# Polishing paper



## qquake (Jan 26, 2020)

Anybody tried this? Any good?









						Ultra Fine Polishing Paper: 6 Pack
					

Get a glass smooth, high gloss shine and eliminate scratches with these Ultra-Fine Polishing Papers. They are a great alternative to micro-mesh pads and work especially well when you sand into tight V cuts and coves.  Works great on acrylics and other plastics, metals, alternative materials and even



					www.pennstateind.com


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## TonyL (Jan 26, 2020)

I am not, but Amazon has *similar* products for much less money, The PSI line states that  their product is washable - which is a big plus. IMO.



			Amazon.com : Ultra Fine Polishing Paper
		


Remember, I said similar.


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## duncsuss (Jan 26, 2020)

I've been meaning to buy some of this from Amazon for a while - it looks identical to the PSI offering, apart from the pieces are a different shape, and it's literally half the price per square inch. ($0.15 per sq inch versus $0.307 per sq inch).






						Zona 37-948 3M Wet/Dry Polishing Paper, 8-1/2-Inch X 11-Inch, Assortment Pack One Each 1, 2, 3, 9, 15, and 30 Micron: Toy Vehicles: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
					

Zona 37-948 3M Wet/Dry Polishing Paper, 8-1/2-Inch X 11-Inch, Assortment Pack One Each 1, 2, 3, 9, 15, and 30 Micron: Toy Vehicles: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific



					www.amazon.com
				




I believe 3M make one grade that is even finer grit, but I've only seen it in the adhesive-backed version.


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## jttheclockman (Jan 26, 2020)

I do not see this being any different than MM. Just another gimmick.


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## FGarbrecht (Jan 26, 2020)

Yeah, agree with John, this is just repackaged 3M lapping film.  It's works well for lapping and sharpening (this is what I use for sharpening my chisels and plane blades) but can be found cheaper.  The grit is embedded in a fairly flexible but firm plastic backing and is probably fine for final sanding and polishing.


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## duncsuss (Jan 26, 2020)

Just for the hell of it In the interests of scientific inquiry, I ordered some from an eBay vendor who sells it even cheaper than Amazon. If you'd like to try it yourself ...









						3M Polishing Paper Tri-M-Ite Imperial Wet or Dry 400-8000 6 Sheet Assortment Set  | eBay
					

�� These WetorDry™ sheets are made of micron graded Aluminum Oxide minerals abrasives with soft cloth-like non-woven backing. Sheets provide consistent finish for High Quality Polishing of contours, interior cavities and shapes.



					www.ebay.com


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## jttheclockman (Jan 26, 2020)

duncsuss said:


> Just for the hell of it In the interests of scientific inquiry, I ordered some from an eBay vendor who sells it even cheaper than Amazon. If you'd like to try it yourself ...
> 
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> 
> ...


sells it even cheaper in half sheets if just experimenting

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-Tri-M-I...373650?hash=item2cd33a4a12:g:UVYAAOSwOFZeD9uE


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## TonyL (Jan 26, 2020)

duncsuss said:


> Just for the hell of it In the interests of scientific inquiry, I ordered some from an eBay vendor who sells it even cheaper than Amazon. If you'd like to try it yourself ...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hi Duncan. What do you think of it?


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## duncsuss (Jan 26, 2020)

jttheclockman said:


> sells it even cheaper in half sheets if just experimenting





TonyL said:


> Hi Duncan. What do you think of it?



Thanks, John - I saw the half-sheets and decided to go for the lower-per-square-inch price of the full sheets; I would be very surprised if a 3M product disappointed me, and I know that I can use the 1 micron grade for smoothing fountain pen nibs if nothing else.

Tony - I had barely finished the PayPal transfer when I typed that! When the goods arrive and I've used them a little I'll post a follow up.


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## TonyL (Jan 26, 2020)

duncsuss said:


> Thanks, John - I saw the half-sheets and decided to go for the lower-per-square-inch price of the full sheets; I would be very surprised if a 3M product disappointed me, and I know that I can use the 1 micron grade for smoothing fountain pen nibs if nothing else.
> 
> Tony - I had barely finished the PayPal transfer when I typed that! When the goods arrive and I've used them a little I'll post a follow up.


Thank you.


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## qquake (Jan 28, 2020)

I ordered a pack of the half sheets to try it. I'll report back once I receive it.


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## Edward Cypher (Jan 30, 2020)

I use the zona polishing paper and it works just fine.  it is similar to micro mesh but has been used in the jewelry business for a long time.  Goes to a little finer than the top grit of micro mesh.


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## duncsuss (Jan 31, 2020)

My pack of 6 grades arrived yesterday; it has a label stating the grits are 400 / 600 / 1,200 / 4,000 / 6,000 / 8,000 but doesn't say which measuring system they use. (Micromesh finest grit claims to be 12,000 - but could be on a totally different scale.)

I might get to take some for a test drive this weekend.


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## qquake (Jan 31, 2020)

Mine should be here today or tomorrow. I'll definitely try it this weekend.


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## qquake (Jan 31, 2020)

I got mine today, but the colors don't seem to match up. I can't tell which is which, at least not the finer grades.


