Odd Question on Aluminum Oxide - Please Help!
Odd Question on Aluminum Oxide - Please Help!
(OP)
Question:
Can I take a piece of wood and cover it with an abrasive like aluminum oxide to be used like sandpaper to shape/carve wood?
If we could use it, what kind of resin and abrasive would be the best choice to use?
The reason I need this information:
We sandpaper wood into different shapes.
We sometimes cut small pieces of wood into different shapes and cover them with sandpaper to get the desired shape onto the carving piece. We also attach these small pieces of sandpaper covered wood pieces to power tools to speed up the process of carving.
Covering small pieces of wood with sandpaper isn't always practical, specially an egg or ball shape piece of wood. The sandpaper does not go on smooth enough onto these types of shapes. It gets all crumbled.
Any ideas or help will be highly appreciated;
Joe
Can I take a piece of wood and cover it with an abrasive like aluminum oxide to be used like sandpaper to shape/carve wood?
If we could use it, what kind of resin and abrasive would be the best choice to use?
The reason I need this information:
We sandpaper wood into different shapes.
We sometimes cut small pieces of wood into different shapes and cover them with sandpaper to get the desired shape onto the carving piece. We also attach these small pieces of sandpaper covered wood pieces to power tools to speed up the process of carving.
Covering small pieces of wood with sandpaper isn't always practical, specially an egg or ball shape piece of wood. The sandpaper does not go on smooth enough onto these types of shapes. It gets all crumbled.
Any ideas or help will be highly appreciated;
Joe





RE: Odd Question on Aluminum Oxide - Please Help!
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Phenolic resin is what is used on "industrial quality" sandpaper; it holds up very well to heat, and has strength even as it chars.
RE: Odd Question on Aluminum Oxide - Please Help!
Great info. I'll follow up on it.
RE: Odd Question on Aluminum Oxide - Please Help!
You may not need phenolic resins. Have you ever used the Weldwood glue? I forget the resin type. You mix the powder with water and when it dries it is waterproof and strong (we used it to laminate water skis).
Companies like Norton will sell bulk abrasive.
Applying the abrasive evenly will be the hard part.
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RE: Odd Question on Aluminum Oxide - Please Help!
I'll follow up on this info too.There is a Norton outlet close to my house, I'll go there now and see what they got.
Home Depot was not much help in this case.
Joe.
RE: Odd Question on Aluminum Oxide - Please Help!
RE: Odd Question on Aluminum Oxide - Please Help!
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Rust never sleeps
Neither should your protection
http://www.trent-tube.com/contact/Tech_Assist.cfm
RE: Odd Question on Aluminum Oxide - Please Help!
I’ve experimented with some of your suggestions and so far it’s going towards the right direction.
Ron, I think you are right, the thickness of resin should be about 1/2 the thickness of the sand grains. I also read somewhere that the best sandpapers have a second coating of resin on top. Well, I tried that and it did not work at all. It felt like I was sliding a piece of ice on ice.
Some of the challenges I’m facing now are:
I bought 25 pounds of Aluminum Oxide from Norton, that is the smallest quantity they sell. The grit is too fine. It does not state the grit size anywhere on the package. My guess, it’s in the low 200’s. I need the pieces (sand wood) to be very coarse. A grit of 60 would be nice. Does anybody know where I can purchase Brown Aluminum Oxide abrasive in a small quantity (around 25 lbs)? I found lots of manufactures willing to sell me the stuff by the pallets, “WOW! No thanks” I told them.
I wanted to write more, but I live in Florida and going through a very heavy thunder/lighting storm right now and need to shot-down. I will continue soon.
RE: Odd Question on Aluminum Oxide - Please Help!
RE: Odd Question on Aluminum Oxide - Please Help!
I’ve experimented with some of your suggestions and so far it’s going towards the right direction.
Ron, I think you are right, the thickness of resin should be about 1/2 the thickness of the sand grains. I also read somewhere that the best sandpapers have a second coating of resin on top. Well, I tried that and it did not work at all. It felt like I was sliding a piece of ice on ice.
Some of the challenges I’m facing now are:
I bought 25 pounds of Aluminum Oxide from Norton, that is the smallest quantity they sell. The grit is too fine. It does not state the grit size anywhere on the package. My guess, it’s in the low 200’s. I need the pieces (sand wood) to be very coarse. A grit of 60 would be nice. Does anybody know where I can purchase Brown Aluminum Oxide abrasive in a small quantity (around 25 lbs)? I found lots of manufactures willing to sell me the stuff by the pallets, “WOW! No thanks” I told them.
I'm also having a problem with spreading the resin evenly onto the piece. Should I try a fine brush to do this or perhaps air sprying it?
Thank you Swall. I will try the holey coffee can technique to see if I can get a more even spread of the abrasive powder onto the sand wood.
Thank all for your help.
By the way, the pieces I'm trying to make measure about from 2" to 10" in all different shapes.
RE: Odd Question on Aluminum Oxide - Please Help!
Here is one that I've used many times. Just give them a call.
http://www.vicmetals.com/
RE: Odd Question on Aluminum Oxide - Please Help!
RE: Odd Question on Aluminum Oxide - Please Help!
RE: Odd Question on Aluminum Oxide - Please Help!
Beach sand is probably not adequate, because quartz is rather brittle and not as hard as aluminum oxide and most likely, having been bashed about for hundreds of years, to be relatively low in abrasion capability.
TTFN
RE: Odd Question on Aluminum Oxide - Please Help!
Get 'sharp sand' or 'builder's sand' from Home Depot or other building supply or concrete D-I-Y place.
Oven dry the sand before sprinkling onto the adhesive. No problem with using excess sand, just dump it off after the adhesive has set.