Micromesh pads question

[Steve68]

I've been wanting to try micromesh pads for a while. Even more so now that you guys are recommending them. In pretty much every youtube pen turning video I watch the CA is sanded with the pads so they are clearly a good product.

My question is, how long do they last? I understand it's down to how much I'd use them and what I'm sanding, but they're not particularly cheap and I'd be a little annoyed if I threw them away after sanding a handful of pens.

If they last a fair while Ill buy them

Cheers,
Steve.

 

[Vic Perrin]

I use them on Acrylic as I don't use CA and I always use them wet. They seem to last a very long time to me

 

[nimrod]

Like Vic I don't use CA, I use micromesh strips, I use them wet on acrylic and corian blanks and dry on wood blanks

Robin

 

[Paul hd]

I have just looked back at my videos and the first time I used micromesh pads was Demeber 2016 and I am still using the same ones.
i would say on average I use them twice a month. They are starting to wear.


Recently I have been wet sanding acrylic up to 1200 grit and then putting the work on the polishing mops and getting great results. No need for micro mesh.
In my last video I wet sanded the ca to 1200 and finished on the mops and I am more than happy with the results

 

[Phil Dart]

I'm probably going to get into trouble for saying I don't recommend them. Like Vic, I don't use CA as a finish, and on acrylics I have never found there is an appreciable difference between them and my own method, which is a lot quicker and cheaper. I have to be honest and say I believe they are a waste of money and time as far as pen finishing is concerned. Back in the day, before other products were available, they were a breath of fresh air. These days, there are more efficient methods of getting the job done in my opinion, even on CA.

Stand by though - that's just my own personal opinion. I'm sure others will have an opposite view and I know that a huge number or people swear by them. Hopefully some of them will pop along and then you'll be able to draw a conclusion based on views from both sides of the fence.

Tuning a nib? That's a different matter, and they are invaluable.

 

[Morse]

Phil replied on here once with the way he saved time.
I think he said sand to 600 wet then do about three coats of burnishing cream.
Tried to find his original post, but failed

I tried this at my local wood club. Their comments were that they preferred the micro mesh pad finish.
If Phil would kindly repeat his time saving idea again, I'll have another go, just to see if I got it wrong the first time.

I have a couple of Tempest to do, I'll use the pads on one half then burnish the other. ?
Dave

 

[21William]

I’ve never used them and was a bit wary of spending the money on them. I was also a little concerned about possibly getting my lathe rusty by wet sanding - water will wick into places you can’t get to. A well known turner on here (and other Pen forums) doesn’t use them and instead uses ordinary sandpaper and then 0000 wire wool. I tried this method myself and finished off with Solvol Autosol. I’ve found it works very well on Acrylic blanks.

My own thoughts are that for critical applications like polishing optical plastic screens then Micromesh may well be the best method.
I can’t help thinking though that they are over the top for pen making with many more steps than are really needed.

I you buy them I’m sure they will work just fine but you may be wasting a little time and some money.

 

[silver]

Micromesh in my view has its place, but not on finishing wooden pens after coating them with CA.

I have MM in and only use it from 4,000 up to 12,000. That's because I have it in stock and too tight to buy anything to replace them yet.

The recent Zephyr pen I did was finished with MM and a resin polish.

I don't have the pads as I couldn't warrant the extra expense, I brought the sheets of MM. Linked below where I got mine from.

Micro-mesh Cushioned Abrasives up to Grit 12000 | FINE TOOLS

I brought mine around 8 years ago and still have enough to last me a few more years so it does last an has its place.

I agree with Phil as there is newer ways to finish but I can't comment on them as I haven't tried them (Yet)

 

[Steve68]

Hmm....a lot of for and against which is one of the reasons I love these forums. You get both sides and honest opinions, great stuff.

Currently with CA or acrylic I use 600 to 6000 wet sandpaper then finish with two applications Mothers plastic polish. With wood I dry sand from 180 to 400 and apply a sealer. Then fiction polish or more recently I'm dabbling with the CA.

I buy my sandpaper from my local motor factors and I can get 180 through to 3000 for 65p a sheet minus a little trade discount. I cut it into squares and put them in little plastic pots on a shelf behind the lathe ready for use. Paper above 3000 I buy the micromesh sheets similar to the link Eamon has posted. I try and get two goes out of each square.

