Has anyone done any sanding and buffing of rod thread epoxys? Say if you have a piece of dust or whatever and it really doesn't need recoating?......

DR

I've done it and if you have the right abrasives, it will look great. I use Micro Mesh for all my sanding. I have a set of none cushioned pads that start at 1500 and progress to 12000. 1500 is equivalent to 400 grit paper, but the 12000 is off the scale somewhere. Keep the pads wet because the stuff can melt. I got my set at Woodcraft in Minneapolis when I was there on vacation. You can mail order it from them or do a search on the net for it.

Thanks Jerry,

I tried it in a dust particle this evening. I took 1500, and buffed with 3M's Finesse II turned out wonderful :)

DR

Could you guys please elaborate on the process you are using?

kev

For me, the trick is being able to have the rod turning while doing this, which means having a lathe of some sort. With the lathe running at it slowest speed, around 500rpm in my case, I first use 1500 Micro Mesh and progess through 1800, 2400, 3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000 and 12000. I do this wet, as wet as possible. Wipe down the finish after each grit. By the time you finish with 12000, you will not be able to tell that it was ever sanded, it will shine like glass. But, if you do this to the rod blank itself, you will absolutely see that something was done because you will remove the color - might not show on a grey blank. The Micro Mesh I have is a set of nine cushioned pads that are 2" square. They can be cut down to a smaller size. Micro Mesh is also available in sheet form, but I like the pads. You don't want or need to use a lot of pressure. I suppose you could do this by hand without a lathe, but it would take longer and I've never tried it. Alternatively, you can go to Wally World and get some of the emory board sets in the cosmetics department. If you can find a set that has at least four different abrasives you can probably do the same thing, although those probably don't go as fine as the Micro Mesh.

Does that help?

Kevin,

I just took 1500 grit wet/dry sand paper, soaked it in warm water until it curls, wrap a small piece of the 1500 around a popsicle stick, sand out the defect. I then took 3m's Finesse II (available at most body shop paint supply stores) which contains NO silicone or wax applied it to a buff wheel made for a dremel, turned the dremel on low and buffed up the sanded area to a high gloss. Wiped the finness off my face :) and called it a day.

DR

Thanks guys, I might have to gives this as try.