Sanding question........

[Tom Crockett]

Yep, this is another been lurking, time to post post....

First to say I am so impressed with this forum and the members. I have already learned tons of good stuff from reading for the past few months. I got serious about the lathe sitting in the corner a few months ago. Bought a grinder to be able to sharpen, build a jig (to cheap to spend the dough I guess) and bought some REALLY nice new Sorby tools on e-bay. Armed with all that and a bit of knowledge, now I'm really dangerous!!! LOL

Anyway, on to my question (well, one of many), How the heck do you sand stuff out quickly? A while back I read about after sanding the piece turning, then sand it by hand with the grain. Where-as that made a huge difference in the finished product, ther has to ba an easier way. The main part I refer to is when you have a piece with say, a 1" concave radius. It's tough to sand that kind of area by hand. Do you use a power sander of some kind on the outsides too?

Please help and MANY MANY more questions to come. Like, for instance, how to master the skew. Just kidding, I have been in touch with a local chapter of AAW to get to their meeting. Nothing like hands on show and tell right???

Anyway, hope to get to know you all a lot better. Thanks.:)

[Jim Ketron]

Sanding is an art! It took me longer to learn how to sand properly than getting my form down.
It all depends on how much time and how good you want it to look. I'm a sanding nut I try my best to get my finishes perfect!
How are you sanding, by hand or power sanding? the best advice I can give you with the info you provided, is use fresh paper wipe between grits to remove previous grit and dust. use a lite touch let the paper do the work! start off with the correct grit if you need 80 to start out with then use it if you can get by with 120 then start there. if you have to sand for a long time and the paper your using is not cutting it fast enough go a step down. I always try to remove sanding scratches with each step. if you move up a grit or 2 and you notice a deep sanding scratch stop and go back down to fix the problem.
Oh and Welcome to the Creek!

[Dennis Peacock]

Sanding? Well, like Jim stated....there's an art to it and the best way to learn is to chuck up a piece, turn it and start sanding. I usually start with 100 or 120 grit but don't be afraid to use 80 grit when necessary. Many like to power sand with the 2" or 3" sanding disks and an angle drill. I've used both ways to sand...with power and by hand. I've primarily reverted back to hand sanding while spinning on the lathe with a lite touch. Too heavy and you'll put deep scratches in the wood that will be hard to get out. Another key is the speed at which you are sanding at on the lathe. Vary it from slow, less than 150 RPM and see how it goes, then if necessary, speed it up some until you get a feel and look like you want. Sand through about 400 or even 600 grit.

[Carole Valentine]

Tom,
I hate sanding. Everybody hates sanding. I am also finicky about sanding. There are no shortcuts. That being said, it is my humble opinion that the best way to ease the pain of sanding is to work on perfecting your cutting techniques so you don't have to sand as much. There are cuts that, done properly, will eliminate tearout and tool marks. Get the folks in your club to show you how. You'll spend less time sanding and more time turning!
When you do get to the sanding part, use good paper and fresh paper. The first thing you should do with fresh sandpaper is run it across the edge of something (I use my lathe ways) to remove any oversized grit particles that will leave too-deep scratches. If sanding under power, sand SLOW and keep the sander moving, especially at the center of the piece. For each grit ( and you already know this) hand sand diagonally and then with the grain at the end of power sanding. Before going to next grit, wipe off all residue from the previous grit. Don't skip grits. Use a good glancing light (incadescent) to show sanding scratches. Coves and details should be hand sanded being careful not to obliterate crisp edges. I use a variety of things from sandpaper wrapped around a sponge to sandpaper creased to a sharp edge or folded over a credit card. Be inventive and be patient. Remember, your final finish will only be as good as your prep work. Any sanding scratches, tool marks, tearout or other imperfections will only be enhanced by any finish you apply. A perfect finish requires a perfect base. Happy turning!:)

[Bill Stevener]

Hi Tom,
Welcome to the Creek. you'll like the turners side, lots of things going around.

About the only thing I can add to what the folks above me said is: use sandpaper like someone else is buying it for you, and they have lots of money.

Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>:)

[Andy Hoyt]

Tom - Welcome to the Creek; and the dark side.

Here's my plugged nickel's worth. I think we're all assuming you're asking about spindle sanding.

For that, the best rig I've found is the $20 box of four grits 150, 240, 320, and 400 in one inch wide rolls. I supplement that with additional rolls of 80 and 120 grit. Always paperbacked. Find 'em just about anywhere online. Cut up an old mouse pad into one inch wide strips and use that to back the sandpaper further. This allows you to push a little bit harder and avoid those nasty "Holy Cow! That's Hot" moments.

