:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest issues you must confront when sanding plastic is heat...sanding friction causes heat, and plastic parts absorb the heat. Metal parts also warm up from the sanding friction, but metal tends to reflect the heat back out again. Because plastic parts absorb heat, they can soften or even re-flow under power sanding.

Sanding plastic is a good thing--it effectively doubles the surface area, providing twice the opportunity for a new coating to adhere to the surface. Even a light scuff-sanding will help with adhesion...there are just more places for the new coating to cling to.

On the other hand, too much sanding can cause problems--like the "hairing" that you'll see when some plastics split and melt into hair-like strands. Too much power sanding can also cause thermoplastics to reflow. After a forceful sanding, the scratches are very evident. But walk away and when you return just minutes later, the scratches have disappeared--the heat melts them flat again.

The moral of the story is: always be careful on plastic parts. Turn the air pressure way down or even sand by hand to avoid heat buildup!

For more information on sanding plastics, check out our website at www.abrasiveresource.com

Polished Finishes on Stainless Steel

2006-09-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

The most popular finish in stainless steel fabrication is the No 4 finish--the easiest to maintain and one with a nice surface appearance. A No 4 surface is produced by cutting the surface with coated abrasive belts to remove a very small amount of metal without affecting its thickness. Because it is directional, it allows for easy matching of surfaces. The "official" definition of a No 4 finish is "a linearly textured finish that is produced with mechanical polishing. The average surface roughness (Ra) may generally be up to 25 micro-inches (0.64 micrometeres)."

The Specialty Steel Industry of North America has set guidelines for polished finishes on stainless:

No 3: An intermediate polished surface obtained by finishing with a 100 grit abrasive. Generally used where a semi finished polished surface is required. A No 3 usually receives additional polishing during fabrication.

No 4: A polished surface obtained by finishing with a 120-150 grit abrasive, following initial grinding with coarser abrasives. This is a general purpose bright finish with a visible "grain" which prevents mirror reflection.

With the introduction in recent years of non-woven abrasives, many fabricators are also using a medium non-woven belt to achieve the No 4 finish. If you have other questions regarding finishing stainless, please feel free to call Abrasive Resource at 800-814-7358, or visit us online at: www.abrasiveresource.com

Sanding Backing Pad

2006-09-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

A quality disc sander back-up pad should have:

1. A specially designed, environmentally friendly, molded polyurethane foam, that dampens vibration to prevent your tool from bouncing, yet is flexible and tough enough to withstand the rigorous operation of dual-action random orbit sanders. A permanent bond between the polyurethane and other components of the pad eliminates separation problems.

2. A rugged thermoset fiberglass epoxy backing, that withstands the abuse of heat, flexing and impact, to keep the pad running flat and true for a long time. Aluminum backings bend from impact and lose their flatness, while heat and flexing cause molded plastic backings to warp, distorting the face of the pad. A pad that is not flat causes vibration--which fatigues the user and compromises your finish.

3. Full 1/2" diameter vacuum holes that match the industry standard in sanding discs and allow maximum performance of your tool's vacuum system.

4. A durable welded and plated stud assembly. Welding assures a permanent alignment between the pad and the tool. Plating assures easy pad removal by preventing corrosion.

5. A stud assembly that is rigidly attached to the backing with four rivets. Stud assemblies that are molded in place can loosen and strip causing poor performance and difficulties when removing the pad from the tool. A large, flat, raised steel washer with a four rivet attachment forms an ideal distributor of stress. This assures perfect alignment with all tools, and allows the pad to remain in service for a long time.

6. An embossed vinyl facing or hook facing that is intimately molded with the polyurethane to create a permanent durable and flat surface. Embossed vinyl facings offer maximum adhesion with PSA style paper while operating the tool, yet allow quick and easy replacement. Quality hook facings also offer secure adhesion yet quick and easy removal.

7. Strict tolerance on weight, balance, roundness, and flatness. A pad that is not the correct weight, out of round, out of balance, or not flat causes vibrations which fatigue the user and prevent creating a professional finish. Strict tolerances assure you that each pad performs consistently for a long time.

Abrasive Resource carries back-up pads in stock for same day shipping in both the embossed vinyl facing for PSA or the hook facing for hook-n-loop discs. Check out our website at: www.abrasiveresource.com

The History of Abrasives

2006-08-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

Think of a product. Any product. Somewhere in the making of that product an abrasive application takes place. The use of abrasives goes back almost since the beginning of recorded history. Prehistoric men, for example, sharpened their tools and weapons by rubbing them together.

Stone used in building the Pyramids of Egypt were smoothed with a naturally "bonded" abrasive--sandstone! Around 2100 B.C. a creative Egyptian engineer mounted a circular wheel on a crude sort of lathe and ground bronze tools and ornaments, launching the art of cylindrical grinding. During the Middle Ages, armor and swords were ground and polished. The first recorded manufacture of coated abrasives goes back to the 13th century when the Chinese used natural gums to bind crushed seashells to parchment.

At the turn of the century, coated abrasives took a giant step forward with the development of the new electric furnace grains, silicon carbide and aluminum oxide. Over the years, sanding became even more popular as a number of new products emerged on the scene and on the production line. Sanding had an impact on all these products--wood and metal as well as glass. Henry Ford, for example, did more for the metal grinding industry than anyone in history.

