SEARCH FINESCALE.COM

Enter keywords or a search phrase below:

Hobby sanding films VS regular old sandpaper......

4580 views
4 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Modeling anything with "MARINES" on the side.
Hobby sanding films VS regular old sandpaper......
Posted by AH1Wsnake on Monday, February 21, 2005 1:10 AM
The sanding films you purchase at the hobby shop seem really overpriced, and don't last long for me at all. I was wondering if anyone here knows the corresponding grit numbers for those (since they are only color-coded), and if there are sandpaper equivalents that you can buy in large sheets at a hardware store. Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

"There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and those who have met them in battle. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion."
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 21, 2005 5:58 AM
The finest grit sandpaper I've seen at the local Home Depot, or Lowes, is 600 grit. I do use 400 and 600 when I begin sanding, then only wet, and follow it up with finer grit pads. I tend to use 400 and 600 grit paper which has already seen service in sanding down the oak display bases which I build and is nearly ready for the trash.
Over a year ago I discovered "Soft Touch Polishing Pads" and ordered a set from Micro Mark and gave up on the sanding film which I had picked up at a local hobby shop. The pads come in a 6 pack, with 2400, 3200, 4000, 6000, and 12000 grits. They are 2" x 2" soft foam pads with rounded corners with the Micro-Mesh abrasive laminated to both sides and run $7.50 for the six pads. Only this past week did I finally have to order a new set; figure I got $7.50 worth of use out of them in over a year of sanding/polishing plastic. I swear by them; by the time I get down to the 12000 grit, what I've sanded/polished on a model actually looks smoother than the surrounding area.
Micro-Mark also carries sanding film which comes in a 10 pack, 4 " x 5" sheets, 2 sheets of 5 different grits. About all they say as to the grits is that they range from 23 micron down to .5 micron (equivalent to 10,000 grit) and include silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, cerium oxide, and chromium oxide. The 10 pack runs $4.35.
I'm not trying to endrose Micro Mark, nor do I receive any reimbursement, but I've dealt with them for years and have received good service.
Hope this helps.
Dick McC
  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Utereg
Posted by Borg R3-MC0 on Monday, February 21, 2005 5:59 AM
I have never used sand paper from a hobby store. I always use "wet or dry" sandpaper from the local DIY store. They have it up to 2000 grit, so that's more then fine enough.

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: A Spartan in the Wolverine State
Posted by rjkplasticmod on Monday, February 21, 2005 9:53 AM
Biggest advantage of the sanding films is their flexibility, since they are on a thin mylar base rather than the normal paper. But I only use them occasionally these days, having got uesd to using sanding sticks & MicroMesh pads.

Regards, Rick
RICK At My Age, I've Seen It All, Done It All, But I Don't Remember It All...
  • Member since
    August 2004
  • From: Kennesaw, GA
Posted by jdavidb on Sunday, February 27, 2005 3:14 PM
Here's where you get bigger sheets of Micromesh for less money overall. You know, get a bunch of different grits in each order so shipping is worth it. http://www.sisweb.com/micromesh/mmr_sheets.htm I've only bought from there one time so far. I bought so much it's gonna be a while before I buy more Micromesh.
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

SEARCH FORUMS
FREE NEWSLETTER
By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. View our Privacy Policy.