Sanding Cocobolo

[Bob Vavricka]

I am working on a Cocobolo project and having a tough time getting it sanded. The sandpaper gums up and get glazed over almost instantly. I am using the slowest speed on my lathe and tried wiping it down with some lacquer thinner, but that didn't seem to help much. Any suggestions?
Bob V.

[curtis rosche]

denatured alcohol helps. or just wait till the peice of wood dries some. you could try boiling it to. that some times will take all the sap out

[Jack Mincey]

I've turned a lot of cocobolo for crow call bodies. They are only about 3 1/4" long by less than 1 1/2" dia. I turn the lathe down if there is a spot to sand and it helps, but most of them are smooth enough to just sand the outside of the piece with 0000 steel wool. You might want to try some 0 or 00 steel wool. It will not glaze over like sand paper.
Jack

[Bernie Weishapl]

Curtis it is not sap but oil. I wipe it down with acetone and sand after drying.

[Bob Hallowell]

I turn alot of cocobolo, I sand it at high speeds and either regular or power sanding. just keep the paper moving. Once you are done with the 220 grit use a green scotch brite pad.

Bob

[Montgomery Scott]

Try stearated paper instead or keep the sandpaper moving all the time so it doesn't us the same spot for more than a second or two. I just acknowledge the fact that I will go through a lot of sandpaper when turning cocobolo. It's as bad or worse than African blackwood.

[Scott Conners]

My main production items are cocobolo. I try to get the best finish I can off the tool, light scraping or good bevel control can take it to a near-perfect surface. Sanding at speed will almost always heat the oils up and gum your paper instantly. Use heavy grit (80) to do any shaping, and then use clean paper by hand to get rid of the scratches of the previous grit - don't skip, and you'll end up spending very little time on each grit. Sand with the grain if at all possible, it makes a huge difference in the amount of work.

I use steel wool extensively on cocobolo, Liberon 0000 steel wool (don't use cheap home depot stuff, it isn't the same) is often my final finish before buffing.

[Ryan Baker]

Cocobolo is almost completely goof proof it's so easy to turn. A little shear scraping or careful gouge cuts will leave a surface that doesn't need hardly any sanding. Cutting cleanly with the tool is a lot easier and faster than sanding. If the particular piece is really oily, acetone will help remove the surface oil enough to do some finish sanding. Just don't add any oil-based finishes.

[Rich Stewart]

Two words. Beall buff. No finish necessary. Don't use the white diamond, though.