My lathes are far from expensive items as I'm still a beginner, but I put a poly backed microfibre cloth on the lathe bed when wet sanding to soak up any residue.

Phil. Like Dave, I'm interested in your method for finishing your projects. I did have a search but can't find it either.

Cheers,
Steve.

 

[Morse]

Steven.
This was posted earlier this year. Lots of old(pardon experts) comments.
Hope the link works.
http://www.penturners.co.uk/turning-pens/21885-use-polish-acrylics.html

Dave

 

[Bill Mooney]

I tried MM & discarded it & I use my own method of dry sanding down to 400 grit, 0000 wire wool then burnishing cream (Farecla 300 & 500 but any burnishing cream will do the job. One of the reasons I discarded MM is because I couldn’t distinguish the colours.

 

[nimrod]

Like Bill I found some of the colours hard to distinguish between with the strips I write what the grit is in waterproof pen so I know which grit I am using, my pads are in a plastic pouch behind my lathe just in case one day I decide to use them

Robin

 

[Steve68]

Reading the comments and the link Dave posted, I think I'll stick to my sandpaper and maybe try a different polish to compare with my current brand. I have got some Farecla and Autosol as well as some Turtle wax and a wax I use on my cars called Harly wax I get from a "well known auction site". It's a pure carnuba so I will be trying that too I think.

 

[Phil Dart]

Phil. Like Dave, I'm interested in your method for finishing your projects. I did have a search but can't find it either.

My method for finishing wood is pretty well known, but on acrylics I sand to 600 with my trusty Abranet. They don't make it any finer than 600 so I then switch to wet and dry, which I use dry to 1200. I then use 0000 wire wool, and finish with chestnut burnishing cream. That's it.

Other people use Farecla cream in place of the Chestnut cream. I've not tried it but I'm told it's pretty good. [MENTION=95]Walter[/MENTION] Hall is a great exponent of Farecla

I've been down the micromesh route, and frankly, I cant tell the difference in the end result unless under a NASA grade electron microscope. I consider micromesh an un-necessary, time consuming process for no discernable gain.

There is no standard for grading wire wool by the way, and consequently it's fineness varies from make to make. The finest 0000 I've found is Liberon.

 

[pittswood]

I've been using the foam micro pads for 3 years or more, using the same pads. Never had any wear out, as long one uses water on every one when sanding. I only use these pads with CA glue, when using Yew wood. I coat with ten coats of CA glue, then sand from course to fine and to finish just use T-cut polish. Any other wood I use the other paper backed sandpaper, 120 - 600 grit. Seal the wood then, wax or burnish to finish.
Kelvin

 

[Walter]

The particular Farecla products that I did use were discontinued, but to be honest any fine abrasive will produce a good result. Micromesh will do the job but in my opinion involves way too much mess when used wet and way too many steps when you can go straight from 600 grit to a medium grade compound followed by a fine one.

 

[Morse]

I used Farecla to finish after the mm pads. Then had a thought, what abrasive grade is the Farecla I was using.
I contacted Farecla and they sent their product specs. The product I was using was graded at 3000. I was using
the mm pads at 12000. Stopped using it.

Dave

 

[21William]

Phil, I’ve got some 800 grit Abranet. The coarse Abranet sheets I have are marked Mirka Abranet, the 320 to 800 grit is marked Mirka Abranet Ace. Their website mentions 1000 grit but I’ve never seen it for sale, in fact I can’t remember where I got the 800 grit but it was probably at one of the Yandles shows.

Update: I had a look at the Auction site and a Germany company had a roll of P1000 for sale.

Whilst looking though I came across item number 292645782141 which is a product called “Pronet” in grits from P80 up to P3000 in 2” discs. May be worth further investigation...

 

[Phil Dart]

Phil, I’ve got some 800 grit Abranet.

Update: I had a look at the Auction site and a Germany company had a roll of P1000 for sale.

I must speak to my good friend Mr Google. I've never found it for sale beyond 600.
You have just imparted life changing information William

 

[21William]

I will be mentioning the P1000 to my wood turning club shop to see if they can get some.