Ford realized that an ounce of extra weight in any part acted and reacted upon every part. His demand for light parts of great strength created the first big tonnage of alloy steels, whose sensitivity to heat treatment not only fulfilled his requirement of strength without weight but called for grinding to finish instead of cutting with metal tools.

Through the Industrial Revolution, the post-World War II economic boom and a surging economy in the 1990's, abrasives have always been a part of the production process, and they will continue to do so in this millennium.

Information for this article was taken from Chapter 1 "The History of Abrasives" in the Abrasives Product Training Manual published by the Industrial Distribution Association awhile back. The IDA has now merged with the Industrial Supply Association. To learn more about this resource for distributors, visit www.isapartners.org. For more information on abrasives and sandpaper, please check out our website at:
www.abrasiveresource.com

Metal Finishing

2006-07-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

There is an excellent article in the archives at the website for the e-magazine "The Fabricator". It's called "Choosing the right coated abrasive for plate finishing applications". I'll tease you with a little bit here, but make sure you check out the full article at www.thefabricator.com

Ceramic aluminum, a sharp microcrystalline grain, cuts aggressively under light to moderate pressures. Its quick cutting capability makes it suitable for grinding stainless steel, titanium, and high-nickel alloys. It works well on applications in which high rates of stock removal are required under light pressures, such as when plates require rounding or dimensioning. Ceramic aluminum’s microcrystalline structure gives it a very long life. It is temperature-sensitive, meaning that removing heat from the cut extends the life of the grain. Quite often ceramic products require grinding aids to reduce heat.

Zirconia alumina, although less expensive than ceramic aluminum, also is a single crystal that is very tough and sharp. In fact, this grain is so tough that it withstands heat very well. However, a common problem with zirconia grain is glazing, which occurs when the grains dull from insufficient grinding forces. Rubbing the dulled grains causes the metal to adhere to the tips of the grain. Reducing glazing requires heavier grinding forces to fracture the grain and enable resharpening. Therefore, zirconia lends itself to the higher temperatures and heavier pressures that are present in high-stock-removal applications.

Zirconia’s advantage over ceramic primarily is its performance in high-heat and heavy-pressure applications, such as those characterized by mechanically applied pressures that generate a large spark array. The heavy grinding pressures effectively resharpen the grain, promoting long wear life without adverse effects from the high temperatures. Plate examples are power-pack grinding of castings and automated grinding of fixtured tools.

Aluminum oxide is a single-crystal grain used in most polishing applications because of its durability and longer service life than silicon carbide’s. This grain is less tenacious than ziconia and therefore requires less pressure to prevent glazing. Soft metals, such as aluminum and some carbon and stainless steels, usually are good candidates for aluminum oxide grain products. For the most part, these metals are not as sensitive to the heat that is sometimes generated by the aluminum oxide grain because of its crystalline structure.

Silicon carbide, also a single-crystal grain, is the sharpest and hardest of all grains, but it is also the most brittle of all, resulting sometimes in a short service life. This grain’s advantage is its ability to work well on very hard, tenacious metals such as titanium, cobalt, and INCONEL® alloys. Silicon carbide’s sharp shape and extremely hard properties make it the most suitable grain to work on these metals. Conversely, the “blocky” nature of aluminum oxide grain renders it incapable of penetrating these surfaces efficiently, causing higher heat generation and resulting in a shorter service life.

In addition, because of silicon carbide’s sharp, slender shape, it produces a brighter finish profile on stainless steel and some carbon steels.

You can subscribe to The Fabricator by going to: www.thefabricator.com
For more information on sanding and sanding products, check out our website
www.abrasiveresource.com

Sanding Wood

2006-07-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

I thought we had one of the only blogs that extolled the virtues of sandpaper. Well, while doing an Internet search I ran across another blog where the writer sings the praises of sanding! It's called "Stay of Execution" and this entry is from awhile back, but let me share a little bit of it with you...

I don't do it much, but there's something that I've always loved about sanding wood. I like the repetitive back and forth, feeling the slight scrape beneath my fingers. I like seeing the soft tracks that the sandpaper leaves in the wood, a dusty faded trail. I like touching the wood and feeling its texture, the rough spots that you haven't gotten to and the smooth powdery feel where you have already been. The wood dust on your fingers and even the way it tickles your nose a bit...

Isn't Sherry a good writer? She has captured the emotions behind sanding wood--a tactile, artistic sense of accomplishment! To see the whole entry, visit her blog at:
Stay of Execution
For more information on sanding and sanding products, check out our website
www.abrasiveresource.com

Woodworking Dust Masks

2006-06-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

Never say "no" to a dust mask. Among woodworkers, the chances of developing nasal and sinus cancer run up to 40 times greater than non-woodworkers. Although researchers haven't identified the exact cancer-causing compound, some evidence points to the dust generated from sanding wood with a high tannin content, such as chestnut, redwood, western red cedar, hemlock and oak!
Always use the dust collection option on your sanders and work in a well ventilated area. The inhalation of fine wood dust from sanding can have many effects on the respiratory tract, including: a runny nose, violent sneezing, stuffed up nose, nose bleeds and even nasal cancer. Asthma is another concern...most wood dusts can irritate the respiratory tract provoking asthma attacks in those individuals that develop allergies to wood dust.

