Just placed an order...

[admin]

I've been wanting something 'better' for finishing my turnings. Up to current, most of my stuff has look OK, but by no means a good looking piece. With the highest grit I could lay hands on being 400, it always seemed to lack the shine, the BAM of some other works.

So I started checking around, and I ordered a couple things off Amazon tonight. One is a Micro Mesh kit, 9 graduations of 5" no hole hook and loop disks. I don't have a sander, but I've used discs before with ease and they seem to last longer for me.

www.amazon.com/MICRO-MESH-NO-HOLE-SANDING-COMBO/dp/B000H6JDDC/ref=pd_sim_hi_1

1500, 1800, 2400, 3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000, 12000 are the graduations I got. Which, by my figuring will allow me to polish the wood to a 5000 grit neighborhood, which seems like a drastic improvement. I'll have to use it to see how long it will last, but even if I can't get but a few bowls out of the kit, but might be able to sell those bowls, then in my mind, it's Win-Win.

And I ordered a small Cylindrical buffing wheel that is mounted on a mandrel that should fit nicely in my drill. Between the two, I predict my work will finally look.... (drum roll please) Snazzy!

Once the stuff arrives, probably next Thursday or Friday, I'll whip out a cedar bowl and see what this stuff can do.

TJ.

[TDHofstetter]

That's... tomorrow or the next day!

Cedar being a li'l gummy, you might be able to "rejuvenate" the MicroMesh by washing it in mineral spirits.

[admin]

There's been a small snafu on the shipping, it should be here by the third. Typical, the seller says "will ship by the 27th" and that means they'll start getting it ready to ship by the 29th, LOL.

I'm still as eager as a dog with two tails to finally have something better than the stuff I've got now. Can't hardly wait for the Big Brown Truck to arrive! If I can get a good polish going, I'm sure the visual appeal of my stuff will increase exponentially.

TJ.

[Leo Voisine]

TJ,

Auto supply stores should have finer grits of sandpaper. I have even seen stuff in the auto section of Walmart. 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit.

[admin]

I've looked in the local stores, and the highest that we have around here is 400 grit. Which, as far as woodworking goes is pretty coarse. there are very few woodworkers in this town; there must be. There are VERY few good items for woodworkers who are serious. The best thing I've picked up thus far was a Stanley block plane. And, that's pretty minimal by most town standards.

We need a few of the specialty stores around here. I'd love to lay hands on some of the better stuff without paying shipping on it!

[sawduster]

I use the micro mesh sheets for polishing the CA finish on pens. Works excellent, and like someone else mentioned, they can be rejuvenated by washing. I just wash mine out with water and some dish liquid, then drape them over something to dry. They should work with other filming finishes you might apply to bowls as CA could be a bit expensive to finish bowls.

[admin]

The stuff arrived via the BBT about ten minutes ago. I'll be giving it a thorough exam probably tomorrow or the next day and I'll report back then.

So far, it looks ok. It's the first sanding product I've ever seen that came with an instruction sheet outlining it's usage, but what the hey, maybe it's justified. Or, maybe it's different than the ordinary stuff. I do know that only the two lowest 'grits' feel like they have any grit at all, beyond 2400 they all feel sorta rubbery but not sandpapery. Go figger.

TJ.

[maxwellsmart007]

use water with them, or you'll burn them up, TJ!

[admin]

Alright,

I've been using the stuff, and I must say, it's much easier to use on spindles. For faceplate work, it's not optimal as it's just so easy to generate too much heat even with ice water as a lubricant. And, once you let it get the least bit warm it'll take abrasive off the sheets and leave it stuck to the bowl which means you have to sand that crap off with 220 and start over. It's much more laborious.

And, not to insult the folks at Micro-Mesh, but the finish is still not like glass. It's 'better', but still not 'great'.

It's a drastic improvement over 400 grit sandpaper, but that's not saying much. I'm still in search of a method that will allow me to have a high gloss finish on wood with less hassle. And, as much as this stuff does, it's still not close enough.

User Friendliness; 4 of 10. You must use caution and keep the piece from getting hot, if it gets hot, it'll pick up a bit of the micro-mesh and it'll get stuck to the bowl.
Durability; 2 of 10. The stuff feels durable as all get out, but once you start using it, you start to notice that on and 'edge' or a squarish corner, it'll let go of the abrasive a little easier than sandpaper.
Finish; 6 of 10. On spindles there is nothing better as you can actually see the finish brightening on the wood, you can see a glare developing. On faceplate items, there's a little problem with the grain direction changing, and there are still rough spots in the transition from side grain to end grain.
Cost; 8 of 10. Worth the money if you turn a lot of spindles. Not such a great buy if you do mostly faceplate work.

Will I buy more? Yep, but only for spindle work. For faceplate stuff, I'm still looking for the magic bullet.

That's my review.

TJ

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[TDHofstetter]

Have you tried the NAPA place? They nearly always carry the really-high-grit sandpaper. Places like Checker's and AutoZone and Advance don't, as a rule... but NAPA carries 'em in the auto paint section; they're used (in the automotive world) for sanding out lacquer finishes.

That'll be good wetordry silicon-carbide papers, decent quality.