What sandpaper to use?

[Nicholas Briggs]

What's the most cost effective high quality sand paper you use? Specifically for pen turning. I used some of the 1500 grit wet dry stuff from Orchard, but it seemed to discolor the wood.

[Kevin McPeek]

Klingspor 1.5" wide rolls 220 to 600 grit and Micro Mesh the rest of the way, for pens anyway. But other work, occasionally ;) , sees a few lower grits usually from Klingspor also.

[George Tokarev]

Second the Klingspor source, suggest the "gold" paper with cloth backing. Sand with the grain at 400 or 600, clean with compressed air, then take a piece of grocery (paper, not plastic) bag and burnish the wood.

Polish the finish.

[Frank Kobilsek]

Nick,
I'm having good luck with 3M 'Sandblaster' papers from local big box stores. The 150 is purple and 180 up to 400 is gold in color. 600 and higher I use Finkat, a japanese paper from Crafts Supply.

The 3M paper is about $3.70 for 3 sheets so not cheap. So when they have the '20% off anything that fits in the bag sales' I stock up.

Frank

[Nicholas Briggs]

Klingspor 1.5" wide rolls 220 to 600 grit and Micro Mesh the rest of the way, for pens anyway. But other work, occasionally ;) , sees a few lower grits usually from Klingspor also.

Where is the best place to purchase Klingspor and Micromesh?

[Mike Vickery]

Woodchips is th ebest price on Micro Mesh I have found
http://www.woodchipshome.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WC&Product_Code=MMKG1&Category_Code=MM8

not positive on Klingspore I have bought most of mine from AZ silhouette or locally. Mirka is another good sandpaper that I use often but again I buy it locally.

[Paul Andrews]

Klingspor can be found here http://www.woodworkingshop.com

[Kevin McPeek]

^^ What they said.
Klingspor has a large selection once you start looking. The "gold" is very nice if you want to spend a little extra. I use http://www.woodworkingshop.com/cgi-bin/0F7A3860/mac/qryitems.mac/itemDisplay?qryType=STYLE&itemSt=SR01%2E5X25&coreDsc=1%2E5%22%20X%2025%20MT%20SHOP%20ROLL
Sorry for the long link, I can't remember how to make a word sub for it.
If you use a lot of lower grit stuff, buy one of the end roll bargain boxes. Its enough 120/150 to last years.

[Kaptan J.W. Meek]

I've had good results from the "Norton" 3X.. It just doesn't clog up when sanding soft woods.. For the 600 and up, I've used the automotive wet/dry after I've applied the finish, and sand it wet. Put on another coat of finish, (Hut or Laquer).. and wet sand again.. final coat, and wax & buff.

[Dario Octaviano]

The best that i've tried is Klingspor AO (aluminum oxide) Stearate sandpaper. It is very sharp, even sized grit, stays sharp for a long time, resists loading, and IF it gets loaded, cleans easily too.

Micromesh will give you the best return for your money and the best investment you can buy sanding wise. It may be expensive but it lasts so long that it actually is very cheap if you pro-rate its cost.

[Nicholas Briggs]

Purchased 4 rolls of the Klingspor and the micromesh starter pack today. Thank you everyone for your helpfull input.

[Darrell Feltmate]

I like to sand pens to 2000 using automotive wet and dry, usually 3M but whatever the auto parts store has around. If you get a bit of the coloration on the wood, it may be from the paper but it may be from sanding a bit of the bushings too. Before applying the finish I like to
wash the blank with a 50/50 mix of vegetable and mineral oils. It is applied at low speed and worked in and off at high. Then I apply the finish over the now clean blanks. Note that if you are using a varnish or lacquer based finish, you will do better to polish the finish than the blanks. Clear coat on a car is sanded to to 2000 over and then polished.