Sanding discs needed

[Steve Kubien]

I really didn't like the pink discs. They cut nice and aggressive which is great but the backing would delaminate from the disc every time I went to change them. Sure, this prompts one to use fresh paper all the time but often the disc had lots of life left in it so it seemed awfully wasteful.

I just placed an order with Vince and went back to the blue discs, which I love.

[Donny Lawson]

It sounds like Vince has everyones vote. I guess I will be getting in touch with him. I will be getting the blue ones. 80-400. Thanks.

[David DeCristoforo]

That's twisted, Jamie... just twisted...

[Dick Gerard]

I too vote for Vince's Wooden Wonders. I have tried them all. But I have stayed with Vince since he first started way back when ... can't remember how many years its been but I reckon at least 20. Blue is the bomb, BUT ... you have to look into his silic carbide disks as well. They may become my go to disks.

I too have a mandrel for each disk, both the 3 inch and the smaller 2 inch (nominal sizes). I use a quick connect system (Snappy, I think). Have had it so long I forget the exact name, but I just pull back on the collar, slip out the mandrel-pad-disk assembly an drop in the next grit. Easy peasy ... plus I am one lazy sob ....

[Scott Hackler]

Another Vince customer here. I use the pink Cera-Max discs and they are very nice, but I was having problems with the backing comming off the paper UNITL I meantioned it to Vince and he helped me to understand that I was sanding way to fast and pushing way to hard. That develops too much heat and melts the glue. Soooo, now I go a lot slower and now big surprize... the discs hold together and last longer.

[Pat Scott]

-1 for Vince. Looks like I'm in the minority for NOT using Vince's discs. I tried his blue Ceramic disks a few years ago and placed an order for $200 worth of discs, pads, and interference pads. I had scratches on the inside of my bowls that I could not get rid of. I spent forever trying to remove them. I thought maybe I went to the finer grit too soon so went back down a grit or two. I changed the speed of the lathe and/or drill. Changed the pressure I was applying. Nothing I did made much difference. Then something made me pull out one of the old discs that I had been previously using and viola!, scratches all gone. This happened with enough bowls that I haven't touched his discs since. What a waste, I have $200 worth of discs just sitting in their bags.

I've been trying Klingspor Stearate (the tan colored ones), Norton Dry Ice and Norton A275 (both from The Sanding Glove). Comparing prices for these three (using a 50-pack of 3" 100 grit discs for comparison): Dry Ice are the most expensive at $26.95, followed by A275 at $16.95, and then $13.89 for Klingspor.

I've never had the velcro separate from any Klingspor or Norton disc.

[Reed Gray]

Pat, this is going to drive me crazy, as I haven't had that experience, and am wondering why you are. I did discover a long time ago with some stiff paper discs that I was getting scratches from the paper, but that isn't the problem here. I have found that the 80 grit (any brand) will some times leave scratches that take longer to remove than it would have taken if you started with 120. I have found some times, I get burnish marks from the edges of the disc, but a hand wipe will usually remove them, or the next grit up will, so I sand more with the flat of the pad rather than the edges. In the older days when the abrasive grits were sifted and then dropped onto the glue, there was a wide range of grits on each discs, and some would stand high or be extra coarse, but now, most of the abrasives are put on with static charges so grit is much more consistent. I am sure you can find some one to buy those discs from you. Maybe even call Vince and talk to him about it.

robo hippy

[Pat Scott]

Pat, this is going to drive me crazy, as I haven't had that experience, and am wondering why you are.

robo hippy

I've thought about it as well and here's what I came up with:
1. The grit particles might not be a consistent size.
2. The paper backing is too stiff.
3. A larger sized disc sounds like a good idea (3-3/8" disc covers the edge of a 3" pad) so the edge of the pad doesn't touch the wood. But with the paper backing being as stiff as it is, the edge of the disc digs into the wood.

I bought his radiused pad as well - which again sounds like a good idea like the bigger discs. But I don't know if the disc conforms to the edge as well as it should. I went back to 3" discs on a 3" pad and haven't had any problems getting rid of scratches. The scratches with Vince's discs were pretty deep. On a broad surface everything was OK, but on the inside of a bowl where the rim is slightly undercut is where I had most of my problems.

I've kept all of Vinces discs with the idea that someday I'll get a 3" punch and cut them down to 3" size and see if that changes anything. If not, I'll sell them or donate them to my clubs raffle.

[Reed Gray]

Hmm, still thinking here. The backing on the discs is a plastic/mylar film, and not paper. One of the things I liked about it is it the flexibility when compared to other backings I have used. I have noticed that the edges do wrap over the edge of the rounded over profile of the pads. They do crinkle or fold over a bit, and some of the abrasives do come off on the 80 grit, but what is left is as good as the 'wave' type discs. I am baffled. Maybe it is the under cut rim. I don't do many of the calabash type bowls, but that hasn't been a problem. Not the grit being consistent. Oh, well, another of life's mysteries.

For a 3 inch punch, the cheap type is a 3 inch inside diameter piece of pipe with a 45 or steeper bevel on the outside, and a micro bevel about the same on the inside. A 1/2 inch thick piece of plastic, and an 8 to 12 iron (sledge hammer), a piece of wood over the steel, and the plastic directly over a bench leg, not in the middle of the table. You can punch out 5 or more layers at a time. Usually takes a couple of hits, mostly because we tend not to hit with the hammer face perfectly square.

robo hippy