| There are many different sizes of sandpaper you | | | | covering, or with little covering, will cut off the |
| can use for different purposes in wood finishing. | | | | .high spots better and help to reduce the |
| Many sizes of grit are used in manufacturing | | | | somewhat irregular surface to a truer, leveler, or |
| sandpaper, ranging from 8/0 to 4, as follows:o | | | | plane surface. |
| Very five or soft papers, used by wood-finishers | | | | A favorite size of sandpaper for use on many |
| from 00000000, or 8/0, to 00, or 2/0o Medium | | | | kinds of wood for the first sanding is No. 1 or 1.5. |
| sizes, commonly used by woodworkers: 0, or 1/0, | | | | For the finer-grained woods you should use the |
| 1/2, 1, 1%, 2o Very coarse papers, more | | | | No. 1, which is finer than No. 1.5. The second |
| commonly used on sanding machines for rapid | | | | sanding with finer paper can best be done with a |
| cutting: 2 ½, 3, 3 ½, 4 | | | | soft block or a block with a soft cover. Some |
| Sizes finer than 8/0 sandpaper are made by | | | | prefer to use corks about 1" x 3" x 6" in size. |
| some manufacturers, but are not commonly | | | | Another size sold on the market for such work is |
| found on the market. Unfortunately, the sizes of | | | | 1"x 4" x 4". |
| sandpaper are not absolutely standardized, and | | | | Felt-faced or cloth covered blackboard erasers |
| one manufacturer's sizes may not correspond | | | | can be used very satisfactorily for sanding-blocks. |
| exactly with those of another. Similar to an | | | | Some finishers use rubber faced blocks. A |
| architect's or contractor's unique tape measures, | | | | home-made block of this kind can be prepared |
| no steel tape measure is going to be exactly like | | | | from a rectangular scrap of soft wood to which |
| it's steel tape measure counterpart. | | | | you tack a piece of rubber taken from an |
| The cardinal principle in the use of sandpaper is | | | | automobile inner tube. The sizes of sandpaper |
| that all sanding must be with the grain. Never | | | | used for fine sanding are about 1/2 or 0. |
| make circular, cross grain, nor oblique strokes with | | | | Sometimes 00 papers are preferable for very |
| sandpaper, as scratches always result. The end | | | | fine-grained hardwood. |
| grain of wood must be sanded crosswise. | | | | Rounding off the corners of a piece of wood in |
| A careful study of wood structure with a | | | | sanding is a very common fault that you must |
| magnifier shows that the fibers are arranged like | | | | avoid or you will ruin the appearance of the |
| parallel tubes lengthwise of the grain. These fibers | | | | finished work. This does not mean that the sharp |
| are scratched, torn, or cut thru by the sharp | | | | feathered edges or arrises should not be slightly |
| edges of the sand grit if the strokes are in any | | | | smoothed off to get rid of slivers, for this should |
| other direction than lengthwise of the grain. | | | | always be done with fine sandpaper in the final |
| Resanding with the grain in the proper way will | | | | sanding. Unless you take care to avoid a rocking |
| not easily remove scratches. Such injuries should | | | | motion while sanding, the corners and edges will |
| be scraped out, and after all scratches have | | | | become rounded off unevenly and unsightly |
| disappeared, the surface should be sanded, | | | | disfigured work will be the result. |
| pushing the sandpaper lengthwise of the grain of | | | | End grain sanding is just as important as sanding |
| the wood with the appropriate tools, whether | | | | of the surfaces and edges. If the end grain is left |
| they are precision measurements tools or specific | | | | too rough, additional stain will be absorbed there; |
| sanding tools. | | | | consequently it will become darker than other |
| Blocks for holding sandpaper in order that greater | | | | portions of the surface regardless of pocket tape |
| pressure may be applied are used in every | | | | measures, logger tape measures, or any other |
| finishing room. The size, weight, and covering for | | | | unique tape measures used to try and avoid this. |
| the blocks depend upon the kind of work being | | | | Curved surfaces can be sanded to best |
| done. For big surfaces a rather large heavy block | | | | advantage with split sandpaper. Double coated |
| has some advantages. A brick covered with | | | | paper for splitting is widely available. The split |
| canvas or other cloth is used in some shops for | | | | sandpaper is most effective for some kinds of |
| coarse work, especially where rapid cutting on | | | | work when dampened or moistened on the back. |
| large surfaces is desired. | | | | Water, benzine, and turpentine, or turpentine |
| For the first sanding with coarse sandpaper some | | | | substitutes, are used for moistening sandpaper |
| workmen prefer a hard flat block with little or no | | | | either to keep down dust or to make the paper |
| covering. Sandpaper over a hard block without | | | | more pliable. |