For information on Wood Toxicity, check out the following links:
1. www.woodturner.org and look under "Resources"
2. Greater Vancouver Woodturners Guild Wood/Dust Toxicity Article

If you are interested in purchasing a new dust mask or respirator--do your research. Face masks depend on good contact between the skin and the mask for their effectiveness, and you want to find a style that is comfortable to work in! A few of our customers have recommended the masks made by www.aosafety.com

For more information on sanding and sanding products, check out our website
www.abrasiveresource.com

Paint Your Car At Home

2006-06-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

Did you see the April, 2006 issue of Car Craft Magazine? The cover story is "Paint your Car at Home", and it's all about how expensive it is these days to do paint and bodywork on a car. The author, Jeff Smith, writes:

"Today, the cost of materials can easily run $2000 and up if you want to use top-notch materials and do the job right. Labor cost? Expect to pay $60 per hour minimum. So, this leaves the budget-beleagured car crafter with one alternative--do it yourself. You've probably heard all this before, but it demands repeating. The key to a quality paint job is all in the prep work before any color ever finds its way onto the car."

The article goes on for 6 more pages, detailing every aspect of painting your car at home, with lots of good, detailed photographs. Best of all, what a pleasant surprise to find Abrasive Resource listed at the end of the article as one of their material suppliers! Since they gave our website a "shout out", we will do the same...

If you are interested in purchasing a back issue of Car Craft Magazine, simply go to www.carcraft.com and click on the link for "Back Issues". Click on Car Craft in the left navigational bar and then scroll down the page until you find April, 2006!

The sanding discs used for refinishing the '65 El Camino in this article can be found at www.abrasiveresource.com

Abrasive Belt Burning

2006-06-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

The Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America have a new e-mail newsletter called "Productivity Tips". It is going to be a series of six e-newsletters dedicated to helping professional woodworkers improve productivity, quality, safety and ultimately, the bottom-line of their businesses. It is presented in a Q & A format and the answers are supplied by resident experts of WMMA companies.

Here's a question that particularly caught our attention:

Q. My abrasive belt is loading up and burning quickly, what am I doing wrong?
A. You're either trying to remove too much stock for the grit of belt you are using, or you are running the feed too fast. Basically, there are three types of belts, including: abrasive planning (grits from 24 through 60), light calibrating belts (grits from 80 through 120) and finishing belts (grits from 150 through 220 or more). Each grit type is designed to remove a specific amount of stock at a certain feed rate.

For instance, a 100-grit belt can remove 0.025 inch on oak at 20 feet per minute. If you push beyond these parameters, the belt will load up and burn your product. A rough guideline is to use abrasive planning belts if your stock removal is 0.060 inch or more, calibrating belts for stock removal from 0.012 inch to 0.050 inch and finishing belts for no more than 0.005 inch stock removal (at around 20 feet per minute).

The expert in this case was Tim Mueller, Marketing Director at Timesavers, Inc.

If you would like more information on the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America, their website is at www.wmma.org

If you are interested in obtaining high quality sanding belts for woodworking, visit our website at www.abrasiveresource.com

Flap Disc

2006-05-23T11:18:00.000-07:00

A Flap Disc is the ideal tool for stock removal, grinding and blending of welds, castings and other metal finishing applications! They are available in 4", 4-1/2" and 7" diameters to fit on an angle grinder and grits 40, 60 and 80 are by far the most popular. Abrasive Resource stocks these heavy duty overlap discs in a premium closed coat blue Alumina Zirconia grain designed for metalworking.The backing is made from either a non-flexible, consumable fiberglass in a conical, T-29 shape or a semi-flexible plastic backing on the flat, T-27 shape.

There is a great time savings to be realized from using flap discs compared to the old two-step method of first using a grinding wheel for rough work, then changing to a finer sanding disc for finishing and polishing. A flap disc goes from rough grinding to fine finishing in one operation with a significant reduction in downtime.

For more information on flap discs, or if you would like to try a box out in your shop, visit Abrasive Resource's Online Store at: www.abrasiveresource.com

Solid Surface Polishing

2006-04-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

When it's time for the Solid Surface Fabricator to polish up the workpiece, he needs to choose between a matte, semi-gloss or high-gloss finish. Whether they are working on a huge retail store or a small bathroom vanity, the process is the same.

The blue aluminum oxide products designed for solid surface sanding from sia Abrasives are available through Abrasive Resource in discs, strips, rolls, sheets and belts of all sizes and configurations. By using this "systems approach" with the same blue line abrasives from beginning to end you maintain a consistent, high-quality finish.

Matte: 120 grit, 180 grit, 280 grit and a maroon siascuff disc
Semi-Gloss: 120 grit, 180 grit, 280 grit, 400 grit and a grey siascuff disc
High-Gloss: 120, grit, 180 grit, 280 grit, 400 grit, 600 grit, 1000 grit and a gold siascuff disc

Why choose sia Abrasives for all your solid surface finishing needs? With more than 125 years of abrasive technology, sia Abrasives is the world's third largest manufacturer of coated abrasives and was recently named an "Approved Vendor" by Dupont on Corian products.

