How to Select Suitable Sanding Discs

Sanding discs  are used to do the finishing touches on wood products or on items manufactured from metal, giving them a smooth and perfect shape.  There is hardly any appliance that is made from wood or metal that does not go through this final polishing; and it is, most often than not, done using sanding.

These discs are made of abrasive or sandy material that is quite durable and of very high grade. They are mounted on solid wheel-like or round shaped objects that are made from metal. This is what is now referred to as grinders.   Most of them are rotary and, when in use, they move in a rotational manner to grind the surface of the wood or metal item that was being manufactured. They can be manual, electric, hand, or air sanders; that are fashioned by the use of various backings on which are attached many grains of sandy substance. The sand has to adhere to the background of solid disc of metal, wood and such like firm support. The round sandy disc then becomes rough and abrasive. The result is such that if it is rolled on the surface of wood or metal item, the grinding would take place to remove the rough patches and render it smooth. The backings could be made from cloth, metal, paper, leather, film, or any other suitable material of most unique varieties, which come in all forms and shapes. In addition, some of the heavy duty grinders are actually more lasting and durable wheels. All that is required is for one to match the mounting type of device at hand with the sanding discs being bought; and the usual ones are adhesive, hook and loop, central, or bore-mount. Another thing to be careful of is the type of abrasive grains employed on the sanding discs you are buying, because they are the ones that are going to do the actual work.

Types of sanding discs:

• Alumina-zirconia sanding discs  
• Aluminum oxide/ceramic sanding discs  
• Carbon boron nitride sanding discs  
• Diamond mixed paste sanding discs  
• Garnet sanding discs   
• Silicon carbide sanding discs  
• Tungsten carbines sanding discs  

How to select sanding discs with appropriate backings:

Cloth grinder discs are good for tough jobs which require abrasive planning. With such jobs, one can also make use of fiber discs which would work well even though sometimes they tend to lose their shape due to atmospheric changes in the air or moisture.

(1)  Metal grinder discs are another type mostly preferred for jobs that require firm attachment, so they are better than flexible ones. The common metal compositions used are aluminum and brass.

(2)  Consider the various types of grains, as different ones act differently and these also can affect the type of finishing results you will get or even the cost of the disc.  ake the diamond paste or even the carbon boron nitride, for instance; both will do the same job on various types of steel. However, it would be a waste of money or more costly for you to buy them for applications that involve softer materials.

(3)   The type of finishing required: For smoother finishes, grains made from a combination that involves both aluminum oxide and other materials like emery should work very well.

(4)  Choice of grit: this is defined as the size and surface density that is in the grains. Many jobs require that the work be handled in stages. First, the course grit is used; then the final finishing is done in fine grit sanding discs.