Micro-Mesh pads - help please

[Hallelujahal]

Again, I feel a little silly for asking but having just bought a set of micro-mesh pads (I don’t think they’re the acrylic specific set) I’m at a bit of a loss.
How do I use them? Embarrassed !
Can I use them on wood? Do I have to keep them lubricated? Etc etc? Appreciate any guidance
Alex

 

[alan morrison]

No such thing as a silly question, Alex. Everyone on this forum was in your position at some time.
You can use micromesh on timber ( dry ) if you want to sand finer than 600 grit, but would be more used on timber which has had a CA finish.
If used on acrylic can be used wet. Put a towel or something to keep the lathe bed dry.
As I don't turn acrylic then you may get a more precise answer from those who do.

 

[flexi]

Micro mesh is just very fine abrasive stuck on foam.... You can use it for sanding anything, but for best results you need to go down through your abrasives correctly,
After final shaping I will start with 400/600 grit mesh to remove any tool marks. I do this with the lathe running, then along the blank with it stopped and only me turning by hand. NEXT WIPE THE BLANK, this removes any grit or residue from the previous grit BEFORE moving onto the next grits, I stopped using micromesh on timber and only sometimes on acrylics or CA as I prefer wet and dry paper, then liquid polish.
If I do use Micromesh I put a towel across my lathe bed and use the pads wet and keep the heat down, they do a good job and work well but I find can be messy.

 

[Hallelujahal]

Thanks

 

[Hallelujahal]

Just thinking, if only doing wood would an oil (say blo) work as a lubricant rather than water?
If doing over a CA finish wouldn’t they take off the finish?

 

[flexi]

Micro mesh work best with water... Never thought of BLO, but also wouldn't use it.. If your only doing wood pens why not use melamine finish... Quicker and easier

 

[monophoto]

Micromesh was originally developed to polish scratches on the plastic cockpit windows of aircraft. As such, it's best used on plastic - which in the turning world means objects turned from acrylic, polyester or other plastic materials, or things turned in wood and finished with a hard film finish such as CA. I've used it on wooden items finished with both polyurethane and alkyd varnishes, and I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work on things finished with lacquer. I would probably stay away from things finished with shellac because it is best used with water as a lubricant, and water and shellac don't play well together.

As others have said, work through the grits with conventional abrasives up to about 600, then switch to micromesh. Most people use one of those plastic snap-lid disposable food containers as a water reservoir, dipping the micromesh into the water and then buffing the workpiece with wet micromesh. It's a good idea to use a bit of paper towel or toilet paper to wipe away the slurry between grits whilc working your way through the colors up to 12000 grit.

But to be frank, I suspect that using one of the abrasive pastes (eg, Yorkshire Grit) followed by wax might produce essentially the same result. and be both faster and less messy.

 

[Curly]

BLO, tung oil, etc are oils that polymerize, turn hard, as they cure. Using them as a lubricant will wreck the micro mesh as they will gum up and skin over the pads. As a general rule you don't use the micro mesh to sand bare wood as once you get past the first few pads they are removing such a small amount as to be doing little. The structure of the wood being coarser than the pads. If you don't go nuts polishing the CA you won't sand through. Once you get the hang of it you will apply the CA thicker than you need so when you do polish it won't end up smaller that the parts you press into.

A small tip. If polishing a finish on wood make sure you put a little ca on the end grain at the tube ends (off the bushings). It will seal the end of the blank so the water doesn't wick in and discolour the wood.

I suggest you practice applying CA and polishing pieces of wood roughly pen size turned on the lathe until you work out the bugs and are consistent. Then turn pens. The practice will result in more consistency and is a little cheaper than messing up the real thing.

Pete

 

[Phil Dart]

Bear in mind that the grit numbering system used by Micromesh is not standard. Their lowest grit (1500) is about the equivalent of 600 standard grit, so going upto or beyond that with standard abrasives then starting with MM1500 is at best repeating a step, and at worst a backward step.

MM12000 sands to 1 micron, which is pretty damn smooth, but whether or not it is necessary to sand to that degree of fineness is a matter of individual judgment, and I'm sure opinions vary.

 

[Hallelujahal]

Bear in mind that the grit numbering system used by Micromesh is not standard. Their lowest grit (1500) is about the equivalent of 600 standard grit, so going upto or beyond that with standard abrasives then starting with MM1500 is at best repeating a step, and at worst a backward step.

MM12000 sands to 1 micron, which is pretty damn smooth, but whether or not it is necessary to sand to that degree of fineness is a matter of individual judgment, and I'm sure opinions vary.

Thanks Phil I had no idea that was the case