Faq

24-60 are Coarse Grits (Heavy Surfacing and/or Stock Removal - Contouring Edges - Removal of Machining Marks)

80-120 are Medium Grits (Leveling and/or Light Surface Conditioning - Removal of Previous Grit Scratches)

150-240 are the Fine Grits (Finishing Grits, Final Leveling and/or Smoothing Surface for Finish)

320-600 are Pre-Polish (Satin Metal Finish - Leveling Wood Finishes)

800-1500 are Polish (Gloss to Mirror Metal Finish - Piano Finish Polish - Acrylic, Plastic, Solid Surface Polishing)

KLINGSPOR Germany uses metric for all measurements. KLINGSPOR U.S.A. uses metric for length since most of our rolls are cut on European calibrated cutting machines, which are set up to measure in metric lengths. Metric is not the standard measuring system in America, we convert the width to inches (closest metric equivalent) which reduces confusion and ordering the wrong width for their application.

With spar varnish and Tung oil finishes, dry time is an important factor in sanding between coats. We recommend our UltraFlex S/C pads of 220 and 320 grits between coats. If the varnish is softer and not quite hard enough for sanding, then we recommend our Stearated S/C PL35 sheets. These help against loading of soft finishes with little pressure. Make sure to sand lightly against the grain first, then come back with the grain and double the passes. This will ensure a level scuff and remove the cross grain scratches that were first applied.

Stearate A/O and S/C are dry sanding types of sandpaper. Stearate A/O (Aluminum Oxide) primarily used in bare wood or non-ferrous metal applications where loading of the material could occur. Stearate S/C (Silicon Carbide) is primarily used in between coats of finish. The added stearate acts as a dry lubricant while sanding on surfaces where wet sanding cannot be applied. Stearate S/C is not recommend for bare wood sanding and SOME water based finishes. Instead look at our regular wet/dry S/C for water based finishes.

If you're using water based finishes and have questions, please contact our technical department before finishing your project.

Yes. Sanding is simply the removal of material through friction. Keep in mind the holes are an added benefit for you. The holes are used to extract the dust/loading of material you have removed with the sandpaper. If you notice swirl marks in the piece you are sanding, you will want to wipe the surface between grits or get dust collection.

No. Joining a belt together is a very precise process. It uses a special epoxy with tape to create a lasting joint. The biggest environmental threat to the tape joint is moisture. We recommend that you do not hang portable belts on a hook or peg. Instead keep your belts in a plastic bag or in a climate controlled area. Typical standard life of a belt joint is one to two years.

A very easy and helpful solution to belt loading is a "rubber cleaning stick." This rubber-based stick, item #'s BS99116 - BS99801 - WK30030 - WK13100, are held against the loaded belt as it is running. The rubber pulls out trapped sanding residue impacted between the abrasive grains, thus increasing the belt life. Also useful for Drum Sanders, Long and short belts, Discs and Fibre Discs.

This problem can be easily remedied with KLINGSPOR's Mac Mop. This wheel consists of hundreds of small abrasive strips bonded to a strong epoxy core. Typical applications include the sanding of turned wood parts, scuff sanding of sealer coats, satin finishing of metal parts, mold sanding and sanding of virtually any profile. Mac Mops are available in two sizes: 10" x 2" and 10" x 4" and in grits ranging from 80 to 180. They are best used on a motor with at least a 3/4" diameter spindle and operate at between 1100 rpm and 3000 rpm.

F.E.P.A. - "Federation of European Producers of Abrasives." Normally used to describe a European grading system for abrasive grain to differentiate it from the US A.N.S.I. system. Products graded to the F.E.P.A. system have the letter "P" prior to the grit designation. Another grading system is C.A.M.I., which is, "Coated Abrasives Manufacturers Institute." A trade association composed of US coated abrasive manufacturers. This will not have a P in front of the grit.

The recommended abrasive varies depending on the material being sanded. For ALUMINUM, CAST IRON, CHROME, & STEEL the best product would be Alumina Zirconia for rough grinding and Aluminum Oxide for general purpose grinding and finishing. Silicon Carbide is sometimes used for final finishing. For WOOD the best product is Aluminum Oxide for general purpose sanding. Alumina Zirconia can be used for planing operations and Silicon Carbide is often used when working with particle board. For GRANITE or other stone material we recommend Silicon Carbide almost exclusively. Usually ground wet to reduce dust and eliminate burning.

Open Coat is a coated abrasive product in which the abrasive grain covers approximately 50% to 70% of the coated side surface. Helps to retard loading of sticky or gummy materials such as softwoods or paint. Closed-coat is better for sanding metal and wood finishes but clogs easily with sawdust.

Alumina Zirconia: A high-performance alloyed abrasive formed by Zirconia deposited in an Alumina matrix. An alloy of Aluminum Oxide and Zirconium Oxide. Designed for heavy duty stock removal for metal and wood, with self-sharpening characteristic. Belts are normally blue in color. It normally works well for grinding stainless steel, spring steel, titanium and other hard metals and for dimensioning wood. Comes in Belts, Discs, Fibre Discs, and wraps for your drum sander.

Aluminum Oxide: An abrasive made by fusing the mineral bauxite. A very strong and tough abrasive. The most commonly used abrasive for wood and metal. Normally brown or reddish-brown in color. Usually it is best suited for sanding metals, wood and solid surface. Comes in Belts, Sheets, Sleeves, Rolls, and even several options in the form of discs.