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## qquake (Feb 1, 2020)

I did a quick test with the Tri-M-Ite. I sanded the body with 150 grit dry, then used all six grades of the polishing paper wet. It actually worked better than I expected. I realize I didn't get some of the bad scratches out, I was in a hurry. I just wanted to see if it has promise. I'll try again with Micro-Mesh later to compare.


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## TonyL (Feb 1, 2020)

Much better. Watch the ends (near the bushings). I find that I have to pay particular attention to the ends because of their curve away from the sand paper.  Many times the body of the pen appears scratch-free, but when focus my loupe on the ends, I can kick myself for not doing a better sanding job.


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## qquake (Feb 3, 2020)

Looks like I need new Micro Mesh. This is after all 9 grades.


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## qquake (Feb 3, 2020)

So I decided to try all 6 grades of the polishing paper. Worked pretty good. I just realized there are only five photos. I obviously missed one.


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## TonyL (Feb 3, 2020)

Look pretty darn good to me. Nice job!


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## qquake (Feb 3, 2020)

I was more careful with the ends this time. This is after ScratchX.


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## qquake (Feb 3, 2020)

I tried again with some new Micro Mesh. The polishing paper obviously did a better job at removing the heavy scratches.


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## qquake (Feb 3, 2020)

And just out of curiosity, I tried the ScratchX. It made it a little better, but didn't take out the heavy scratches. I didn't think it would, but it was worth a shot.


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## GraiDawg (Feb 3, 2020)

THIS IS  super interesting, i'm trying to find the most practical system.


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## qquake (Feb 3, 2020)

Me too. I had replaced Micro Mesh with Dr. Kirk's a while back, which gave me similar results. But a lot of times I would get micro scratches, and the OCD side of me is trying to eliminate them. My process was wet sand through 500; Dr. Kirk's; and PlastX. Then I added swirl remover, and then ScratchX. That's a lot of steps, but that may be what it takes.


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## qquake (Feb 4, 2020)

How would you guys clean this? Warm water and a brush?


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## TonyL (Feb 4, 2020)

If washable, I would use warm water an a drop of dishwater with a soft toothbrush (that is what i do with MM)


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## duncsuss (Feb 4, 2020)

qquake said:


> How would you guys clean this? Warm water and a brush?


I'm planning to cut the sheet into strips about 1" x 2.75" (about 32 pieces from an 8.5 x 11 sheet) and throw them away after using.

My friend and teacher says "don't use sandpaper like somebody else is buying it -- use it like toilet paper, just once then get rid of it."


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## qquake (Feb 9, 2020)

I don't know what happened. This is a blank from Classic Nib. Everything was looking good, until I got to the pink. These aren't scratches, it's something on the surface. I used water, but maybe not enough? Anybody ever seen this before?


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## duncsuss (Feb 9, 2020)

My best guess is it overheated and the fine powder that the paper was taking off the blank melted and fused back onto it. Slower and wetter would be my recommendation.

I got a similar thing once when I was buffing a Cebloplast pen barrel, fortunately there was enough wall thickness that I could get rid of the streaks by going all the way back to 120 grit and doing the whole process over.


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## TonyL (Feb 9, 2020)

I have done the same. When i experience this, i kick it back a few grits (the bck to the finer grits), slow the rpms to 600 to 800 (my usual settings) and make sure i am letting the sp do the work. excellent progress.


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## qquake (Feb 9, 2020)

I ran through all six grades again, this time making sure it was plenty wet. What a difference! I really do think this is better than Micro Mesh.


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## qquake (Feb 9, 2020)

I polished it with Meguiar's 105, Swirl Remover, ScratchX, PlastX, and 205. I don't think I can see a difference. I think I agree with TonyL, 105 and 205 would have been enough.


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## qquake (Feb 11, 2020)

I tried the paper on a different blank. Very happy with the results.


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## duncsuss (Feb 16, 2020)

TonyL said:


> Hi Duncan. What do you think of it?


I used this for the first time today on a piece of vintage celluloid; I like it a lot.

First I sanded with 320 grit using my regular method -- Vince's WoodNwonders blue sanding disks on a hard backing mandrel, with lots of water from a misting squirt bottle. I find it the easiest way to get rid of any bumps in the barrel.

Then I used each of the 6 "papers" - I cut a strip off each and quartered it, so I had a piece about 7/8" x 2" to work with. In between each one I stopped the lathe and sanded up and down the length of the barrel, being very careful to get rid of any circular scratches before moving on to the next grade. I didn't use a backing block with these, just finger pressure and again plenty of water.

Normally I'd go through Micromesh then use Plast-X (or buff), I'm not sure I have to do either to this pen.


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## TonyL (Feb 17, 2020)

Very well done. Thanks for sharing the process.


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## qquake (Feb 17, 2020)

I'm getting really good results with the Tri-M-Ite followed by Meguiar's 105 and 205.


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## TonyL (Feb 17, 2020)

qquake said:


> I'm getting really good results with the Tri-M-Ite followed by Meguiar's 105 and 205.


So far, this has been among the best that I have seen - especially with a dark/unforgiving blank.

I did see fine radial scratches on one of your earlier posts. If you are not using a loupe, you may gain much from getting one (10x is plenty).


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## qquake (Feb 17, 2020)

I do have a loupe, but don't use it much. Most of the time when fine scratches show up in the photos, I can't see them with my naked eyes, so it's all good.


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