Will rubbing out with rottenstone give a GLOSS finish?

[Andrew Nichols]

If I wanted to use Micromesh and MO on a cane handle (nothing but curves) to get a glossy finish on Behlens Rock Hard, can I do it by hand? Nothing I know of would be small/flex enough to fit the curves.

Thanks!

[Scott Holmes]

MicroMesh is very flexible. I would say it's very possible; unless you have a lot of carvings, checkering or fluting.

[Andrew Nichols]

Thanks Scott, theyre all smooth, I just wasn't sure if doing it by hand would give me the same results as a ROS. (I'm just learning all this!)

Thanks!

[Scott Holmes]

ROS tend to follow the grain of the wood causing undulations (sp?) They don't work very well on large FLAT surfaces. A flat sanding block works better.

Some of the MicroMesh kits have a nice little dense foam sanding pad; that may be your best bet.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Micromesh is wonderful stuff. Turners use it all the time. I have some I bought over 5 years ago and it still works great. The only time I have run into problems using it was when I was dry sanding something on the lathe and I had the lathe going too fast. The heat damaged the piece I was using. If you wet sand, when you get done, I'd highly recommend washing the micromesh with soap and water and then let them dry. I do this and just hang it off the steps of a step ladder I have in my shop. A few days later, I put them back in the box where I store them. Washing them prevents transfer of dust, oil etc to your next project.