Sandpaper

[greatviewcsc]

The local hardware store has a really limited sandpaper selection. Is there a really good source on the web??

[Frank Drackman]

I love

[dpb]

I'll second that although for 5" discs I've gone to the Mirka...

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[Swingman]

Rockler handles Norton's 3X Sandpaper, both in their retail stores and at

I'm a fan of this paper, not just because it's a decent product, but because you can usually find it most any place big enough to have a BORG.

[Max]

I get:

5" discs 6" discs sheets 3 X 21 belts 4 X 24 belts 6 X 48 belts 1 X 42 belts Oscillating drum sander drums and a few other odds and ends from either Woodworker.com or: Onlineindustrial supply.com

Max

[J T]

Mon, Sep 24, 2007, 5:09pm [e-mail] doth mumble: The local hardware store has a really limited sandpaper selection. Is there a really good source on the web??

I read that and the first thought that popped into my mine was: Has he even tried looking? Second thought was: I doubt it..

JOAT What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new humiliations?

- Peter Egan

[Gerald Ross]

For high end long-lasting paper, you will not be disappointed with Mirka Royal.

[bynot]

[Jeff Gorman]

Sorry to divert the original question, but this has reminded me that as a youngster I was told to say 'glasspaper' since abrasive papers were no longer made using sand.

Nowadays I wonder whether we can even correctly say 'glasspaper'.

Does anyone know for certain whether glass is actually still used, and if so, where it can be bought? I did email Hermes, a specialist supplier, but they did not have the grace to respond.

I believe that at one time top quality finishers prefered glass 'flourpaper' grade to the other abrasives because the 'grains' were of more uniform size.

Jeff

[dadiOH]

Heck, I didn't even know that it was *ever* used.

Nowadays, you can buy...

1. flint paper (particles of flint - the generic "sandpaper")

1. garnet paper (crystals of garnet)

2. aluminum oxide paper (crysyals of corundum which is same as ruby/sapphire)

1. silicon carbide (manufactured material)

There are others used in belts, etc. but I haven't seen them in sheets.

[Robatoy]

Yes. Do a google search.

[J T]

Tue, Sep 25, 2007, 11:37am (EDT+4) [e-mail] (dadiOH) doth sayeth: Heck, I didn't even know that it was *ever* used. Nowadays, you can buy...

1. flint paper (particles of flint - the generic "sandpaper")
2. garnet paper (crystals of garnet)
3. aluminum oxide paper (crysyals of corundum which is same as ruby/sapphire)
4. silicon carbide (manufactured material) There are others used in belts, etc. but I haven't seen them in sheets.

I've heard references to glass paper, but not since I was a kid. Occassionally garnet, or emory,cloth - at least some of it uses paper. But, overall, no matter what is used, the usual term I've heard for any of it, sincce I was a kid, and that's been a lot longer than most of you here, it has been called sandpaper. Because all of it's used to "sand", I suppose. So, unless I want to get specific, I'll probably just say sandpaper.

JOAT What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new humiliations?

- Peter Egan

[Andy]

Wow - at least your reply wasn't insulting like JT's, but it wasn't the least bit helpful either! Sorry to sound like a parent, but seriously, if you don't have anything helpful to say, why do you post? Sure anyone could find 10 million google hits for "sandpaper", but this OP asked about a "GOOD SOURCE". So he/she is looking for an OPINION, which is clearly best gleaned from a source that has first- hand experience with sandpaper, not a bunch of google hits that want to SELL sandpaper. Sure the OP could have provided some more info on exactly what he/she was looking for, but maybe you could ASK for that instead of blowing him/her off. Googling "good source sandpaper" wouldn't necessarily reveal anything (I tried), other than the fact that SOME forum posters in various places are kind enough to suggest sources they've found to be reliable, and another opinion can often be helpful. Fortunately some members here are kind enough to supply one! But if someone gets insulted for asking for opinions, why would that person post back? If your goal is to keep new people from joining this forum, I think you're succeeding. But why? What's the point of this group? If there were a rule stating that no question could be posted that could possibly be answered with a google search, this would be a pretty quiet place. In fact, the frequent snide comments (i.e. a few in this thread) and argumentative nature of some frequent posters here (i.e. most of the TSaligner rebate thread) really don't make this a pleasant place to read and share woodworking stuff. Which is a shame, because there are many good, helpful, and talented people here too! Sure I absolutely agree that many very basic things can be found searching elsewhere on the web, and some (many?) questions are so silly they don't deserve a reply. But if that's the case, DON'T REPLY!