Zinc Stearate: A dry lubricant added to the surface of coated abrasives (usually sheet or disc goods) which prevents loading of soft materials such as paint and other finishes. Normally white-gray in color.

Silicon Carbide: An abrasive made from coke and silica sand. Very sharp and hard abrasive. Used for sanding between coats of finish, painted or otherwise finished surfaces, rubber, plastic, non-ferrous metals and other types of materials. Cuts very well under light pressure. Has self-sharpening properties and normally black in color.

Garnet: A very sharp grain that cuts very quickly when new. It fractures quickly, keeping it sharp. it is perfect for sanding wood end grains or for final finish sanding of wood. Garnet is very economical. Mostly found in sheet form.

In the premium you get our best backing material, while in the bargain box you can get several different backings but all are still cloth aluminum oxide. The Economy belts have a more pliable backing than the premium belts and they are still aluminum oxide and you get a consistent quality each and every time.

You could use a fiber disc, angle grinder flap wheel, or flap disc on a right angle grinder for the actual cutting. You can also use products like Arbortech Turbo Plane. That would be the quickest. Also depending on how deep you need to go, probably start with 60 or 80 grit and then adjust up or down based on removal rate.

Usually products that have been chemically treated to be waterproof (i.e. they will often have a WP or "waterproof" designation on backing) and all our polyester backed products which are inherently waterproof. Other products that are not marked but do work well with water, naphtha, mineral oils and waxes are the UltraFlex Pads in either A/O or S/C. Please check with our customer service for more information to best choose the right product for your application.

We recommend you never skip more than one grit as you work up through a grit sequence. When you start with a coarse grit you have a depth of scratch that is created. As you move up the grit range you cut or level the previous surface down to the initial scratch you started with. When you skip more than one grit in a sequence, the depth of scratch is not enough to level the surface down to the previous scratch. Typically this causes heat build-up and premature abrasive service life. When you use a grit too fine, you'll fatigue the abrasive and yourself quickly trying to remove previous grit scratches.

There are two sizes of 3x9 pump sleeves. One is for an American drum and the other is for a drum made in China. Pump sleeves are measured like a belt. You can measure an existing sleeve by doing the following: lay the sleeve flat, measure the overall length, and then the width multiplied by 2. If you don't have a sleeve, you can wrap a string around the outer (metal) part of the drum and measure the string.

Check with your club president to confirm your club has submitted a roster to us and that your name was included. Once you have confirmed that we have your club's information, establish a login with us by visiting My Account located at the top of the home page. If you already have a login, simply click Login at the top of the home page. The login process should occur before entering into the checkout process. You can however login after adding items to your shopping cart and the prices of club related discounts will be effective.

Heat is the main culprit that causes clogging. The best way to remedy some of this is to make light passes and use a belt cleaning stick periodically to remove any built up particles in the abrasive. Dust build-up can also contribute to abrasives clogging and burning. Using a good dust collection with at least 1,000 cfm is ideal, as drum sanders produce a tremendous amount of dust that needs to be extracted. A shop vac just won't handle the amount dust that is created. A side note - Be sure to have decent filtration (30 micron or better) on any dust system you may use. Also make sure your wraps are not touching each other when on the drum. Keep at least a 1/16" gap between wraps. This will aid in cooling and dust removal from the sanding process.

We have several options that will work when a food safe finish is required. Visit our finishing section > food safe.

Complete Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) limits can be found at www.issa.com/vocsum . The states that have VOC limits are as follows: California, Conneticut, Delware, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Northern Virginia, & Washington D.C.

The problem could be the wood grain, density of the wood, or glue has gotten on the surface of the wood.

Due to changes in the law concerning remote sellers by many states, we are required to collect and remit sales tax in certain states. For orders shipped to any of the following states, sales tax will be applied to your order. Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

See the table of states that we do and do not collect collect and remit sales tax in by visiting
https://www.woodworkingshop.com/statetax/

An affordable means of cleaning wood burning tips while using (warm): We recommend cutting a square of denim from some old clothing. Fold it 4 times to make it thick. Pen tips can be wiped off on the denim to remove build up when warm. This can be done while working on a project but doesn't thoroughly replace a good cleaning of the tips. Set the burner on a lower heat setting and place the denim on a scrap piece of wood or hard surface to support the heat. Support the denim with your index finger and thumb on the opposing hand as they tip. The denim will wipe some of the buildup off of the pen tips and they can continue to be used. Though denim is thick - heat will transfer through and if you are NOT careful, will scorch or burn the item underneath the denim.

For cleaning tips, and polishing...
After several burns you'll start to notice your tip is darker, slightly discolored, and not as hot as it has been. This is severe buildup. Always hone after you've let the tip cool as you could risk damaging the honing strop, or bending your tips if done when the tips are warm or hot. We recommend using a strop in combination with stropping compound to clean and polish your tips. When doing this, only a small amount of compound needs to be added to the strop. Be sure to clean and polish, equally, all sides of the tip that are used when burning. If NOT done equally, this could change the consistency of how your tips burn. Wipe each tip clean after polishing.

PW14 - Flexcut Knife Strop - This combination of leather strop on a wooden plate, with the yellow compound makes for an economical cleaning/polishing solution.

CA10000- Genuine Leather Honing Strop - A piece of solid leather 2"x 12" (Honing Compound Not Included).

TD40021- Trend Honing Paste & Leather Kit - A genuine leather strop measuring 8"x 3" with ultrafine polishing compound.

MW40000 - Small Hone Strop - 1-3/8" wide x 6-3/4" long synthetic leather strop surface (Honing Compound Not Included).