For more information, contact Abrasive Resource at 800-814-7358 or visit their website at: www.abrasiveresource.com

Sharpening Scissors

2006-04-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

Here's an idea from our "alternative uses for sandpaper" file. To sharpen scissors, simply cut through a piece of fine grit sandpaper! Its gritty surface is SOS for dull scissors and restores the blade to like-new quality so you can snip with ease. For more information on sandpaper and abrasives, check out the Abrasive Resource website: www.abrasiveresource.com

Swirl Marks

2006-03-31T08:09:00.000-08:00

Swirl marks are, unfortunately, inevitable when you sand with a disc sander. The good news is that there are some tips and techniques to make them less noticeable.

1. Use a disc sander with a vacuum attachment. You want to eliminate as much of the stray grit and dust created as possible while you are actually sanding.

2. Use graduated sandpaper grits. For the best finish you should not skip intervals (even though that is a common practice!) Swirl marks left by a 120 grit disc, for example, won't be as easy to remove with a 180 grit paper as with a 150 grit.

3. In between each grit change, blow off your workpiece with an air gun to clean any stray grit off your work.

4. Don't press down on your sander! Let the weight of the sander do the work--simply guide the sander.

5. Finally, your last step is to hand sand with the same grit you last used on your disc sander. Always use some sort of a block for even pressure and lightly sand in the same direction across your work piece.

Before finishing, set your work light at a low angle across the sanded surface. Wipe with denatured alcohol and any remaining swirl marks will be revealed...
Questions? Comments? Feel free to contact us at:
www.abrasiveresource.com

Wet or Dry Sandpaper

2006-03-30T11:56:00.000-08:00

Here at Abrasive Resource, we sell sleeve after sleeve of waterproof silicon carbide paper. It's used in almost all of our markets--automotive & marine, cultured marble, woodworking, metalworking, stone, glass, plastic and even rubber!

The history behind this versatile abrasive is an interesting one. A man named Francis Okie, a printing ink manufacturer in Philadelphia, had an idea for a new type of waterproof sandpaper. Okie's idea was for a revolutionary new sandpaper that could be used with water or oil. Wet abrading would reduce the dust hazards created from some of the dry sanding applications and also create a smoother finish.

Francis was so confident of the cutting power of his wet or dry sandpaper, he supposedly kept a piece of it in his club locker and shaved with it before golfing!

In 1921(85 years ago!)the 3M Company purchased the rights to waterproof sandpaper from Mr. Okie for $1.00.

Are you using the black SC waterproof paper in your shop? We carry several different brands and would be happy to help you determine which would be best for your application...

Contact Abrasive Resource at: 800-814-7358 or check out our website at: www.abrasiveresource.com

How To Sand Moulding

2006-03-29T10:55:00.000-08:00

Of course, large production shops have expensive machinery that will sand moulding. For the smaller woodworker, however, there is an easy and basic technique for sanding by hand.

Take a piece of the molding and glue some 80 grit sandpaper to it. Then take some foam insulation board and rub it over the profile, allowing the sandpaper to shape the foam board, creating a reverse pattern.

Once complete, glue a piece of sandpaper (now in the proper grit for finishing) to your new foam board sanding block!

For information on sandpaper sheets that you could use, check out our website at: www.abrasiveresource.com

Sandpaper Ballet

2006-03-03T10:54:00.000-08:00

Sandpaper is not just for smoothing...it's also used in making music!

Are you familiar with the American composer Leroy Anderson? He was best known for his short, light concert music pieces that are still played at pop concerts around the world. He's probably most well known for the songs "The Syncopated Clock" which was the theme music on The Late Show years ago and "The Typewriter" which included the sounds of a real typewriter in the music.

My favorite however, is of course, The Sandpaper Ballet. Written in 1954, Anderson tries to imitate the sound of soft-shoe dancers as they hoof-it across the old wooden stage that's been sprinkled with sand. The story goes that he rubbed 3 different grits of sandpaper on a block of wood during the piece to get the desired percussive sounds.

Go to Amazon.com and listen to a sound clip. Sandpaper Ballet is #17 on the list. It'll make you smile and maybe even buy the whole CD to listen to!
Leroy Anderson Favorites
If listening inspires you to buy your own sandpaper, visit our website at www.abrasiveresource.com

Planing Wood

2006-02-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, sometimes sanding works better than planing wood. Straight, clear grain is easy to plane. You can take a deep cut at a high feed rate and produce a fairly smooth surface. Figured wood, however, doesn't have a consistent grain direction--it presents both end grain and long grain on its surface. Because of this, it is difficult to plane. The planer knives tend to lift the end grain and tear it out, leaving the surface chipped and gouged. When this is the case, plane the stock until it is slightly thicker than needed and then sand to its final thickness!

Sanding to thickness takes longer than planing, but it's gentler on the wood. The abrasive does not lift the grain like planer knives and consequently there is no chipping or tear out. This allows you to surface thin and highly figured wood as well as rough, resawed and glued-up stock. Use only a coarse abrasive for thicknessing--no finer than a 50 grit and a stationary sander that allows you to adjust the height of either the table or head in small increments. A wide belt sander or drum sander such as the Performax are the most popular choices to use as a thickness sander.