OK, off my soapbox.

In response to the OP, I also like Norton 3X paper for sheets. I find it lasts much longer than the typical brown-colored, unstearated, paper-backed stuff at most hardware stores. I've even found the higher grits work better than the black wet/dry paper for initial edge- tool sharpening (i.e. Scary Sharp, but you still need higher grits for honing/polishing). 3X is available at (most) Home Depot stores, and if you want larger quantities, Hartville Tool is a good, fairly inexpensive source online. (Hartvilletool.com). leevalley.com, woodcraft.com, rockler.com, and many others also carry 3X. I've also recently tried some sheets and sanding sponges from Webb Abrasives (webbmfg.com), and I'd say they're probably equivalent to the 3X. For random-orbit discs, I really like Mirka Gold (got mine from Amazon, just watch the # of holes). I think these are at least as good as the few 3X discs I've tried, but any of the discs work better (faster, better surface, and cleaner) when the sander is attached to a vacuum. Finally, another source that's very well-respected (though I haven't tried them) is Klingspor's (woodworkingshop.com). They have "Bargain Boxes" of assorted grits that I've heard can be a very good deal. Hope this helps, Andy

[greatviewcsc]

Yes, I have tried looking and have purchased from a variety of sources but have not been as satisfied as I'd like. So, I thought I'd ask this group.

Sorry if I bothered you but it seemed like a reasonable request to me.

[greatviewcsc]

Now, this is a really helpful suggestion.

Thank you sooo much.

[Andy Dingley]

Abrasive papers (good ones) never did use sand. Stalker and Parker, a well-known 17th century handbook on wood finishing, discuss this and make it clear that "sandpaper" is common, but only as a cheap fake that's no use compared to the true glasspaper (which they describe how to make).

Pretty pointless to, IMHO, as we're all using synthetic grits. I say "sandpaper", mainly because my old school woodwork teacher was obsessed with not saying it.

You can still buy glasspaper (real glass) easily enough, but only the nasty low-end stuff made with hygroscopic fish glue that falls apart after a night in a damp workshop. I've never seen glasspaper that was worth using.

[Robatoy]

The OP couldn't be bothered to give any helpful information either..i.e.

What is he sanding? To what level of finish? Is he an amateur looking for a 5-pack of sheets? Is he looking for 1000 lots of discs that fit his 8" Fein?

His request is somewhat like : "what is the price of a car."

I try to be helpful when I can, but I suck at mind-reading.... I don't even know what country he's in!

r

other than that, most of your points are well taken.

[dpb]

It's usenet--what would you expect? :)

But, as another posted, you didn't help a lot in posing the question of who (if any) you have tried, what purpose(s)/volume/etc., to aid in the narrowing of choices...

But, the thing is w/ usenet, you posts your question and takes your chances. Who knows what will set somebody off? Impossible to predict, and the same person who snips or barks one day may be feeling expansive the next, and vice versa...

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[J. Clarke]

I suspect that "glasspaper" is another case of two nations separated by a common language. Never heard the term in the US. If one wants to be as pedantic as your teacher then we would call it "rubypaper" or "moissanitepaper" or the like. Or sidestep the whole issue by being verbose and calling it "paper-backed coated abrasive sheets".

[dpb]

J. Clarke wrote: ...

Me neither, on the first. Excepting, of course, when it is "fabric-backed" for the second... :)