Thread: Sand paper- do you think this will work on the disc sander

3M say:

Emery, Flint and Garnet are all natural minerals that have unique properties which provide good finishing results. Best used in finishing applications and sanding “end-grain” to prevent burning.

Resin bonded for heat resistance

You may find the garnet a bit too friable (=shorter life) than you would prefer
and the 60 grit a little too coarse for a large disc sander.

But for the price, it's probably worth a try

At Sturt, IIRC we used 60 grit on a large disc sander. At the start of the year the sheet was glued to to disc with contact adhesive and lasted the whole year.

There is no doubt contact adhesive will work but it is a complete pain to remove off the disc when you want to change the sandpaper.
Plain old PVA glue works a treat, when you want to remove a worn out sanding disc all you have to do is soak it in water overnight to remove.
I don't think 60 grit is too coarse (especially if you have a double sided sander, coarse on one side fine on the other would be ideal), I use 36grit on mine.
And yes, those rolls of abrasive will work a treat. What a bargain! Well done. Seething with jealousy here.

Thanks all for the fast reply. Fingers crossed, it sounds like I might have something worth cutting into a circle then (the total cost for all the paper was $22 including the auction fees, although I thought it was $11 until I realised the auctioneer was selling per bucket, even so, it would be easy to spend $22 on sand paper).

I don't think the 60 grit will be too much for what I need, as previously I had a 30" disc with 60 grit and the SFM on that was just over 7000, but this at the 18" will only be 6500 (different motor speeds and of cause diameters).

Originally Posted by artful bodger

Plain old PVA glue works a treat, when you want to remove a worn out sanding disc all you have to do is soak it in water overnight to remove.

I was hoping someone might reply with knowledge of using PVA to secure the disc. I have read about it being done, but yet to have anyone I can ask some questions of. May I ask, is there any technique to successful adhesion or is it just a case of cleaning the disc and applying a liberal amount of PVA (any tricks at all I should be aware of)? Do you clamp it down tight while it dries (I assume some clamping would be best)? For removal, so it's just a case of soak for 24 hours and then remove, do you use a particular solvent to clean the disc? I have steel discs, are your discs steel or aluminum, and do you know if it makes any difference?

Sorry if all that questioning comes across as pushy (I'm sure they are silly questions, with obvious answers, but I figure best to ask), I'm just excited at the idea of just grabbing the bottle of PVA as apposed to contact cement.

Cheers,

Camo

I haven't used PVA for this purpose, but can't see why it wouldn't work. It's probably easier to put an even coat on each surface, let it dry (at least an hour) then use a hot iron to re-activate it and iron it on. Try it with a bit of scrap first, in case it effects the glue that holds the grit to the paper.

Sounds like you had a good win with the paper for that price. Well done.

Just use disc cement (which is starting to become more available once again) and you wont go wrong. Stay away form contact and pva glues.

Steve

Hey Steve,

I'm basically on the border line for central coast, so your not that far away from me, did you have any recomendations on brands of disc cement, and a local supplier.

Any advice greatly appreciated (I've heard positive and negative reviews on the disc cement).

cheers,

Camo

The disc cement works brilliantly. It won't move in the plane of the disc then to get it off you just lift an edge and it peels straight off.

Originally Posted by Toymaker Len

The disc cement works brilliantly. It won't move in the plane of the disc then to get it off you just lift an edge and it peels straight off.

Thanks for sharing your experience with disc cement (good to know). As your in Newcastle, would you happen to know a local source, and be able to recommend a particular brand, what one your using. I'm finding products online, but not at a price I would like to use trial and error to determine if that particular brand works well.

cheers,

Camo

P.S. I'm still also interested in hearing more about any techniques to use if I try the PVA option (might try a side by side test, PVA vs disc cement)

Camo i will pick you up a tin if you like from a hardware near my work (Sydney) no problems at all. IIRC twas about $18 but PM me your details and i can call you when i get to the shop.

Steve

Originally Posted by kamusur

Camo i will pick you up a tin if you like from a hardware near my work (Sydney) no problems at all. IIRC twas about $18 but PM me your details and i can call you when i get to the shop.

Steve

Steve,

I would really appreciate it, not that I can't pick some up myself, but just to know that it's one that someone has tried before and found it to work. Whatever it costs (I'm sure it would come in at less than $40 anyway, so just go for it). I will PM my details, and can come down and grab it (I am sure I will be heading past your way in the near future). If you need the cash up front, just PM me your details (Paypal, bank account or even I could drop of some cash).

Thanks again Steve! I really appreciate it.

Cheers,

Camo

Sorry I'm no help on brands and suppliers. Its years since I had a disc sander but the disc cement was what we used and a half litre tin of it seemed to last for ages.

What is the difference between disc cement and contact adhesive?
If you can just peel the sanding disc off using disc cement, what is left on the metal part? Old disc cement?,nothing?

Originally Posted by camoz

I was hoping someone might reply with knowledge of using PVA to secure the disc. I have read about it being done, but yet to have anyone I can ask some questions of. May I ask, is there any technique to successful adhesion or is it just a case of cleaning the disc and applying a liberal amount of PVA (any tricks at all I should be aware of)? Do you clamp it down tight while it dries (I assume some clamping would be best)? For removal, so it's just a case of soak for 24 hours and then remove, do you use a particular solvent to clean the disc? I have steel discs, are your discs steel or aluminum, and do you know if it makes any difference?

Sorry if all that questioning comes across as pushy (I'm sure they are silly questions, with obvious answers, but I figure best to ask), I'm just excited at the idea of just grabbing the bottle of PVA as apposed to contact cement.

Cheers,

Camo

Hi Camo. Where I did my apprenticeship (back in the 80's) they had a 36inch double sided disc sander that was turned on all day. The discs used were the coarsest grit,36-40 from memory. They were glued on with contact adhesive and changing them was an undesireable job relegated to the youngest apprentice. There were at least 15 patternmakers in that shop and the discs did not last long. You could get away with peeling a disc off once maybe twice and just gluing the sanding disc with contact and using the residual glue on the metal disc as the other "contact" but any more than that lumps would happen, making a dodgy disc sander.
These days I have only a 18inch disc sander and I am the only one who uses it so the discs last a long time. Bought a pack of 12 in 1989 and I am up to number 11, 36grit.
I prefer to use PVA glue when fitting a new sanding disc. For one it does not stink like contact adhesive, is cheaper, and water soluble. As I got several spare backing discs (aluminium) with my sander what I do is make a simple squeedgy (flat bit of wood with numerous bandsaw cuts in it) out of craftwood and work the pva glue into the paper, then clamp the paper on to the backing disc with one of the spare discs (you could use a bit of flat thickish plywood instead) with several f clamps. PVA only needs one porous surface (the paper/cloth disc) to work.
On the other hand, maybe I am stuck in my ways and living in the past!. Perhaps this disc cement was invented when I was not looking?, and is not related to contact adhesive at all.
Good post! interested to find out more too.