"Woodborg" wrote in message
...
What I find just as effective is to apply a little
sanding sealer before the
sanding is complete. This penetrates the wood, and holds the fibres
from
moving, so the sanding has a more solid surface to work into.

Hi
I've tried using the sander sealer to finish the sanding ( lathe has no
reverse ) but all that seems to happen, is the wax in the sealer just
gums up the sand paper. What type/brand of sealer do you use, should i
let it dry or sand straight away etc.
I have tried using a mixture of veg oil and minerial oil, which seems
to work well. I have read this would be better with bee's wax added,
but again think this would just clog the sandpaper.
Your thoughts and advice please

Your sanding sealer shouldn't have wax in it, rather a resin of some sort, a
solvent, and perhaps stearates (soap). It's really, less the stearates, a
thinned version of the lacquer or shellac you would use as a finish. Which
is why they put stearates on the sandpaper itself for those who want to use
a 1/2# cut of shellac for the purpose.

I say shellac, because alcohol gives a fuzz set better than lacquer thinner.
As you sand, you heat the fiber and dehydrate it. When it gets some fresh
water or other polar solvent it begins to bind to the cellulose and swells
it up again. The resin acts as the mousse (viagra for the otherwise
minded), holding the fibers up for the paper to cut.

Unfortunately, shellac melts at about 150 or so, which means it gums the
paper. Use an open coat, preferably stearated paper for sanding after a
sealer, and your broadest footprint on the powered sandpaper to reduce the
load/unit of area and keep the heat down. Hand sanding, lathe off, along
the grain is going to give you the optical best. Might want to check while
you do that to see if you don't cut opposite after passing the very bottom!

What I do is power sand at 320, set with a wet rag, let dry and sand again
at 320 or 400 with as little pressure as possible, usually along the grain.
No sense pressing down what I just pushed up above the surface. Rather cut
'em off. If the bowl will be simply oiled for salad/popcorn use, I set at
220 and 320. Makes for less fuzz when wiped with vinegar.