And get dust protection for yourself. This task produces a prodigious amount of the stuff.

[John Hart]

I can't add anything to the sanding question as everyone has pretty much covered it. But I can say WELCOME! Lurking is educational but posting adds a little fun to it!!:)

[Keith Burns]

First I agree with all thats been said by others. The only thing I can add is when sanding, by hand or with power, (which Dennis touched on) use the slowest speed on your lathe. My slowest speed is about 350 rpm and I never sand at a higher speed.

[David Fried]

Keith,

Welcome! Folks have already told you about everything there is to sanding so I can't add much except to try and reinforce it.

Bill's right. I've tried using sandpaper one too many times. Besides spending too much time attempting to sand with used up paper it can also produce scratches that force you to back up a few grits. Ugghhh! I tear a sheet of sandpaper into fairly small pieces so I can discard them without wasting much.

Andy's mouse pad trick works really well. Not only does it protect your fingers - yes, that stuff can get hot! - it also helps distribute your finger pressure evenly. Rolled up, it makes sanding those concave radii you mention a snap.

Carole gave you an excellent treatise on sanding! I usually fold my sandpaper and use the edge to get into crevasses but I'll try her credit card trick! As always on the creek I learned something new - running the sandpaper across the edge of something to remove any oversized grit particles. Sounds good! I've forgotten to wipe between grits so I know it makes a difference. Wipe! I use a rag damp with mineral spirits.

The light touch and letting the sandpaper do the work is good advice. There must be a knack to sanding because it does seem to have gotten easier with time!

Practice a little Zen. Use the time to study the piece and enjoy the moment.


Dave Fried

[Bob Noles]

Tom, I'm a newbie to turning so take the advice of those in the know.

I just wanted to say welcome to SMC.

[Carole Valentine]

yes, that stuff can get hot!
David, IMHO if it gets that hot you are either sanding at too high a speed, using too much pressure or both. More than likely you doing as much burnishing as sanding which makes it all the harder for the next grit to do it's job correctly.;)

[Jim Becker]

On other important point about sanding...you MUST clean the piece off between grits. (I use mineral spirits on a lint-free cloth) If you do not do this, you risk a stray piece of the previous grit(s) getting caught between the new, finer paper and the workpiece, resulting in nasty scratching...and the need to go back and start over. This applies to hand sanding as well as power sanding.

[Tom Crockett]

Well, Thank you, Thank you and Thank you!!!

Several more good ideas from several folks to try and alleviate the heartache of sanding. I think the best input of all was, do a better job of shaping the piece first. I've heard that, and am better with the good tools and sharpening station. But alas, practice, practice, practice. (Oh and get some good instruction)

Thanks again!!!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Amen to what Jim said. Either use air or mineral spirits and make sure it is clean. I found out the hard way. When you get to what you think is about done especially on a pen and it gets scratched it is pretty hard to get it out and have any wood left.

[ROBERT SCHUMAN]

welcome ,
I wont add much , I prefer a good cloth backed paper, they last so much longer then paper and the grits are usually more consistent .I buy the full sheets then cut or rip them into equal peices, then fold each peice into three layers, (protection from heat) ,I keep refolding until it doesnt cut the way I want .Also I use an old peice in between grits and blow off the peice with air....
best of luck

[Pat Jeddy]

I like sanding and finishing. It is nice when you can use the tools to get 90 percent to the final finish. But one thing, don't skimp on the various levels, if you begin at 100, then go too 150, 220, then 320, 400, and 600. If you want to really rock, go to 800, 1000 and 1200. You'll be amazed at the result. I've been very close to resurrecting a very shoddy piece to look halfway decent. I learned this from finishing electric guitar bodies. You will be AMAZED!!!

[George Troy Hurlburt]

I use a 1" ProVelco Holder to sand the bottoms of my bowls. This size disc is real good to clean up if you do a direct parting off at the bottom. With an extension you can also sand the pip at the bottom you can't reach. I also have 2" and 3" holders for power sanding. The Skilton inertia sanders 2 & 3 are great to sand with, they will leave less scratches than power sanding.

[t peterson]

In addition to all the good advice received and given; I tear my sandpaper into rectangular sheets and keep them by grade in one of those flat plastic tackle boxes that have the moveable dividers. When things are slow I cut whole sheets to the smaller size and fill each section. Now when I really get into finishing a piece I don't have to stop to tear more paper and I can zip right through the grits. I also write the grit on the inside of the the box top so when it's open I can quickly find the grit I need. Just remember when you raise the lid the schematic reverses! tp