Thread: Understanding Micro Mesh

Originally Posted by Brighty83

So how is it that a shapton at 'almost' 1 micron (.92) is 16k but a 1 micron diamond powder is 28k and a 1 micron 3M sandpaper is 2k grit.

Diamond Powder's
Micron \ Grit
Diamond Powder 0-1/2 Micron 60000
Diamond Powder 0-1 Micron 28000
Diamond Powder 0-2 Micron 14000
Diamond Powder 0-3 Micron 12000
Diamond Powder 2-4 Micron 8000
Diamond Powder 0-5 Micron 5000
Diamond Powder 0-6 Micron 4000
Diamond Powder 4-8 Micron 3000
Source

Micro Mesh Grits
Micron \ Grit
2 12000
3 8000
4 6000
5 4000
8 3600
9 3200
12 2400
15 1800
30 1500
Source

The micro mesh looks expensive, $10.80+postage in Australia for a 150 x 300 mm sheet.

Could you use a diamond powder the same way (4-8 down to the 0-3 micron powders), for buffing and teh final sanding of blades etc?

Not meaning that the powder is a mesh of course lol, but it comes in the same sorta grit's and is still intended to be used as an abrasion for polishing and sanding.

That could be a silly idea lol but its worth me asking!

Would 10 sheets of the micro mesh out last 100ct of diamond powder?

Diamond powder cuts more deeply and leaves a rougher surface than micromesh. Or at least diamond pastes do. I assume you'd be making a paste or binder to apply the powder. One of the strong suits of micromesh is that the particles press into the cushion so they aren't overly aggressive.

I purchased my first set of MM from woodcraft yesterday, due in part to this thread, thanks to the OP for starting it.

One thing the guy at Woodcraft told me was to wet sand with them "ONLY". He said you will destroy them if you don't.

Originally Posted by sidmind

I purchased my first set of MM from woodcraft yesterday, due in part to this thread, thanks to the OP for starting it.

One thing the guy at Woodcraft told me was to wet sand with them "ONLY". He said you will destroy them if you don't.

Hi, I have been using micro mesh sheets for years, I have yet to destroy one by dry sanding, they work brilliantly on metal wet or dry, obviously on timber you would use them dry, either way I can't fault the product.

Osdet, thanks for the advice from someone who has used MM

I have another question. I am using my MM. For sanding wood scales using the CA method. How long should I expect them to last if I use them for only things like this? Years, months, 100 scales? 10 scales?

I am only working on my first Set of scales. And they seem to be holding up. I am just trying to figure out how often I can expect to replace them.

Originally Posted by sidmind

Osdet, thanks for the advice from someone who has used MM

I have another question. I am using my MM. For sanding wood scales using the CA method. How long should I expect them to last if I use them for only things like this? Years, months, 100 scales? 10 scales?

I am only working on my first Set of scales. And they seem to be holding up. I am just trying to figure out how often I can expect to replace them.

Hi sidmind, how long is a bit of string? seriously, if you regularly pat out the dust and wash the sheets from time to time I reckon you would get a lot of life out of them, I would go through the grades of wet and dry first up to say 600 grit then reach for the micro mesh these are only really intended to impart the final polish, BTW they are excellent for polishing dense hardwoods such as Ebony, and my wife will attest to their superior nail polishing qualities!

Just remember, in using the MM pads, you only need to use very light pressure when finish sanding. The pads will last a long time. I have two sets up pads for my woodturning, one set for turning brass and the other for wood. I run them under running water to clean the pads and let them air dry. I have been using the same two sets pads for over 5 years and I do a lot of woodturning.

Odset, Pmburk, thankyou yeah I know it's a hard question to answer, I was just get a general idea. I have never even heard of MM until this week.

Originally Posted by sidmind

Odset, Pmburk, thankyou yeah I know it's a hard question to answer, I was just get a general idea. I have never even heard of MM until this week.

You are welcome! To give you an idea as to what an excellent product they are: when I turn a pen on my lathe and do the final finish sanding with the 8 pads (I have an older set of pads that do not contain the 1800 grit pad) of MM, the 12K pad makes the wood surface look like glass.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

You have shapton gs's too huh? Wonder what's up the the HUGE variance?

I try to not compare abrasive papers and hones.
They have different purposes for the most part.

The large variation has to do with conflicting standards.
There are Japanese, European, American and International
standards (six or eight standards in all). The finer grits
for hones that we care about are not well standardized.
These fine grits are very difficult to classify and
require "magic" to make a consistent product.

For hones I tend to go with the Shapton glass numbers because they
are easy to look up and are consistent with other Japanese
modern hones that I like.

This standards issue is one reason that beginners are well advised to purchase
hones from one maker. The good news is that the easy to find Norton 4k/8k
work horse can be followed by a Nanawa 12K SS just fine.

Does anyone know where to get Micro-Mesh Diamond?

I've got the MX and the "normal" ones and use them all the time, they seem to last forever!