Don't try to remove too much stock at once; the machine will bog down and the abrasive will clog. Remove a maximum of 1/32 inch at a time from softwood and narrow hardwood boards--1/64 inch from wide hardwood boards. When surfacing rough or uneven stock, carefully adjust the machine to remove the high spots first.

Always use a cloth backed abrasive with a resin bond. In recent years, the tough, blue zirconia abrasive material (that was originally engineered for metal grinding) has become popular for abrasive planing. Otherwise, the tried-and-true material is always Aluminum Oxide. In addition, a cloth backing that contains polyester will help provide strength in this more aggresive application and the resin bonding system in the abrasive can withstand the higher heat levels that will develop with this operation.

For smoothing, you can use finer grades--step up your grits slowly until you reach 100 grit! For more information, visit our website at www.abrasiveresource.com

Abrasives Manufacturer Tips for Proper Abrasive Storage

2006-02-16T12:02:00.000-08:00

It's true. Failure to store abrasive products under the correct conditions can lead to breakage or warping, which leaves your coated abrasive disc or belt in a weakened or ineffective state. Here are some tips from a few of the major abrasives manufacturers:

1. Store all coated abrasives in areas that maintain a 40-50% relative humidity and at 60-80 degrees F. Humidity issues can cause cupping of coated abrasive products. In addition, if a sanding belt is in too high of humidity you can experience tracking or creasing issues and if stored in too low of humidity, the tape joint can dry out over time and break.

2. Abrasives should be kept in their original packaging for storage and cartons should be kept at least 4" away from damp or cold walls and floor where they might absorb moisture.

3. Abrasive storage should also be in a place that is out of direct sunlight, away from open windows and doors as well as radiators, steam pipes, furnaces and exhaust vents.

4. Precondition abrasive belts prior to use by removing from the carton and allowing to adjust to the ambient air. They should be rolled up and stored on their edge on a clean shelf or draped over a large cylinder, such as a gallon can or a flanged hanger of the type used for garden hose. NEVER hang a belt from a peg or nail--the back will crease and the abrasive may crack. This is especially important for wide belts, which should be removed up to 24 hours prior to use.

5. Rotate your stock--first in and first out!

Of course, always follow any abrasive manufacturers storage instructions included with the product. Questions? Feel free to visit us at www.abrasiveresource.com for more information...

Finishing Drywall

2006-02-15T11:27:00.000-08:00

The "fuzz" that is associated with sanding drywall is a constant battle between the sanding guys and the painters...who should take care of that fuzz? Our Online store at www.abrasiveresource.com sells 9" discs in both PSA and hook-n-loop that can be used on the power sanders most often used in finishing drywall. The sanders typically use an 80, 100, 120 or 150 grit (depending on the tape job!) and the painters are using a 220 to sand after the prime coat is applied.
Here are some ideas to eliminate the fuzz, suggested by the very people who are dealing with it on a day to day basis. If you have other ideas, please e-mail us here at: mail@abrasiveresource.com,

Finishing Dry Wall
1. Try to keep the sandpaper off the drywall paper and you won't have the fuzz!
2. Take a soft bristle floor broom to the surfaces after the final sanding and prior to the first coat of paint, which removes the particles from the "fuzzed" paper face. This will allow the paint to lay the damaged paper down and flow across the surface more efficiently.
3. Another way to clean the surface and lay the damaged paper down is to wipe the sanded areas with a damp sponge before painting.
4. Use a quality primer.
5. Prime coat should be rolled or sprayed and back-rolled. This lays down the sanding lines and adds a small amount of stipple for good coverage.
6. Check the directions on the paint can. Most are clearly marked "sand between coats".

Sanding Automotive Body Filler

2006-01-25T11:25:00.000-08:00

One of the automotive websites that links over to the Abrasive Resource website www.abrasiveresource.com has "How-To" information and we were interested to see that they include some articles on automotive finishing! Here are some excerpts from their article "Using Body Filler":

First, the bodyman finishes the filler work to 80 grit, then a quick trip over the filler and old paint edge with 180 grit on a DA sander (lightly to not destroy the shaping), then feather edge the surrounding repair with 320 grit on a DA sander. Scuff a little past the area to be primed with a 6 x 9 maroon scuff pad. Prime the area and after it has cured any areas that need slight block sanding can be done with a 320 grit on the primer.

Basic Guidelines for Automotive Sanding:
24-36 grit for paint removal, bare metal Bondo prep and roughing out the filler with an air file or hand board.

60-80 grit for smoothing out the rough scratches from the previous operation and shaping fine contours.

80-180 grit for further smoothing in preparation for high-build catalyzed primers (with hardner) or 240-320 grit for lacquer-based (non-catalyzed) primers.

220-600 grit for final sanding prep before paint, following the manufacturers guidelines on their product information sheet.

600-2000 grit for sanding clear coats or for removing minor surface imperfections prior to polishing and buffing.

For more information, check out www.Roadsters.com. A guy named Dave created Roadsters.com back in the summer of 1996, and continues to update it every day. The site is used by thousands of automotive professionals and hobbyists to quickly access organized links to around 8,000 quality automotive and motorcycle Web sites.

