3/17/2024 0 Comments Sandpaper grit chart for jewelry![]() ![]() I’ll usually give it a couple of wash coats with thinned shellac before varnishing, and sand with 280 – 320 grit before varnishing. If I’m going to varnish a wood like walnut or maple, 180 grit on the bare wood is fine. For something like a knife handle, I might even polish it on a buffing wheel. If I’m working a wood as hard as cocobolo for an oil finish, I might sand up to 400 grit. The harder the wood, the more benefit I get from finer grits. This helps to smooth out any little dust nibs. On the final coat, depending on the look I am going for, I may buff the surface with 1000 or 2000 grit soft pads. After the first coat of finish dries, I sand with 320. And just as an FYI, I usually increase my grits between each coat of finish. So that’s why I say make the wood look perfect, but don’t worry about it not being glass smooth. With sanding between each coat, you’ll have ample opportunity to smooth the surface to your liking. Because after the first coat of finish is applied, you are no longer dealing with the raw wood. ![]() Sanding up to 400 really isn’t going to give you a smoother finish in the end. Sometimes I am even happy with 150, but I usually go to 180 just for good measure. And the number that I find removes all visible scratches is 180 grit. But by sanding with the grain, or in a completely random pattern (as with a random orbit sander), your eye will never see them. To be more accurate, there are always going to be scratches in the surface. Rather, its to give the wood a clean, even, and scratch-free appearance. The whole idea with sanding the wood is not necessarily to get it as smooth as glass. I believe that after 150-180 grit (on most woods), we have a case of diminishing returns. I saw one of your videos where you sand to 180 grit. “When sanding, I usually sand down to 400 grit. This question comes from Michael who asks: ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |