For centuries, sandpaper has been around and is being used to make smooth surfaces and remove particles. The sandpaper was called a glass paper before, and many people use shark skin as their sandpaper as well. It is made from different materials that include silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, and chromium oxide. And the best part about sandpaper is that you can learn how to make sandpaper on your own.
DIY sandpaper requires you to pay a lot of attention. It may take time because you may not get it right on your first try. This project requires some patience as well, and you need to be careful when attaching things with glue. To help you make DIY sandpaper, I will give you guidelines and ways to make sandpaper. Follow these ways and steps to achieve that perfect DIY sandpaper that is ready for use in a few days.
What is Sandpaper?
In the past, sandpaper is known to have sharp edges that cut metal or wood. The coarse edges are glued in a backing material like Kraft paper. It comes with different grades that represent different qualities, backing materials, abrasives, and bonding agents. It’s originally mined materials that are natural for the grit of sandpaper and turned out to be human-made materials later on.
Although coated abrasives are the individual sheets of sandpaper for crafts or furniture, the coated abrasives usually include a wider array of use for industrial and personal use. Nowadays, abrasive come in many types and sizes. These are commonly known to remove small amounts of rough metals from metals, wood, or rough edges on a human tooth. Sandpapers are perfect for everyday use for repairs and common household issues.
Also, sandpaper is measured by the grit size or a number of sharp particles of sandpaper per square inch. That’s why learning how to make sandpaper is helpful as it helps a lot in making surfaces smooth and cleaning materials.
Type of Sandpapers
One thing you should know when learning how to make sandpaper is the type that will work best for your needs in a particular job. Take note that there are three variations of sandpapers; the 120 grit for medium sanding, 80 grit if you want to do shaping, and 220 grit for fine sanding between coats. To further understand this, here are the common types you should know.
Garnet Sandpaper
This is good and advisable for hand sanding. It works effectively on raw wood, getting rid of scratches, and preparing surfaces for finishing touches. However, the abrasive particles may break during use, as it provides new edges for removing materials. But it wears fast and quick with Garnet sandpaper.
Emery Sandpaper
The Emery sandpaper works both in hand sanding and power sanding metals. You can use a coarser grit just to remove the rust or paints and ready for polishing. This type of sandpaper usually comes with a cloth backing, which is the Emery cloth.
Aluminum Oxide Sandpaper
This is usually man-made abrasive that works on plastic, wood, drywall, and metal. If you use the Aluminum Oxide Sandpaper, the particles break during sanding, it constantly showing new sharp edges. Moreover, this kind of sandpaper is long-lasting and a good choice for power sanding. That’s why it’s helpful if you know how to make sandpaper and use it at home for hand sanding.
Ceramic Alumina
The Ceramic Alumina is DIY sandpaper available in discs and belts for power sanding. It is perfect for hard material removal on wood, as this is durable and sturdy compared to Aluminum Oxide.
Silicon Carbide Sandpaper
It is one of the best man-made types of sandpaper because it removes materials quickly and effectively. It’s perfect for paint and rust removal, and even sanding between coats when you finish. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last that long, because you need to replace it once you already used it.
How to Make Sandpaper
Making DIY sandpaper can be challenging. You have to see to it that everything is fine, especially with the glue, and try not to cut more than what is necessary. So if you want to know and learn how to make sandpaper, check on these useful steps and ways to help you.
Step 1. Gather All the Materials Needed
Before learning how to make sandpaper, you must prepare all the materials you need to come up with the best sandpaper. The materials needed to make sandpaper are:
- belt sander
- paper
- pencil or markers
- ruler and protractor
- scissors
- utility knife
- glue
Step 2. Mark and Wrap the Paper
Next is to have the belt sander wrapped and see to it that you leave a space for about half an inch. You can use a pencil or markers to make makings on the paper. After that, turn the paper and put line marking and angle on it. Then measure the angle using the combination square first.
Step 3. Cutting of Belt Sanding Paper
Using the utility knife carefully cut the belt sanding paper that you marked earlier. You have to cut the other side of the paper and use the same angle to have a match on either side. See to it that you leave half an inch space for this.
Step 4. Remove the Sand from the Paper
The belt sanding paper must be turned over, so you will have that sanded part facing upwards. Put a line on the paper, and make sure that there is about half an inch between the line and indention. You can use the same line as a control to take away the sand from the paper. Make sure that all edges were clear of sand.
Step 5. Attaching of Pieces Together
Put some glue at the back and the sanded part of the other piece. Make sure that the edges fit perfectly with each other. The glued parts should be firm, and you can do it using clamps or two flat objects and press the paper pieces together. And right there, you’re done.
Conclusion
Most of us probably have sandpapers at home. Knowing how to make sandpaper is very helpful, especially if you need that something that could meet your needs for the project. It’s versatile and provides a solution to your everyday household problems. You can use it for cleaning, removing stains, especially in suede and sharpening knives and scissors.
DIY sandpaper costs cheap, and it’s truly a life-saver at home. It will make you love what you’re doing-especially in cleaning, as sandpapers get the job done right in all instances. If you know how to make sandpaper, you can have it done accordingly based on your preferences. Just enjoy what you’re doing with the sandpaper and let it help you with your projects. Find out more about sandpapers.