# wet sanding



## coyote (Sep 22, 2007)

After you have applied the ca, at what point do you start wet sanding? Also is mm a must when useing ca? thanks


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## Texatdurango (Sep 22, 2007)

I apply my CA a little thick on purpose.  Once I have a slight buildup of glue I dry sand with 320 to smooth the blank out.  Dry sanding leaves a white chalky looking finish which easily shows any ridges and valleys.  Once smooth, I start wet sanding with 400/600/1000/1500/3200, wiping any sanding residue off between grits, then take it to the buffer.

Lots of opinions on micro mesh, my opinion is that it's not necessary if you are buffing with white diamond.

Try both ways and see what makes you happy.


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## Paul in OKC (Sep 22, 2007)

> _Originally posted by coyote_
> <br />After you have applied the ca, at what point do you start wet sanding? Also is mm a must when useing ca? thanks



I do not wet sand CA myself. I sand lightly through about 1200, then use a plastic polish. MM isn't a must for anything[8D] (I don't own any)


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## Fred (Sep 22, 2007)

Wet sanding on the lathe can and will cause some problems with rust down the road. I find that using 000 and 0000 steel wool do a great job when following up after an initial light sanding of the CA finish.

George is correct above when he said the white residue shows all the scratches. It is then time to sand agai with a finer grit and steel wool the blank some more. Do this until there is no indication of scratches and then do your final buffing.

L


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## Fred (Sep 22, 2007)

Wet sanding on the lathe can and will cause some problems with rust down the road. I find that using 000 and 0000 steel wool do a great job when following up after an initial light sanding of the CA finish.

George is correct above when he said the white residue shows all the scratches. It is then time to sand again with a finer grit and steel wool the blank some more. Do this until there is no indication of scratches and then do your final buffing. 

I would leave the water alone as it does cause bad problems on open ways of the lathes. IF you insist on the water bath, be sure to completely dry the ways off and apply a spray of WD-40 and wipe that down a bit. BUT, keep in mind that oil (WD-40) definitely does not go well with bare wood. Just try to put a finish over it one day! Good luck! []


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## jeffj13 (Sep 23, 2007)

> _Originally posted by Fred_erick_
> <br />Wet sanding on the lathe can and will cause some problems with rust down the road. I find that using 000 and 0000 steel wool do a great job when following up after an initial light sanding of the CA finish.
> 
> George is correct above when he said the white residue shows all the scratches. It is then time to sand again with a finer grit and steel wool the blank some more. Do this until there is no indication of scratches and then do your final buffing.
> ...



I'm not sure how rust is a problem. If you are using water (I use mineral spirits) you only use just enough to wet the paper.  If it is dripping off the paper, you have used way too much.

Also, I would suggest never using steel wool.  Very small particles of the steel wool can become imbedded in your finish and these will rust.

While I would agree that wd-40 might not go well with wood.  Oil goes just fine.  Many woodworkers (flat work and lathe work) use BLO to enhance the grain prior to applying a finish.  Just be sure to let the BLO fully cure first.

jeff

jeff


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## coyote (Sep 23, 2007)

Thanks for the information guys, anything helps at this point. One more question, what are you useing to apply the ca with? I cant seem to get a smooth application, without ridges. THANKS


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## coyote (Sep 23, 2007)

Also if you happen to get ridges do you sand them out before you apply another coat of ca? Maybe same question but do you sand in between coats? I have read many of the steps, but they are not clear as to what to do when you run into a problem. Sorry Im just trying to learn. thanks


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## stevers (Sep 23, 2007)

I put on a half dozen coats of CA and start wet sanding with 1500 or so. I don't touch the CA with dry paper. Lay a rag over the bed and go for it. I do the same on plastics. I go through 12,000 MM and finish off with Hut plastics polish. I do not have a polishing system yet so I have to do it the hard way for now.


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## Firefyter-emt (Sep 24, 2007)

Go to staples and buy a package of lined note pads. I use outdated forms from work and they work great. I use these to keep water and CA off my lathe and it looks great still. I also use these to glue up blanks on, the bit of Gorilla Glue that foams out is tossed in the trash with the rest, or if I need to mix epoxy, there you are.

