Question on sanding and painting....

I was chatting on MSN with Keyworth and others and asked about where to find 1200 grit sandpaper. They suggested Home Depot or Lowes. I went yesterday and the best I could find was 600.....which by the way hardly feels like sandpaper at all....so what's 1200 like?? A sheet of paper??

Anyways....where can I find the sanding pads like are close to this grit?? I used the 600 grit yesterday to try and fix some orange peel on my Mustang and it barely seemed to do anything....I didn't notice any scratches-- does 600 really do damage to the plastic??

I'll be trying to add the Alclad II to the model soon....after I figure out how to mask the wheel wells and completed cockpit interior.

One last thing-- I remember somewhere recently in FSM an article on painting stands to hold the plane while airbrushing....can someone point me to what issue it was?? Or even better-- give tips as to what I can use to prevent the plane from moving about when I am airbrushing (for the first time...wish me luck!).