Abranet

[mattyts]

Picked up some of this last week after a recommendation from a professional carpenter,for those who don't know what it is,it's an abrasive on an interrupted synthetic surface with Velcro backing which can be attached onto a hand sanding plate including a hose attachment to fit onto a household vacuum cleaner so there is no dust when sanding.

The initial outlay of a pack and hand block of this can be pretty expensive but proves itself in the long run,I have been using 240,320 and 400 grit on my pens and 180,240,320,400 and 600 grits on bowls and have used 1 piece over 40 times and it's still going strong and does not clog like conventional paper so the grit always stays true and cuts perfectly.

I have used it in the place of any abrasive over the past week or so,including acrylic,alli,brass,mild & stainless,wood including some very hard cross cut oak and it has handled it all with no problem.

I bought the sheets from this place;
Mirka Abranet Strips 70 x 125mm Box 50 * ALL GRITS * | eBay

and the hand sander from here; (this isn't essential but is good for flat sanding on faces etc)
Mirka Abranet Hand Dust Extraction Sanding Block 70x125 | eBay

I have no affiliation with this company,just seeking an alternative to glass paper which dosen't seem to last 2 minutes but this stuff has lasted ages!

Matt.

 

[Goulss]

+1 from me being using it since 2008, great stuff

 

[paulm]

I used to use it but changed to using Rhynogrip and then just finishing with arbonet 600 but using the same bit over and over so its probably more like 1200 now. I bought a box but just like the older pieces for finishing.

 

[Woody]

For pens I use it with a strip of leather and Velcro the abronet to it that way it prevents your fingers from cooking
For bowls I use J flex cloth backed originally designed for stainless steel

 

[Walter]

I don't use it very often on turnings (like Paul I tend to use rhynogrip and only worn bits of abranet) but I use nothing else on my ROS and I love the hand sanding pad. Got one when it first came out whenever that was.

 

[Lons]

I have a 150mm ROS and like Walter use nothing else with that.
I bought a job lot of 300 disks (240 / 320 / 400 / 600g) off ebay a couple of years ago. It's invaluable for finishing when I fit solid surface kitchen worktops such as Corian and Mistral.
Haven't used it on my turnings yet but should be good.

Bob

 

[Penpal]

Watching this develop the finer grits used my many including me for pens. So many top makers quit at 400 grit in both pens and bowls. Manufacturer choices hinge on availability etc totally different in this our spread out country.

Peter.

 

[naxie]

I used to use it but changed to using Rhynogrip.

+1

Somebody sells Rhynogrip at our club and I stock up whenever im there. Its great stuff, cuts well, its flexable, velcro backed and lasts a long time, especially with an occasional blow out with the compressor.:sneakiness:

 

[bellringer]

i use Rhynogrip too

 

[Grump]

Handfull of shavings works for me init?

 

[Goulss]

Handfull of shavings works for me init?

Agree Grump sometimes a burnish with shavings does add that little bit of extra shine.

 

[ZuluTiming]

Interesting that the finer grits of Abranet are difficult to find in smaller quantities, like 600, 800 and 1000. I can find discs but not stripes.

 

[ZuluTiming]

I got to answer my own question. Found some here

 

[Doug]

I got sent some Abranet when it first came out, I tried it for a while but soon went back to Rhynogrip for lathe work & Brilliant 2 for my ROS

 

[Neil]

Ouch, bit steep on the price, I pay around £13.50 a box, but use it with lathe stopped, along the grain and it's great. Use rhynogrip on everything else.

 

[Penpal]

I got to answer my own question. Found some here

THanks for the heads up mate.

Peter.

 

[Ralphsputin]

Huge fan of Abranet and it comes in a good range of grits. I just use it like sandpaper.

 

[ZuluTiming]

How many in a box? Do you have/order finer grits? Where from? Sorry about "interrogation" questions :pray: I am just curious and cheap

Ouch, bit steep on the price, I pay around £13.50 a box, but use it with lathe stopped, along the grain and it's great. Use rhynogrip on everything else.

 

[Neil]

I get it from Bedford saw and tool Co, surprisingly in Bedford! 50 in a box. I use up to 400, occasionally 600.

 

[PhillH]

13:50 for 50 sheets ?

That's cheap, they have a website?