sandpaper won't cut?

so i'm sitting here handsanding a blade using garnet sandpaper and it seems that after about a minute the paper loses it's effectiveness.

i'm not sure whether this is due to loading or if i'm wearing the paper out, or if garnet sandpaper just isn't the right stuff (though i don't think that's it since some hones use garnet for cutting action)

my wet-dry papers don't seem to face this problem and can be used for quite a length of time

i only have 4 sheets of this paper (150, 180, 220, 320) which i bought thinking i'd save a buck by not using wet-dry

should i just make life easier and go get my low grits in wet-dry as well?


on a side note, as i'm sanding at 220 i see some marks from a lower grit that i just can't get rid off...should i jump down to a lower grit and get rid of them first or will they dissapear as i go through the grits?

Give up the garnet for metalwork and get yourself some nice aluminum oxide (or AO as they call in sandpaperland:) ). The higher numbered grits lessen the wider scratches left previously and leave their own thinner scratches.

Steve

well, if you're using the same stuff for your wet-dry sandpaper then it does sound like the paper's loading. I can highly recommend gator grit in the 400, 600, and 800 grits since they can be used wet and they have a finer scratch pattern and cut aggressively. As far as the scratches go, it's just like woodworking: remove any large scratches from lower grits with progressively higher grits. Of course with metal, you have to have some extreme patience with sanding :D

Howard, where do you buy your gator grit?