Abranet abrasive discs

[Rick Potter]

I have been using Mirka Abranet discs on my 5" orbital sander lately. I am very pleased with the way they work, but it seems to me the labeling on the discs is slightly different than normal sandpaper.

For example, I find that the net discs marked 80 grit seem to work like a normal 100 grit disc, and 120 grit is more like a a 150/180 grit paper. I find that 120 grit discs will finish sand red oak very nicely, and am not going any finer on my kitchen cabs. I pre sand to the same thickness with my drum sander before assembling, then RO sand with 80 and 120 mesh, and that seems just fine on my red oak.

Even though the net discs sand smoother, they also seem to sand pretty quickly compared to paper. Of course, I may just keep the paper on the sander too long.

Anyone else notice this, or am I just imagining it?


PS: Just got some 80 grit Diablo abrasive net discs from HD today. They include an intermediate pad in each box. Got a box of ten with the pad, and an extra ten for $15. It was the last box they had with the free extras.

[Wojciech Tryc]

I have been using Mirka Abranet discs on my 5" orbital sander lately. I am very pleased with the way they work, but it seems to me the labeling on the discs is slightly different than normal sandpaper.

For example, I find that the net discs marked 80 grit seem to work like a normal 100 grit disc, and 120 grit is more like a a 150/180 grit paper. I find that 120 grit discs will finish sand red oak very nicely, and am not going any finer on my kitchen cabs. I pre sand to the same thickness with my drum sander before assembling, then RO sand with 80 and 120 mesh, and that seems just fine on my red oak.

Even though the net discs sand smoother, they also seem to sand pretty quickly compared to paper. Of course, I may just keep the paper on the sander too long.

Anyone else notice this, or am I just imagining it?


PS: Just got some 80 grit Diablo abrasive net discs from HD today. They include an intermediate pad in each box. Got a box of ten with the pad, and an extra ten for $15. It was the last box they had with the free extras.

I would be interested in seeing a comparison of Diablo to Abranet.

[Paul F Franklin]

The abranet disks follow the FEPA standard (P60, P100, etc), while you may be used to the US CAMI standards (no letter P in front of grit).
The FEPA grits are a little coarser than corresponding number in the CAMI standard. For example, a P100 disk would fall in between the US CAMI 80 and 100. Going by that, a FEPA disk should seem *coarser* than a CAMI disk.

Now that is opposite of what you are observing, so the different systems don't explain what you are seeing. I recently switched to using the abranet disks myself, but I haven't used them enough to get a sense of how they compare to my non-abranet disks. It will be interesting to see what other folks have observed.

[Jim Tobias]

Rick,
I switched to the Mirka Abranet discs awhile back. I can't really tell a difference in grit, but they do seem to sand quicker(get a smooth finish) to me. It may just be me because I really think the dust collection is superior to normal sandpaper. No clogging either. If you ever need a super smooth finish or need to buff out a finish, the Mirka Abralon pads(sponge like pads) are great. I use them to sand up to 1000 grit before using Tried and True Varnish Oil and Beeswax finish and it works great for me. Takes less coats and dries faster.

Jim

[Nick Decker]

I don't recall noticing a difference in grits, but it's been so long since I used "regular" sandpaper I might have forgotten.

Jim T., I wasn't aware of the Abralon pads you mentioned, will have to take a look. Thanks.

[Martin Wasner]

Anyone else notice this, or am I just imagining it?

Every manufacturer and spec within that will sand differently than another. We use abranet on the benches with a vacuum. It's expensive, does a good job, and tears way too easily, lifespan is okay.

Our normal abrasive is a 3M cloth backed that's about 60% of the cost. It's durable, lasts a long time, leaves a good scratch. But, there's no holes for collection so it's limited to the downdraft table and a few things on the benches where a pneumatic sander is used.

I really like the abranet belts for a handheld belt sander. Except when there's glue involved. It passed through and builds up on the idler and drive wheel. That's no bueno.

[Rick Potter]

Paul, interesting about the two standards. I looked, and the Mirka disc says P120 on the back, while the Diablo says Grit-120. Made in Switzerland. The Diablo's feel a little more coarse.

For me what I like best is the more uniform abrasive size on each disc, where normal pads seem to have less uniformity, which gives scratches. Cheap normal sanding discs are not in the same league with name brands.

I use the net discs with intermediate pads, on my $99 Festool sander, as well as a Milwaukee and a PC. All of them have really great dust pickup. I have a simple small shop vac with a bag for dust collection and it works great. I agree with all who have mentioned that the dust pickup is much better with the net discs.

Woj., Sorry, I finished the sanding for these doors, and am staining now. It will probably be a while before I do much sanding again. I will try to quickie test the two brands a bit, but perhaps someone else could be in a position to do a real test.

[Van Huskey]

Rick, could it be the more uniform grit is producing a more uniform scratch which in turn leads you to believe it is working like a finer grit?

I have been using Abranet for years so I may have forgotten but I don't remember ever thinking there was any significant difference as I started and finished at the same grits as usual.

[Dave Cav]

I've never used the Abranet stuff; usually I use Mikra discs on my Dynabrades. I saw some of the Diablo discs at HD the other day and got a pack of 80 grit, but haven't used them yet. Looking forward to how they work on my next project.

[Rick Potter]

Van, yes, that is a better way of saying what I was trying to say. No expert, but it seems the better uniformity of the abrasive is not scratching as much, therefore I only used two finish grits, and stopped at 120 because it is very smooth at that point.

Remember, it has all been previously sanded to 150 grit, several passes, with the drum sander before assembly. It's midnight, and I just ran out to check that 150 was correct. It is. Interesting that the 120 abrasive discs sand much smoother than the drums 150. I pulled out an extra sanded stile that I had left over, and compared the drums 150 to the disc's 120. The disc's 120 is noticeably smoother, and I only spent a couple minutes on each sanding of a cab door.

Again, I am using red oak, so it does not need to be finished as smooth as maple because of the more open grain. In the past with sandpaper discs I would have to go at least one step further...at least 180 on Oak, maybe 220.

Tomorrow I stain, and really find out how it looks.

[Rick Potter]

Well the stain has dried two days now, and I am very happy with the way they turned out. I could only find a couple little pigtails, and this is on the backside, where I was not as careful as the front, which gets done tomorrow.

Wednesday and thursday are supposed to be 78 and 80. That will be the days I spray the finish. Only problem is getting set up to spray 18 doors at once. Takes a lot of sawhorsies, and room where trees won't shed on them.

[Tim Bueler]

2 saw horses and one extension ladder laid flat between them will hold a lot of smaller doors.

[Jim Becker]

I'm finding the idea of the Abranet/mesh abrasives to be very interesting. For those who have been using them regularly, how is their life-span compared to more "conventional" abrasives. (I use Festool sanders for reference)

[Van Huskey]

I'm finding the idea of the Abranet/mesh abrasives to be very interesting. For those who have been using them regularly, how is their life-span compared to more "conventional" abrasives. (I use Festool sanders for reference)

IME they last longer than Festool or Klingspor abrasive discs but it is certainly not multiple times but enough t make them more cost effective. Festool makes Granat net now but I have yet to use it, I have a sample pack but haven't had occasion to try it out yet. They are very similarly priced at least at retail but the Mirka stuff can be found at a discount.

[Nick Decker]

Same here. They last longer than Granat, but not forever.

Martin W. (I think) posted that they tear too easily, though I've never had that happen.

Dust collection is excellent. I never see dust at all, except when I pull an old disc off, I sometimes see a tiny "puff" of dust that gets caught in the hook/loop.