Anyone converted their non-mirka ROS with the Abranet backup pad and mesh disks?

[David Kuzdrall]

I see where for $30 I can order a new backup pad to convert my PC ROS to the type that is compatible with the Abranet sanding mesh.

Has anyone here done this conversion with the pad, and if so were your results worth it?

Thanks

[Matt Mackinnon]

I use the abranet with my Festool ETS150 all the time. It works like a charm and I get great results. The Festool however has great DC and didn't really need any mods two work.

[Sam Murdoch]

I use the abranet with my Festool ETS150 all the time. It works like a charm and I get great results. The Festool however has great DC and didn't really need any mods two work.

Me too, with excellent results. I did choose to punch out a few of the center holes of the Abranet pad to match the Festool better, but just because I could and not because it was essential to do so.

[Prashun Patel]

The Abranet backing pad is not to make your ROS compatible with the Abranet discs; they are hook and loop and will fit any ROS with a H&L pad just fine.

The problem is that the abranet discs are thin mesh. As such, they transfer more heat to the pad than a regular H&L disc. Therefore, there's a chance the life of your pad will be diminished as the hooks will deform with heat.

The Abranet pad is more of a protector for the pad.

FWIW, I have a Mirka Ceros sander; there's nothing different about the hooks vis-a-vis the other ROS's I've used; I still use an Abranet pad protector on it.

The hole orientation on the ROS is irrelevant, since the mesh is porous along the whole sfc.

[Mike Heidrick]

I see where for $30 I can order a new backup pad to convert my PC ROS to the type that is compatible with the Abranet sanding mesh.

Has anyone here done this conversion with the pad, and if so were your results worth it?

Thanks

ETS150/3 and /5 - excellent results. I just use a shopvac that I cannot seem to kill.

[John Coloccia]

I'll never go back to regular sandpaper on machines. I use Abranet heavy duty rolls on my drum sander too, now. It's like a new machine. Next, I'm converting the drum sander to Velcro. Anyhow, it's difficult to put into words how much better Abranet works on handheld and drum sanders than regular sandpaper.

How do you like that Ceros, Prashun? I've been thinking of picking one up. I played with one a few months ago. Seems like a pretty hot number.

[Prashun Patel]

I love my Ceros. I did a mini review on a previous thread of all the things I love about it.

If you are on the fence, wait until Peach Tree has a sale. They've been offering it every couple months with a whole bunch of free abranet paper and free shipping.

[Paul Johnstone]

Mikra is still running their Father's Day promotion.. you get a lot of sandpaper and a hat if you buy before Jun 30.
I bought one, have not tried it yet, but I am actually excited to get to the sanding point of this project :)

I didn't get the protector pad for it that someone mentioned.. will look into that.

[Richard Dragin]

Prashun,
Mirka makes a replacement pad that is different from the backer saver pad. It completely replaces the pad on some brands of sanders so you have the matching 44 holes that are on the Mirka sander.

I also have a Mirka Cerros which I like for the lightweight and low noise. Unfortunately the 5" only comes with a 5/16" orbit which is too aggressive and if you don't change disks often you get swirl marks. It also slows down a lot on curved surfaces but is very good on flat surfaces.

I recommend the Autonet disks instead of the Abranet, they are almost half the price and I find no difference in them. Both are non-sterated.

[Prashun Patel]

There are 5 inch backing pads similar to the ones turners use that make the ceros excellent at curved surfaces.

[David Kuzdrall]

I found that detail out yesterday and I ordered the pad that should fit my PC390 ROS, and a set of abranet discs...hopefully this weekend I will have some results.


Prashun,
Mirka makes a replacement pad that is different from the backer saver pad. It completely replaces the pad on some brands of sanders so you have the matching 44 holes that are on the Mirka sander.

I also have a Mirka Cerros which I like for the lightweight and low noise. Unfortunately the 5" only comes with a 5/16" orbit which is too aggressive and if you don't change disks often you get swirl marks. It also slows down a lot on curved surfaces but is very good on flat surfaces.

I recommend the Autonet disks instead of the Abranet, they are almost half the price and I find no difference in them. Both are non-sterated.

[joe milana]

I'll never go back to regular sandpaper on machines. I use Abranet heavy duty rolls on my drum sander too, now. It's like a new machine. Next, I'm converting the drum sander to Velcro. Anyhow, it's difficult to put into words how much better Abranet works on handheld and drum sanders than regular sandpaper.

How do you like that Ceros, Prashun? I've been thinking of picking one up. I played with one a few months ago. Seems like a pretty hot number.

John, where do you get the rolls for your drum sander, and what benefits would converting to Velcro add? Thanks!

[John Coloccia]

I got the roll here:

http://beavertools.com/mirka/mirka-specialty-abrasives-1/mirka-abranet-2/mirka-abranet-2.html

I'm using the heavy duty ones.

Changing to velcro just makes it easier to change sandpaper. I hate having to cut it at that goofy angle, wrapping it, tucking it into that stupid clip. I know it works but the sandpaper retention system is just a really inelegant and not very user friendly system.

[Richard Dragin]

There are 5 inch backing pads similar to the ones turners use that make the ceros excellent at curved surfaces.

Can you point me to a link? Are they from Mirka with the matching holes?

[James Boster]

I got a Ceros sander about a month ago and agree what a sander! Not sure if I like the Abranet yet or not. Very fragile but I have not tried the HD version of it yet. Dust pickup is wonderful with the Abranet but not near as good with the 8 hole regular Mirka discs.

[joe milana]

I got a Ceros sander about a month ago and agree what a sander! Not sure if I like the Abranet yet or not. Very fragile but I have not tried the HD version of it yet. Dust pickup is wonderful with the Abranet but not near as good with the 8 hole regular Mirka discs.