There is a post in the classified section for Delrin strips, these are cheap and easy to use to apply a straight CA finish. I love them myself and my CA finish's work great!


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## BigguyZ (Sep 24, 2007)

I wet sand everything with mineral spirits.  I don't every dry sand unless I'm trying to do a slurry to fil in the grain.


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## coyote (Sep 25, 2007)

Is there something that you can use in between sandings besides dna to clean the white stuff off from being traped in the finish? I had a good start today everything going good until I stoped the lathe to check the finish. I noticed that there was little white particles in the finish. Every step counts thats for sure.


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## stevers (Sep 25, 2007)

Turn off your lathe between each grit to check it. 
If you are talking about finishing CA or plastics or other man made materials, you should be wet sanding. Use enough water to keep the paper well lubed. It should produce a slurry of water and residue off whatever you are sanding. Rinse your paper often to keep it clean. Once or twice during each grit. 90 seconds to 2 minutes per grit should be enough. And try to keep your paper off of the bushing. The bushings will produce a residue and contaminate the blank. 
If you are sanding wood, again, try to keep the paper off of the bushings. It's easier to keep it clean, then to try to clean it.


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## rherrell (Sep 26, 2007)

I have an air hose at my lathe and use compressed air between grits. If I feel like something needs to be wiped off I use CA accelerator. Evaporates almost instantly. I don't wet sand anything.


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## stevers (Sep 26, 2007)

I used to say that too. Till I tried it.


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## rherrell (Sep 26, 2007)

Fair enough. I'll try it. Stay tuned!


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## stevers (Sep 26, 2007)

Good Man, you'll be presently surprised.


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## GaryMGg (Sep 26, 2007)

I'm sold on wet-sanding for wood and/or acrylics.
I wet sand by taking a piece of 300-count white sheet and dipping it in water, getting it fully wet but not dripping. I move this folded pad back and forth under the blank while moving MM over the blank coincidental with the wet pad. I don't have rust problems caused by wet sanding this way and I get a good finish most of the time. When I don't it's because I screwed up something I was doing: too much pressure, too much heat, or not paying attention to what I'm doing.


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## ElMostro (Sep 27, 2007)

I wet sand with mineral spirits (MS)starting with 600 grit.  I wet a rag with MS and hold it under the blank as it spins and hold the sandpaper over the blank.  As you sand not only does the rag lubricate it also cleans the sawdust AND you don't produce the fine dust.  The only downside is that the paper clogs up a bit faster BUT I achieve a much smoother finish.  I have also noticed it allows my BLO/CA finish to go on a lot smoother.


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## BigguyZ (Sep 27, 2007)

> _Originally posted by ElMostro_
> <br />I wet sand with mineral spirits (MS)starting with 600 grit.  I wet a rag with MS and hold it under the blank as it spins and hold the sandpaper over the blank.  As you sand not only does the rag lubricate it also cleans the sawdust AND you don't produce the fine dust.  The only downside is that the paper clogs up a bit faster BUT I achieve a much smoother finish.  I have also noticed it allows my BLO/CA finish to go on a lot smoother.



That's what I do.  I used to use water for acrylics, but I find that mineral spirits works just as well and won't corrode the lathe bed...


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## bradh (Sep 27, 2007)

I found that mineral spirts sometimes leaves a white film on the blank. The film is more noticable on a dark wood.
  When I wet sand, I do it with BLO.
Brad
HardingPens.com


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## jeffj13 (Sep 28, 2007)

I finish my pens with lacquer and wet sand with mineral spirits.  Never had a problem with with a film.  

Brad, is there a reason you use BLO instead of mineral oil?

jeff


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## bradh (Sep 28, 2007)

I have BLO handy for my BLO/CA finish.


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## coyote (Oct 3, 2007)

After time, I have found that some wood and other materials that you need to wet sand and other times you dont. I have also found out if you get an even coat with blo/ca it makes a differece. I turned another black walnut, and on the first try I was ready to throw it in the trash. I sanded back down cleaned it up and started again with an even coat of ca. Did not wet sand the secound time. Started with 320-600. I even used 2400mm. Last I put a little friction polish on and some Novus scratch remover on with a paper towel. Volia nice glass like finish on what started out to be a nightmare.


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