Sanding discs

[theoldwizard1]

Several questions about sanding discs for a 6" hook and loop ROS. Paint removal and fiberglass finishing.

• Is there much of difference between "name brand" and generic discs ?
• What is your favorite brand ?
• Why are some discs reddish-brown and others are light brown (both claim to be aluminum oxide) and which last longer ?

 

[PugetDude]

Several questions about sanding discs for a 6" hook and loop ROS. Paint remover and fiberglass finishing.

• Is there much of difference between "name brand" and generic discs ?
• What is your favorite brand ?
• Why are some discs reddish-brown and others are light brown (both claim to be aluminum oxide) and which last longer ?

I like Mirka; have a dozen boxes of them in different grits.

 

[sevt_chevelle]

3m mirka norton. Different colors different grades.

 

[Alaniho]

There are actually not so many manufacturers of the abrasive for sanding discs in the western world and most of the generic 'no name' or rebrands are made by the same manufacturers or their convertors. The principle actual manufacturers are Norton Saint Gobain, 3M, Mirka, SIA, Klingspor, Starcke, Sait, Napoleon, Sun and Deerfos. Outside this powertool and private branded discs are nearly all made by Mirka, SIA , Napoleon and Sun. There are also of course Chinese types of much lower quality that would not be suitable for much outside DIY.

Regarding colour, Aluminium oxide is naturally white so colour is only a dye added by manufacturers to differentiate between series. For example many may know the Festool Granit which is white but this disc is a rebrand made by SIA and they sell it as Siaspeed 1950 which is pink. The backing weight is the main difference between types but some are also made from Silicon Carbide grain, Zirconium or Ceramic (3m Cubritron).

 

[manwithtools]

I like Mirka; have a dozen boxes of them in different grits.

Me too, they know their stuff.

 

[joe_padavano]

3m mirka norton. Different colors different grades.

^^^THIS. And yes, there is a difference between these and the no-name brands. Saving half the cost is false economy if you have to buy three times as many.

 

[manwithtools]

Another big factor in abrasive life is proper dust extraction. Keep the dust out of the sanding area and the abrasives last much longer.

 

[Gizmosity]

Gone around and around with sandpaper and sandpaper reps from the pre-internet days. Klingspor has been my favorite for a very, very long time. I played with Mirka 20 years ago and found it good and when we bought some of their sanders 5-6 years ago we used some of their mesh papers, but the Klingspor paper has always impressed me.

Also, if you watch their website, they tend to tweek their manufacturing process slightly, change colors, etc and they'll close out a line. That's when I stock up.

 

[dnschmidt]

If you're an industrial customer Klingspor and Abrasive Resource (a division of Starcke Abrasives of Germany) give you the most for your money. Deerfos of Korea makes an excellent film backed disc as well. VSM and SIA of Germany make goodstuff too. Mirka is in my opinion slightly below the above mentioned names but their stuff is pretty good and Abralon is great. Norton and 3M can go from excellent to mediocre as they build product for any given price point.

 

[tarbellb]

Lots of good info above, thanks.

I will chime in about dust extraction and using mesh. The mesh not only performs as well or better at removal, but clearly does a excellent job of extracting dust which reduces loading up of the abrasive, extending life and performance.

AND one major benefit is you can pull the mesh off and roll it, this clears tons of material out specially if its gumy like paint, softwoods, etc... and its almost like new again.

 

[dnschmidt]

In that regard Mirka's patent on Abranet has expired. Klingspor is selling the same stuff as KlingNet. The German's are so original when it comes to naming things.

 

[theoldwizard1]

... AND one major benefit (of nets/mesh) is you can pull the it off and roll it, this clears tons of material out specially if its gumy like paint, softwoods, etc... and its almost like new again.

Good to know !

 

[theoldwizard1]

For you Mirka fans, what is the difference between their Gold and Royal product lines ?

 

[dnschmidt]

The paper backing. The Gold uses normal paper and the Royal uses a paper that's dipped in Latex. Far more flexible.

 

[PugetDude]

The paper backing. The Gold uses normal paper and the Royal uses a paper that's dipped in Latex. Far more flexible.

The Gold have served me well, but I hardly ever re-use a disc.