captive ring sanding,,

[jeff oldham]

can anyone tell me a good way to sand captive rings after they are cut,,,

[Dale Gillaspy]

I sand as much as possible before I cut it free. Then, I wrap a small piece of sandpaper around the spindle I have just cut the ring from, and turn on the lathe very slowly. Move the ring around like a hula hoop over the sandpaper so it doesn't sand just one part and destroy the ring. You can also do it with the lathe off, it just takes a little more time.

[Thom Sturgill]

+1 on sanding before releasing the ring. You can also cut thin strips of sandpaper or cloth and thread through the ring. If you angle the strip you can get the ring to rotate so that you are not just sanding one spot. This will sand the inner half of the ring without creating a major flat on the inside.

[Peter Fabricius]

Like a Dale said. Reverse wrap a strip of sandpaper on the spindle after the ring is cut clear. Use masking tape on one end of the sand paper so when you turn the spindle the sandpaper works like a flap sander and you just hold and rotate the ring against the sandpaper.
P.S. It is sometimes helpful to tape all the rings to one end or the other so you do not catch them with a cutting tool when shaping the stem.

Peter F.

[Col Smith]

+1 For strips of sandpaper.
It usually sanding the inside so you don't need the coarser grits, I start about 320 & up to 600..

HTH
Col