Sandpaper Vs Emery cloth

[Wayne/Al]

I am working on a kit and at this time trying to get the stock sanded. I have 100 grit sandpaper and 100 grit emery cloth and several other grits as I proceed through the different steps.

I have noticed that when using the sandpaper I dont get very much use before the sandpaper is gone, on the other hand if I use the emery cloth I can get a lot more mileage.
My question is can I expect the same results if I use emery cloth instead of sandpaper or should I stick with sandpaper while working with wood?
Just thought I would get an opinon from the experts.

Thanks, Wayne/Al

 

[brubincam]

-----a guy on tv said if'n you put duct tape on the back of sand paper it will make it last longer(I haven't tried it yet)-----

 

[bob243]

One thing I noticed, especially with 100grit. After it seems like it is worn out, I run the shop vac over it and it works like new..

 

[Birddog6]

I use emerycloth or emerypaper. I buy it at NAPA and buy it by the box. Hardly ever us a 100-120-180-180 paper.

But I will tell ya, a good set of files & multiple shapes & sizes will save you ALLOT of sanding. Usually when I start sanding a rifle it is down to 220 grit already as I can file it that smooth or smoother.....

And I also use allot of scrapers that I have made of various shapes & do allot of shaving with
them.

:hmm:

 

[Onojutta]

I have noticed that different folks have different definitions for emery cloth...

 

[ohio ramrod]

As a long time woodworker (about fifty plus years) I have found masking tape works better than duct tape to reenforce cheaper grades of sandpaper. There are many cloth backed "sandpapers" that will work better than emory cloth on wood. But emory cloth does work nicely .

 

[Zonie]

Traditionally, Emory cloth was used primarily on metal but there is no reason it can't be used on wood.

As for sandpapers, there are several different kinds. Although everyone has their own opinion, I'll list them in the order I think they fit in from poor to very good.

Emory paper. I've never had very good luck with this kind of paper. Emory is fairly soft but they do use fairly good glues to hold it to the paper. I think its softness is want wears it out fairly fast.

Aluminum oxide papers always seem to wear out rapidly.
Aluminum oxide is a very hard material but it's also inexpensive. Perhaps the fact that it is inexpensive causes the makers to use cheap glues?

Flint papers aren't much better than aluminum oxide and seem to wear almost as fast.

Garnet paper seems to be about the best. It seems to be sharper and to hold the edge better than the other two papers mentioned.
Perhaps it is because it costs a little more they use a better quality glue on it.
In any case, this is the paper of choice for me when I'm working with wood.
IMO, garnet paper does not 'load up" as rapidly as the cheaper papers do (although when working with gunstock woods, loading up is not usually a problem.)

Silicone Carbide: A man made material, almost as hard as a diamond.
This material is black and it is usually bonded to waterproof paper with waterproof glues.
That's why it is usually referred to as "wet/dry" paper. It can be used wet or dry.

It is made for cutting metal and is usually available only in the fine to very fine grits.
It is more expensive than the other papers and I can't see spending that much money on a sandpaper for wood when the Garnet works better.
Because it is available in grits from 120 thru 1600 some folks use 320 or even 400 grit to sand their wooden stocks.
IMO, this is a waste of time, elbow grease, wet/dry paper and money. Anything finer than 280 on wood is a waste of time.

These very fine grits do have a good use in woodwork though.
Used wet with water as a lube they are excellent for removing the little dust bumps that seem to appear when stock finishing oils dry.
Use 600 grit or finer for lightly sanding out any little bumps on the oil finishes. Then apply more oil and let it dry.
This applying/sanding process can build up a fairly thick finish that shows off the woods natural grain nicely.

For sanding metal parts, no other sandpaper comes close to matching this wet/dry paper.

Well, at least that's the way I see it. :hmm:

 

[Melton Kidd]

I have problems finding emery cloth finer than 120, so I use wet or dry paper for fine finishing on metal. I use regular wood paper for the stock. I find that it cuts better for me. You should use what you like.

 

[Wayne/Al]

Thanks Zonie,
I think you have answered any question anyone would have about sandpaper or emery cloth. I think I'll Try to find some of the garnet and give that a try.

Wayne/Al

 

[paulvallandigham]

Before we had sandpaper, scrapers were used primarily to shape, and smooth wood. They still work, for a fine, smooth finish.

The actual predecessor to sand paper was shark skin, and pumice, or rottenstone, held to a rag dipped in oil. You can still buy both rottenstone, and pumice, typically at paint stores, to use in polishing finishes on furniture and gunstocks. The Sandpapers today are of such good quality that most stockers use the garnet paper to remove specks, and blemishes in their stock finishes. But, pumice and rottenstone can also be used, and will often remove the very fine bubbles, or dust bumps, in an oil finish, doing less damage to the finish around it, than will the garnet paper.

The cure for dust in your oil finish is to not let it happen. Have a dust free closet, or box, or room, where you can hang your stock to dry and not worry about dust getting onto the finish.

I use a closet in a spare bedroom, that is Not used for storing clothes. The sliding doors keep the air from the heat ducts from circulating in the closet, bringing in dust particles that will settle on my wet finishes. I vacuum the closet floor before beginning to finish a stock, to remove any dirt or dust that may have gotten into the closet.

For reasons that I don't understand, the builders carpeted the closet floor. It does help seal off air from getting under the doors.

 

[brubincam]

-----emery paper to sharpen knives-----

 

[paulvallandigham]

I have Arkansas stones to sharpen knives.

I recently bought some " diamond hones " from Harbor Freight just to try them. They are OKAY, but you have to strop the blade when you finish with the hones to get a smooth sharp edge.

 

[Vaino]

I use sandpaper for the flat areas of a MLer, eg...side and lock panels and "V" shaped forends and it's always backed w/ a flat hardwood block. 220 wet/dry is used for the other stock areas and also on metal parts for "roughing" followed by finer grits, mostly used wet. Have tried various brands of sandpaper and they all seem to load up much more than the wet/dry paper. Lately have been using scrapers a whole lot more which saves a lot of the cost of the wet/dry and is faster but still finish up the entire stock w/ 320 wet/dry paper.