Portable Belt Sanders

2005-12-06T14:41:00.000-08:00

Here are some tips for operating a portable belt sander...if you think of any we've missed, please e-mail us: mail@abrasiveresource.com,

1. Secure your workpiece and maintain a firm grip on your portable belt sander. Friction between the sanding belt and the workpiece will tend to move the workpiece backwards and the sander forward.

2. Be sure the power switch is in the OFF position before connecting the belt sander to the power. Remember to always lift the sander off of the workpiece before starting or stopping the motor. This reduces the shock load on the drive belt and can prevent an unplanned finishing mark on your workpiece.

3. The weight of the belt sander is sufficient for smooth, fast sanding on all types of materials. Guide the machine over the surface without any additional pressure. Keep it moving with overlapping strokes and allow the sander to do the work.

4. When lowering the sander to the workpiece, let the rear part of the belt touch first. Level the machine as it is moved forward. Keep the sander pointed in a direction parallel to the grain when finishing wood. Work back and forth over a fairly wide area to obtain a more even surface. Do not let the belt sander tilt or the edge of the belt will make a deep cut into the workpiece surface. When fully satisfied with the results of your sanding, lift the sander and stop the motor.

5. Getting the "feel" of a belt sander is important for obtaining smooth results with a minimum of effort. For example, it will take a little practice to get the feel of starting a sanding stroke with just the right "sweeping" motion. Remember to overlap each stroke, and to vary the length of the movement to make certain that the finish will be the same over the entire surface.

6. Be careful when sanding out to the end of the piece not to let the front end of the sander drop. Instead, keep the abrasive belt surface parallel with the surface of the workpiece. If the sander does drop over the edge of a square corner, the corner will start to round--no matter what material you are sanding!

7. Never rush when working with a portable belt sander. Give every surface a thorough working over with each abrasive grit before changing to a finer grit. Remember--never skip more than one grit in the sequence! It takes too long and wastes your sanding belts to try and sand out coarse scratches with a fine belt...

8. Do not pause in any one spot during the sanding operation because the belt will quickly remove material, making the surface uneven.

9. Abrasive Resource makes belts in any size. We have low minimums and quantity discounts. Do you own an out-of-date portable sander that needs custom belts? Give us a call:
800-814-7358! Or, visit our website to see which portable belts we stock for immediate shipping: www.abrasiveresource.com

Sanding Slow when Woodturning

2005-11-21T14:31:00.000-08:00

OK, I agree. Sanding is not one of the "fun" parts of woodturning. However, your final finish will only be as good as the surface on which it is applied.

Some turners want to sand too fast--trying to get it done quickly... But sanding fast creates more friction than is desired--and more heat! Don't spin the piece in the lathe so fast that you can feel the abrasive getting hot. Eventually your sandpaper will quit cutting and just glaze over. In addition, the heat can burn the wood's surface. 250 rpm is a good guide for maximum lathe speed on most pieces.

If you are disc sanding with our little 2" and 3" hook and loop discs, "dial down" the speed as much as possible on your sander. 150 rpm works fine--just because the back-up pad has a little sticker on it saying you can use it at 18,000 rpm doesn't mean you should try!

Remember the old fairy tale of the tortoise and the hare? Slow and steady wins the prize.

For more information on abrasives for woodturning, visit our website at:www.abrasiveresource.com or, give us a call: 800-814-7358.

What is Deburring?

2005-11-14T09:23:00.000-08:00

Deburring is the term used for the process of removing burrs--undesirable protusions and metal edges that result from machining operations. Sometimes stones are used for deburring, but more typically coated abrasives or non-woven products are used. Just the kind of abrasives we specialize in at Abrasive Resource! For more information on deburring, call Abrasive Resource at 800-814-7358 or check out the website:www.abrasiveresource.com

Stationary Belt Sanders

2005-11-11T12:39:00.000-08:00

Belt sanders are useful for removing stock, surfacing, smoothing and even creating decorative straightline finishes. These sanding tools come in many sizes--from 1/2" wide strip sanders to huge stroke sanders with a sanding surface as large and wide as a door!

Strip Sanders use narrow sanding belts, usually just 1 or 2 inches wide, which travel vertically. A table supports the work as you press it against the sanding belt. These tools are commonly used for sanding and shaping small parts, fitting joints and sharpening. A few can be configured to sand the edges of interior cuts.

Mid-size stationary belt sanders mount sanding belts between 4 and 6 inches wide, providing a generous sanding surface. They're versatile tools, capable of a wide range of sanding tasks. Most can be used in two positions--horizontally and vertically. Sand concave surfaces where the sanding belt travels over the rollers, and straight or convex surfaces where it rides over the flat metal platen between the rollers.

Stroke Sanders are among the largest sanding machines, mounting belts up to 52" wide and over 12 feet long! The belt travels horizontally as you press it down against the surface of the stock with a large pad or stroker. This is a production tool used in commercial shops.

