| Sandpaper
and Finishing Film
First,
for information about which particle sizes are represented on the various
grit sizes, check out this site at Klingspor
Abrasives.
Peter
Brown notes (and I agree) that it is easy to find coarse grits, but harder
to find finer grits. When using a belt sander, recommended grits for
cores: 150 or 240 for first pass, 320 for 2nd, then 400 by hand - each
sheet will cost around US$1.20 to 1.50 per belt. Your local wood shop
should have belts of these grit sizes in both the 3" X 21" and
4" X 24" sizes, so check around. The Laboratory of Tree-Ring
Research (Arizona) and the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Science (Tennessee) get their sanding belts from:
Unicoa
3232 E. 36th St.
Tucson, Arizona 85713 USA
Phone: 520-620-1000
Andy
DeVolder sent this information about a maker and distributor of abrasives:
"Here is a new web site for Arizona
Abrasive. They can make virtually any
size belt, in any grit for you. I've gotten a bunch of belts from them and
I've been pleased with their quality. They don't have any reference to
tree-ring stuff on their site, but Bud is a really helpful guy." This
company can also provide belts and sheets in just about any grit that you
may need. They also ship out U.P.S. everyday.
Arizona
Abrasive
5814 S. 25th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85040
Phone: 800-986-2759
Phone: 602-268-2759
Fax: 602-268-0309
Sandpaper
for hand sanding, such as the popular No-fil Adalox by Norton, comes in
sheets rather than belts. Often, hand sanding helps to provide a much
better scratch-free surface after the initial belt sanding. The most used
sizes include 240, 320, or 400 grit, each costing around US$ 0.35 to 0.40
per sheet. The Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research gets their sanding sheets
from:
Industrial
Tool and Supply Co.
830E. 22nd St.
P.O. Box 26010
Tucson, Arizona 85726 USA
Phone: 520-624-6656
Sometimes
regular sand paper won't bring out the details of very fine ring structure
at the cellular level. For this, you may wish to use sanding
"film" instead of sanding paper. (In the trade, sanding film may
be called "finishing film.") The film is like sand paper but
consists of much finer grits (up to 1600, in fact), and often provides a
superior finish to otherwise troublesome woods, such as Populus and
Acer. Where
to buy it:
Bartron
and Company
1537 St. James Place
Roslyn, Pennsylvania 19001 USA
Phone: 215-659-6184
Precision
Surfaces International, Inc.
922 Ashland Street
Houston, TX 77008-6734
Ph: 713-426-2220 or 800-843-0950
Fax: 713-426-2223
BELT
CLEANERS
Lastly,
everyone should be made aware that sanding belts can be re-used often
simply by cleaning off the resin with what is known as a "belt
cleaner." This is a large block of rubber about 10 inches (25 cm)
long and 2 inches (5 cm) wide that is pressed against the rotating belt on
your sander. The heat of the friction causes between the rubber and the
resin causes the resin to become sticky, adhere to the rubber, and be
removed. This way, a belt can be used over and over again simply by
cleaning it after each application. Note: you should always clean your
belts with a belt cleaner immediately after using it while the belt is
still warm. It will clean easier and faster this way. They cost about $10
a piece, but will last forever, and save you hundreds of dollars on belt
supplies! They can be ordered from your nearby woodworking shop, or
inquire at your local hardware store. |
