Repair And Restoration
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Comparing abrasives for dry-sanding finishes
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Comparing abrasives for dry-sanding finishes
I love the option of levelling a finish with dry paper as it’s so much easier to see your progress, though I’m not convinced dry paper has much advantage over wet sanding with good silicon carbide paper after levelling.
The dry-sanding options I’m aware of include Eagle’s Assilex/Buflex, Klingspor’s GreenTec, 3M’s Flexible Polishing Papers, Micromesh, etc. I’ve used the 1st 2 in this list and found that the GreenTec clogs faster, but it’s cheaper and I like it’s stiffer backing for level sanding.
I’m curious to know if some of you have used all these products what are your conclusions. Also, comparing grits is a nightmare since some use the CAMI system, some use FEPA and they don’t always tell you which (e.g. GreenTec uses FEPA, but they don’t use a “P” before the number so I started out using paper that was twice the coarseness I intended.
Too many options, too few standards…
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4 Replies
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yo! i’ve been a 100% dry guy for a few years now. i’m happy to share what i’ve found! first, i’ve used assilex/bufflex, 3M flexible polishing papers and micromesh. haven’t tried the klingspore, but i generally don’t care much for their papers.
first, i’ll touch on the 3M. those are pretty rad papers, but they also tend to load pretty quickly and get corned up in a scratchy finishy that’s hard to get out way. they honestly work much better wet in my experience. i haven’t tried them on an orbital, but my guess is they would perform a lot better dry that way.
micromesh is good for adjusting sheen and not much else, imo. i wouldn’t use it for polishing finish. love it for frets.
my one true love is assilex. here’s how i use it in my finish schedule – my main leveling is all done during my finishing process before i flash my piece off. so, after about 6-7 coats of lacquer, i’ll hit the everything but the roundovers with the 600 (sky) on a 5” orbital then follow with 800 (yellow) on a block. i’ll then hit the round overs and my personal problem areas with a soft block and the 800. this whole process takes me maybe 5 minutes. a few flash coats of like 70% thinner and a little extra retarder will more than melt those scratches and leave you with a really nice finish. my final polish out can then start at 1200 (orange) assilex. what little leveling is required at that point gets taken care of really quickly. i use an orbital, but it’s really easy to refine those scratches by hand at this point too. follow up with 1500 (pink) and bufflex 2000 for scratch refinement and you’re pretty much ready to hit the wheel.
the assilex more or less rides the P train, as far as grading goes. they’ll tell you some confusing stuff about cut power and manual vs machine standing but just look at the numbers and take them at face value.
again, i’m doing 90% of my finishing sanding by machine on a mirka 5” or dynabrade 3” DA/orbital. i’m never going back to wet sanding. i get a much better, softer glow and nicer looking sheen with dry paper. i find necks easier to polish than bodies and all of those are sanded by hand because the risk of burning color is way higher and i get the same results.
it’s a bit expensive, but more than worth it. not having to start over because your paper corned up and you didn’t realize it til you have mile deep scratches in your lacquer is worth it to me. if the assilex loads, just wipe it on a towel and carry on.
apologies for the novel, i’m just really passionate about being a dry guy!
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No apologies for the novel. It’s great information.
One question I have with the Assilex is how to know when it’s shot. Since it doesn’t clog up, and wipes clean, it’s hard to tell when it’s worn out.
Neil
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i usually just give it the feel test. you’ll notice it’ll kind of seem like it’s smearing dust instead of cutting and it’ll feel smooth. i can usually get through about one body on a sheet before it’s worn out. i buy them from 2sand.com and they have them in discs and sheets. i use 5” and 3” discs sine im predominantly using them on an orbital. they also sell a hook and loop round block for the 3” discs that’s super handy
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I first used the Tolex spot refinish kit (Eagle Abrasives) and LOVED it and use it all the time. I bought a MIRKA Deros to use with the Super Assilex but ended up doing it by hand with the Assilex flat blocks. Super AssiLex is way faster and better than wet sanding.
I may use the DEROS in the future, simply for “dust” control but the hand method is so easy. I started with the yellow and worked thru the grits. They created a LOT of fine particulates so I did a ton of interim vacuuming. Didn’t use the Buffex, it didn’t seem necessary and turned out great (EM-6000 water based lacquer).
Some users write that using a silicon carbide paper for the first step gives better results than starting with Assilex. I didn’t so I guess I have a baseline…
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