I'd agree with the comment about being fragile, especially when sanding over the edge of a board. The discs easily catch a sharp edge & tear. IME anyway.

[Paul Johnstone]

There are 5 inch backing pads similar to the ones turners use that make the ceros excellent at curved surfaces.
I know we can't post links here.. but if you could give me a hint where to find this, I'd appreciate it.
Ran the ceros last night for the first time.. I'm in love..

[mreza Salav]

I got the roll here:

http://beavertools.com/mirka/mirka-specialty-abrasives-1/mirka-abranet-2/mirka-abranet-2.html

I'm using the heavy duty ones.

Changing to velcro just makes it easier to change sandpaper. I hate having to cut it at that goofy angle, wrapping it, tucking it into that stupid clip. I know it works but the sandpaper retention system is just a really inelegant and not very user friendly system.

Those seem to be substantially more expensive than traditional sand paper.
When you say they are much better on a drum sander in what way you mean? Less clogging? faster removal of material? longer lasting?
I can see the benefit on a ROS but what's the advantage on a drum sander?

[John Coloccia]

Those seem to be substantially more expensive than traditional sand paper.
When you say they are much better on a drum sander in what way you mean? Less clogging? faster removal of material? longer lasting?
I can see the benefit on a ROS but what's the advantage on a drum sander?

All of the above, actually. That's my experience so far. They seem to last significantly longer...far longer than the extra cost...and seem to work better for the entire life. I believe it's probably because the mesh prevents clogging and heating, but I don't really know why.

[Mike OMelia]

I'm intrigued. Most of my drum sandpaper simply becomes useless because it gets buildup on it that I cannot remove. Yes, I use the large erasure, and I have no interest in putting oven cleaner on the paper. You would think the paper would wear out first. But if I am messing with wood that has oil or resin, that seems to be the first route to failure. So, do you see buildup due to oil and resin type woods? Do bumps build up on the Abranet?

I am so wanting one of those Ceros 5" sanders! Gonna mention it to Santa.

Mike

[Mike OMelia]

One other thing. I'm still in the camp of not putting H&L on the drum. The paper cost goes up, and a necessary heat transfer mechanism is lost. Also, when sanding inlays, or laminates from the side, where wood hardness differs, I've been told that the contouring effect due to the softness of the H&L can lead to uneven surfaces. I have seen that effect with the ROS and palm sander when working over a rosette before, so I tend to believe it could happen on the drum. It would appear that the heat transfer thing might be mitigated by the porousness of the Abranet. And maybe, I'm just wrong about all of this. I've never used H&L on a drum. I have gotten quite goot at dealing with that crazy clip on the drum. ;)

Just putting thoughts out there. Regardless, I look forward to hearing results of H&L on a drum using Abranet.

Mike

[Mike OMelia]

I'd agree with the comment about being fragile, especially when sanding over the edge of a board. The discs easily catch a sharp edge & tear. IME anyway.

Can the Ceros be easily used with normal 8 hole paper?

[John Coloccia]

Hi, Mike. No, I haven't noticed that resins build up on the paper. I think that's one reason why it's lasting longer for me. I know that after sanding a couple of fingerboard and veneers, my normal 80 grit is black and glazed. This stuff seems to work better.

re: velcro
Everyone talks about uneven sanding, but then again there are a lot of hook and loop sanders out there that no one is complaining about. For example, no one complains about the Woodmaster or the large Grizzlys, and they are all hook and loop. It seems like a lot of people heard that it's a bad idea (like me) but when you probe for specifics no one specifically knows of problems. There's an awful lot of force on that drum. I have to think that the paper seats itself after the first second or two and gets pretty well sucked down to the drum. I can see there being some give for heavier cuts, but there's give in the whole system anyway depending on the depth of cut. It's a matter of degree. The only place I really need it precise is on acoustic tops and braces, and that's all very homogenous spruce, so no problem there. For everything else, I'm just looking to clean it up...if I'm off a few thou here and there, I don't care.

The kit isn't too expensive so I don't mind experimenting a bit to find out. :)

[Paul Johnstone]

Can the Ceros be easily used with normal 8 hole paper?

I have the 6" ceros, and the holes line up with festool's 6" hole pattern. I can't remember how many holes there are on it. I did my sanding last night with it.
Have not tried abranet/autonet paper yet.

[Mike Heidrick]

H&L on my G1077Z and its awesome. Guessing guys negative against it have never used it. Much easier to apply rolls (still tape ends), sanding is perfect flat - I like it tons better than the roller/roll setup I used on my 22/44ST (3 legged 22/44 pro). I want to try abranet on it.

Also the last thing I would call abranet is fragile. This stuff, even wore out has to be forceably torn. Guys ripping them on sanders are doing something very wrong with their ROS IMO.

[Mike OMelia]

The kit isn't too expensive so I don't mind experimenting a bit to find out. :)

Well, I am in no hurry, so I will look forward to hearing what you find. I do admit that I never look forward to changing drum paper.

Thanks Mike H!

Mike

[John Coloccia]

Just wanted to post an update. I haven't changed the Abranet strip on the sander yet, so I still don't know how long it lasts! I will say this, though...one major advantage is I get no more burning. Even when I'm too aggressive, I can slow it down but I haven't burned anything yet, nor clogged up/glazed the abrasive. I've been using it a lot lately, taking off quite a bit of material from padauk and maple, as well as pine. I bought a bunch of pine for one piece body blanks, but I only have a 12" planer so I have no way to work them other than the sander. No problem....this stuff just keeps on chugging.

So IMHO, the added cost is easily offset by it's longevity. I've had a least several times in the last couple of days alone where I know from experience that I would have instantly trashed traditional sandpaper but this stuff doesn't care.