Sandpaper America

[K. L. McReynolds]

Indiana Sandpaper company. Anyone used their H&L discs?

Been using Mirka Gold, but this company's products are MUCH less expensive.

Ordered 3 grits, 100, 150, and 180. 50 each for about $12 a box. Shipping is $10.

[K. L. McReynolds]

Just got the order. 5 days for regular ground shipping.

At first inspection, the discs look good, as tough feeling as the Mirka. Will get a workout sanding finish off slab doors and trim(less hassle than stripping).

It takes three discs of the Mirka(150 grit) to do one door on both sides. And an hour. I figure stripping would take more time with cleanup.

[Steve N]

Sandpaper America

Between Mirka from Amazon, and Rhyno from ?????? I probably have a lifetime supply of discs for sanding on my ROS. But everytime I see a new source mentioned I look at 6" NO HOLE PSA discs for metalworking, actually I use them on a Worksharp 3000 that I use to sharpen chisels, and plane blades.

Theirs are here though they only go to 320 grit. If you scary sharp only to 320, and now use a WS 3000 this might be good info for you. They give poor product info on this site. I had to call to verify these were no hole PSA.

[K. L. McReynolds]

I Scary Sharp to crocus cloth. Don't need a machine to deal with the few chisels(and the occasional uses) I have and use.

[jteneyck]

K. L, McReynolds said:

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... the discs look good, as tough feeling as the Mirka.

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Mirka gold? I find it to be really fragile; you hit a corner or pretty much anything and they are done. And the abrasive doesn't seem near the durability of Klingspore, nor even Diablo.

John

[Robert Adams]

K. L, McReynolds said:

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Just got the order. 5 days for regular ground shipping.

At first inspection, the discs look good, as tough feeling as the Mirka. Will get a workout sanding finish off slab doors and trim(less hassle than stripping).

It takes three discs of the Mirka(150 grit) to do one door on both sides. And an hour. I figure stripping would take more time with cleanup.

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Will order some 5" discs and see how they are. I almost never use my 5" sanders and have almost no discs left for them.

I usually swap paper at about 10 minutes of sanding or when it seems like it's going too slow. I use primarily Mirka as well. Got a whole bunch of boxes at the restore for $5 a box a while back but I seem to never have exactly what I want (like hardware collections)

[K. L. McReynolds]

Been using this paper and am impressed. It is definitely worth the money.

[Richard D.]

K. L, McReynolds said:

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It takes three discs of the Mirka(150 grit) to do one door on both sides. And an hour.

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I think 20 minutes on a disk is too long, you lose time and efficiency. 5-10 minutes and for removing finish I'd start at 80 or 100. I don't mind tossing disks with a little life left if it means less time sanding.

With Rhyno disks I go 100, 180, 220 and done with no swirls. Price isn't a big factor in my sanding supply choices. I'll pay more for less time sanding.

[fredhargis]

Wow, that is cheap. Took me a while to get to the 5" 8 hole ones. I'm in pretty good shape at the moment, but will have to keep them in mind...someone please let us know your impressions of the quality. there were some comments about how long to run the discs. Some time back one of the magazines did a review of discs (I think it was Wood). The interesting thing to me was they also tested how long the discs kept cutting. They concluded what a few others have said: more than X minutes (don't remember exactly what they said, but it was somewhere around 10 minutes IIRC) and you are wasting your effort. Since then I've changed my discs much more frequently; I'll usually try to feel a new one, and then compare that to the one in use. If it feels dull I replace it.

[K. L. McReynolds]

I did a bit of testing, since sanding finishes off is usually an exercise in frustration.

I have a technique now that works---and I could probably do each door with two discs(18" wide closet door with one), but it does make the job faster to switch sooner. The used discs are good still(no burnt finish build up) and I keep them for future pre finish work.

The finish is probably either varnish or shellac(never tested it). I make a series of passes to get about half the finish off, lifting the sander to blow away the gritty dust(that would melt into the disc and burn) about every 20 seconds. One disc for each side. Then the third to clear any finish left and the edges.