Common Sanding Procedures
These tips will speed your sanding and help produce better results:

1. Do not press too hard when you sand! It may cut more quickly for a few moments, but the abrasive will rapidly clog due to excess heat and soon become ineffective. In addition, you can bog down and damage the motor.
2. Use a worktable, fence or miter gauge to support the work whenever possible. This practice is safer and it also helps you to be precise in your sanding.
3. Adjust the worktable to within an 1/8" of the abrasive. Where the sanding belt travels past the work table, there is a "pinch point". If you should let your fingers stray too close to the moving abrasive belt, they may be dragged into this opening and pinched--or worse! Even though sanders have no knives or cutters, large abrasive machines can tear off or sand away fingers if you give them a chance. By placing the work table close to the sanding belt, you reduce the pinch point and decrease the risk that your hands might be caught in it.
4. When using a vertical belt sander, set up the work table so the belt travels down, past the table. The motion of the abrasive helps hold the stock on the table, making the operation both safer and more accurate.

Sander Maintenance

Sanders require more maintenance than most tools for the simple reason that they generate more dust! This fine dust is a mild abrasive that can eventually ruin bearings, rotors and other moving parts. Make it a habit to regularly vacuum your sander. If any part of the sander becomes difficult to operate, it probably needs cleaning. Follow the instructions in your owner's manual to take apart, clean and lubricate. From time to time, wax and buff the platen of a belt sander to help the belt slide across it smoothly. Also wax and buff the work table, fence and miter gauge. Just be sure you always buff out the wax after you apply it! Otherwise, the wax will mix with the sanding dust and form a gummy mess...

As the Internet grows, more information will become available on older models of sanders--instruction manuals are popping up online and miscellaneous parts are for sale. Keep in mind that Abrasive Resource can help you with any size sanding belt--even if the sander you have has been discontinued!

For more information on custom sanding belts for older model sanders, check out:
www.abrasiveresource.com

Information for this article was taken from the book "Sanding and Planing" by Nick Engler with permission from Rodale Press.

Contact Wheels for Abrasive Belts

2005-11-11T12:38:00.001-08:00

A Contact Wheel is an essential component of sanders designed to be used with coated abrasive belts. The wheels are typically made with a hard rubber wheel or steel which provides support of the coated abrasive belt at the point of contact with the workpiece.

Contact Wheels may have surfaces divided into alternating grooves, slots, and lands in a variety of patterns to alter the grinding characteristics of the coated abrasive belt.

Abrasive Resource doesn't supply contact wheels for sanders, but we have referred our customers to the Contact Rubber Corporation in Bristol, Wisconsin.

For more information, contact Abrasive Resource at:
www.abrasiveresource.com

To reach Contact Rubber Corp: www.contactrubber.com
For more information on contact wheels and other abrasive terminology, check out the Grinding Technology Glossary at:
www.abrasiveengineering.com

Abrasive Resource joins the ISA

2005-11-11T12:38:00.000-08:00

Abrasive Resource, which supplies abrasives for maintenance & repair as well as production requirements, recently joined the Industrial Supply Association.

The ISA's mission is to "improve the performance of the Maintenance, Repair, Operating and Production (MROP) Supply Chain."

The company is featured in the recent e-newsletter sent out by the ISA and we have included a copy for you to read here as well:

New member profile

Abrasive Resource is a national distributor of coated abrasive products based in Minneapolis. In business for more than 20 years, the company specializes in sanding belts, discs, rolls, sheets and other specialty items.

Our claim to fame is our service. We specialize in the types of business than many larger distributors do not want to go after, such as small and medium-sized customers, people who order in less-than-unit quantities, or customers that are not located in major metropolitan areas so it is difficult for salespeople to call on them, says sales manager Debbie Swanson, who co-owns the company with her husband Randy.

Abrasive Resource has customers in the metal finishing, woodworking, automotive, glass and solid surface industries, but sells to virtually anyone who uses sandpaper products, she says. It ships in-stock orders within 24 hours and can often provide 24-hour service on custom orders as well.

We treat our customers like we would like to be treated. Our sales and service people are trained to know our products and to be friendly and helpful, she says.

With no outside sales force and fewer than 10 total employees, the company sales come from the telephone, catalog and direct mail pieces and the Internet.

Its free e-newsletter, The Finish Line, and a new blog called The Sandpaper Blog are two ways Abrasive Resource keeps in touch with customers, sharing information on current technology and trends, special sales on abrasive products, and new ideas on how to run shops more efficiently.

Abrasive Resource recently received the Integrity Award from the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota. The Integrity Award recognizes companies that demonstrate an exemplary level of ethics in all their business dealings. The company was nominated by a customer and selected by an independent panel of judges as the winner in the 1 to 10 employee category.

Swanson decided to join ISA after attending a regional meeting in Minneapolis led by ISA executive vice president John Buckley. She was most impressed about information included in the ISA Profit Report, which enables her to compare her company financial performance to other distributors.

He did such a wonderful job explaining what the association has to offer that we signed on the dotted line that day, she says.

To learn more about Abrasive Resource, visit our website:
http://www.abrasiveresource.com
For more information on the ISA, visit their website at:
http://www.isapartners.org

Custom Sanding Belts

2005-11-11T12:37:00.000-08:00

Abrasive Resource is able to supply custom sanding belts in any size--they are made up exactly to your specifications!

Here's a guide to help you measure your existing belt:
1.The first measurement is the width of the belt...simply measure straight across the width of the material. However, the width isn't necessarily the shortest measurement. The width is always the same direction that the belt joint is going (so it is easiest to measure the width near the existing joint). Just make sure you measure straight across and not at an angle like the joint is!

2.The second measurement is the entire length of the belt, or its circumference. The most accurate way to determine this is to cut the endless belt at the joint (with a utility knife), lay it flat on your workbench and measure along one side of the material --from tip to tip.

If you need to order custom sanding belts for a sander where there are no existing belts, you have two options.
1. You can take a soft measuring tape (like tailors use for sewing) and feed it through your sander, taking the exact same path the sanding belt would take, and make a note of the total length. Some of our customers have done the same thing with a piece of string, cut to the right length and then measured it out on the workbench.
2. Or, check the operation manual included with the machine. If you don't have this anymore, they often can be found posted on the Internet. Just search by the manufacturer's name and the model number.

Finally, as we become a more global society, our customers are purchasing imported sanders that often have the belt sizes listed in the manual in millimeters. Here's an easy way to convert those belt sizes into inches--divide the millimeters by 25.4. So, a 940mm x 1905mm belt converts to a US size of 37 x 75 inches!

Questions about custom sanding belts? Give us a call at 800-814-7358 or check out the Abrasive Resource website: http://www.abrasiveresource.com

Sanding Belt Splices

2005-11-11T12:36:00.000-08:00

Abrasive Resource is a National Distributor of coated abrasives and sanding products. Although we carry 1000's of different abrasive products, the most popular category by far is our sanding belts! We can supply stock belts for same day shipping and custom belts in sizes from 1/8" wide all the way up to 52" wide can be shipped within 24 hours!

The majority of our customers prefer a "butt splice" on their belts--the two ends of the belt are angle cut, butted together and anchored with a special film tape that is developed specifically for abrasive belts. The advantage is that this allows the belt to be bi-directional--it can be run in both directions, facilitating longer life and ease in use. We offer different thickness tapes depending on the application--some offer higher tensile strength and some are less obtrusive, making "belt chatter" less likely.

26 other splices are available as well, including the traditional lap splice. The lap or sometimes called overlap splice has all or part of the mineral removed from the top lap to provide a smooth, thin construction. Another option is a wavy butt splice. On the wavy splice the two ends of the belt are die cut with a wavy pattern, butted together and anchored with a film material pressed on the back side of the belt.

For more information, please visit our website: http://www.abrasiveresource.com

How to make a Tackcloth

2005-11-11T12:34:00.000-08:00

A tack cloth is one of the best ways to remove sanding dust and grit before applying a finish. One method of making your own tackcloth was suggested by one of our woodworking customers!

Soak a piece of cheese cloth in water, wring it out
Soak it in turpentine, wring it out again
Drip enough clear varnish on the cheesecloth to make it "tacky" all over
Store in a zip lock bag to keep from drying out

For more information, visit our website at: http://www.abrasiveresource.com

Surface Conditioning Abrasives

2005-11-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

Non-woven abrasives that are used for surface conditioning on metals are becoming more popular every year as prices go down and distributor inventories go up! Surface Conditioning abrasives are manufactured by needling synthetic fibers into a woven base called the scrim. On one side of the now "fuzzy" material a mixture of resins and abrasive grains are applied. The uncoated side remains soft and fuzzy which enables it to now act as the "hook" for those customers that require the surface conditioning material in the form of a hook and loop disc.

Surface conditioning discs are not only available as hook and loop, however. Abrasive Resource has discs available with an arbor hole attachment for angle grinders or a quick-change style fastening system. In addition, surface conditioning abrasives are very popular as a belt material as well. Hand-held file belts, bench stand and backstand belts, portable sanding belts as well as stroke sander and wide belts. The three dimensional construction allows the material to follow surface variations and contours easily. The cushion of the non-woven substrate produces a consistent finish.

Most often, surface conditioning abrasives are color-coded by grit--with all of the major manufacturers following the same code (what a refreshing change, huh?) Brown or tan for coarse, Maroon or red for medium, Blue for Very Fine and Grey for Ultra Fine.

Here's a guide of the most popular uses for surface conditioning abrasives:

Deburring
Edge breaking, Radiusing, Burr Removal

Blending
Eliminating mill or tool marks
Weld removal
Flash or parting line removal
Removal of handling marks
Scuffing
Imparting a uniform finish

Cleaning
Corrosion removal
Paint removal
Gasket/adhesive removal

Finishing
Surface roughness reduction
Removal of micro-burrs
Cosmetic finishes (satin and brushed)
Highlighting
Polishing

For additional technical information, contact Abrasive Resource at (800) 814-7358, send us an e-mail to mail@abrasiveresource.com, or for specific product information check out our website at http://www.abrasiveresource.com

Abrasive Resource wins 2005 Better Business Award

2005-11-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

The Better Business Bureau has announced that Abrasive Resource is the winner of the 2005 BBB Integrity Award in category one (1 to 10 employees).

This award recognizes businesses that display an exemplary level of ethics. The competition was judged by an independent panel of community leaders in business ethics. Companies were evaluated against criteria including commitment to and demonstration of ethical practices in the marketplace; high standards of behavior towards customers, employees, suppliers and communities; truthfulness and accuracy of sales practices, ethical reputation among industry peers and communications programs to assist employees in carrying out established ethical policies.

Abrasive Resource will now be eligible for the 2006 International Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics competition.

To learn more about Abrasive Resource, check out their website at: http://www.abrasiveresource.com