Emery paper

I agree, but he obviously did not care enough to bother, so neither did I. At least Screwfix and Toolstation looked it up, and offered solutions.

Correct. And if he didn't know the SKU, he would not have been able to search for it.

I have two small pieces in the kitchen.

You can still rip emery cloth. It's not a bulletproof backer. But with some care, emery cloth will last to the point that the abrasive is beginning to wear out (200 sheet performing like 300 sheet would). Usually emery is for finishing work, so you're buying a finer grit.

For paper backed sanding materials, I use them with a sanding block, to protect the paper a bit. The edges still tear, even when you're being careful.

Since a certain brand of hand soap disappeared from the market here, and bicycle bottle generators disappeared from the market, nothing surprises me any more about what is vended. Like, can't find my favourite brand of hacksaw blades. There is one blade, that has excellent life. I'd like to buy more, but since I can't, the blade is still going strong, and I will survive. There are plenty of "not fit for use" blades available, no chance of them f****ng off.

It just seems the cheesy products always win. If you want sandpaper that rips just by looking at it, there are plenty of light-coloured paper backed ones that won't even last through one sanding session. I don't even buy packets of that stuff now, as it's pointless to do so.

Sometimes, you have to avoid the builders merchant, and go to a machine shop to get quality goods. For example, I got a tap at a builders merchant, and maybe got to thread about six holes with it. The one I bought at the machinist, was good for 50-100 screw holes. Just a slightly better item.

You cannot browse product at the machinist. You go to the desk, and the clerk goes into the vast back area, looking for the item. Way in the back of the place, are huge West Bend lathes for their machining part of the business (they make stuff of course, as well as vending materials on the side). I'm really surprised they're still in business, but they are always busy in there. My company at work, used to get the occasional job done there. That's how I'd heard of them, the mechie told me of them.

Paul

A wider slice of the population, knows of emery because "emery boards" are used for the filing of human nails. After using nail clippers, an emery board can be used to file the rough edges. The other style of nail filing gadget, is a "nail file" which is metallic and has a crosshatched pattern cut in it. The emery board is superior to a nail file (most people giving up on nail files when they inspect how well they work).

People are less familiar with emery cloth. But my fathers shop had it, early on.

Paul

The other other sort is a nail file with two grades of diamond one on each side. It works best of all - mine has to be years and years old

Its just aluminium oxide plus impurities.

It's not the materials we are concerned with, it's the fact that what was once a staple item in any workshop is now unrecognised by anyone under 40 years old.

Sure. You can still buy lye soap as well

If you want to buy more expensive less effective forms of aluminium oxide, ask for emery

In article <vd0qte$3le42$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, Davey snipped-for-privacy@example.invalid scribeth thus

So wots wrong using that workshop staple an angle grinder for a' doin yer own nails then;?...

Emery cloth is much more resilient than emery paper & can even be used wet.