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Post by Pete on May 13, 2014 12:38:07 GMT
Ok just back in for my next cup of coffee, I was in the workshop and just cut some new strips of abrasive to finish off a box I am making, so as the tip is fresh in my mind I thought I would pass it on right away.
When you cut the 180, 240, 360 etc. grits they are on nice and clean and you know which is which by look and touch. between sanding the outside and inside or certainly by the second or third item it gets hard to tell quickly which is which.
To solve this I take a marker pen and put a large 1, 2, 3, 4 on the back of each piece when they are new. Also when using machine sanding with velcro pads, the pad itself lasts longer if you don't constantly remove the velcro, so get several don't take the abrasive off until it needs changing, and mark them to the order of use as well, for this I use tipex as it is a black backed pad, hard to see a marker pen on it.
Pete
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peter
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Post by peter on May 13, 2014 17:30:42 GMT
Great idea I'm new to this so all the tips I get will help.
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michaelh
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Post by michaelh on Sept 2, 2014 13:31:29 GMT
When i get a new roll of j-flex I roll it out and draw lines down its length
80 - 1 line
240 - 2 lines
360 - 3 lines
400 - 4 lines
I never have to worry about identifying the grade again.
I don't mark up my 0000 wirewool, nor my collection of ill-fitting t-shirts that are used for polishing ;-)
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Post by Pete on Sept 2, 2014 22:47:07 GMT
That plan could be hard work for me, I buy 10 meter rolls it works out cheaper in the long run, thankfully I also only use one grade of wire wool, as I am not sure how I could code that... I also bought a bunch of overstocked t shirts for pennies each, I know you are supposed to use safety cloths but they are expensive, I find Tshirt cotton can get me some nice heat when using high melt point waxes.
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Post by Rob on Sept 2, 2014 22:51:34 GMT
speaking of which....how do you apply Carnauba? This is of course assuming you're not using a buffing system like the Chestnut one. I've never really mastered the direct application of that particular wax and would be interested in peoples methods to avoid the streaking problem.
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Post by Pete on Sept 3, 2014 2:10:24 GMT
It is a problem, I use a solid stick of wax, it depends on the shape I am polishing, if it is a fairly detail short piece then I use the lathe on high speed run the stick over it quickly then frantically move the cloth pad back and forth with a fair amount of pressure to create heat and spread the wax evenly. detail gets in the way of this process, so for that or for the vary rare occasion I us it on a bowl shape then I use a buffer in a drill. If like me you use a battery drill they tend to be too slow when running in reverse, I solve this by running the drill forward, and run the lathe in reverse.
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Post by Jeff Farris on Sept 3, 2014 2:52:08 GMT
I have always applied the carnauba to the buffing pad or wheel, then put the cloth to the project.
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michaelh
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Post by michaelh on Sept 3, 2014 9:28:44 GMT
I use canuba sticks over sanding sealer but am finding that I an leaving more lines than I used to. These look like tool lines ( heaven forbid !! ) but are actually wax. I can get rid of them by heating up with friction and ensuring the wax is all molton with one final sweep pass of the cloth. But when you take the item off the lathe I am often dissapointed with lines I can see that I could not see on the lathe
I don't know whats changed, it could be one of the following:
The canuba wax sticks are a different composite to what they used to be
The sanding sealer is getting a bit old and concentrated
I am getting more fussy
I intend to overcome the problem by mixing canuba wax beads with my own beeswax and a little terpentine to produce a softer stick.
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michaelh
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Post by michaelh on Sept 3, 2014 9:36:37 GMT
That plan could be hard work for me, I buy 10 meter rolls it works out cheaper in the long run, thankfully I also only use one grade of wire wool, as I am not sure how I could code that... I also bought a bunch of overstocked t shirts for pennies each, I know you are supposed to use safety cloths but they are expensive, I find Tshirt cotton can get me some nice heat when using high melt point waxes. I also buy long rolls. I used to write on the back on the cloth but found that fiddly writing on every piece i tear off and the numbers would wear away a bit, i find lines easier to spot. Invariably I am in the middle of a job and don't want to bother getting the sharpie to write on the cloth. Each to his own though, both work and help keep the cloth identified. It seems like a simple tip but the amount of demonstrators I see with some crocodile clip to keep all the grades in order - time is too short for that, I want to get on with the piece and do not want to fiddle about getting that piece of cloth back into its rightful place in the clip ! ( of course I should pretend that all my work is straight off the tool and the smooth glass like finish is pure skill, but we all give in to sanding every so often ) |
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Post by Rob on Sept 4, 2014 8:47:25 GMT
Thanks for the tips on Carnauba folks. I'm yet to invest in a buffing system but I will eventually get the Chestnut one as its a no brainer in terms of the superior finish possible. That I think will end up being my solution to the trickiness of the infamous Carnauba.
On the abrasives, I buy 120 and 240 in 5m rolls and the in betweens in 1m rolls. Cut them into strips about an inch wide and then write the grit number with a sharpie on the backs. If I don't label each one, I get confused because my setup has my lathe facing out into space (for the nice view) and my shelving behind me. This means my shelving gets a lot of shavings on it and I use (while masked and doors open) a hand held 18V blower to keep the shelving clean. Inevitably that blows anything loose around a bit and my neat little piles of abrasives get mixed up. I tried housing them in a lidded box but constantly opening and closing the lid was driving me nuts so I prefer the open approach and deal with the shavings build up after each project. I find labelling them takes a couple of minutes and I tend to cut them in batches of 10 per grit so they last quite a while and that just works for me. Not perfect but I'm not big on fussiness when I'm turning and always want to get back to the job while I'm sort of mentally tuned to it so any neat freakiness isn't a priority.
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michaelh
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Post by michaelh on Sept 4, 2014 12:54:04 GMT
"This means my shelving gets a lot of shavings "
I know just what you mean, I turn a lot of green wood and the long ribbons go circa 10 feet, which is very satisfying to do but untimately means I end up with a carpet of wood all over the floor and shelves !
Shall we share picures of workshop floors ? !! I will grab one this evening and no doubt it will result in a shout back of "Fire Hazard"
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Post by Pete on Sept 4, 2014 16:12:01 GMT
Far to embarrassed of my workshop floor to photograph it  though it does get mostly cleared up at least once a day. |
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Post by Rob on Sept 4, 2014 20:23:16 GMT
Blimey....mines covered in shavings permanently! The only time I clear it is when the kids guinea pigs cage needs a clean and they want fresh shavings or if I cant move any more :-)
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Post by dalboy on Sept 4, 2014 22:37:43 GMT
Blimey if I have a heavy turning session I clean the floor at least twice a day, otherwise I leave it until the end of the day. Have been tempted to clean up first thing in the morning especially in the minter as it helps warm the shed up for the day.
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Post by Rob on Sept 5, 2014 0:01:44 GMT
Cleaning the floor helps warm the shed up? How so?
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though it does get mostly cleared up at least once a day.