Sanding with Steel Wool

[Steve Mars]

OK the project seems to going well (ES-5V) and yes I have been trying to resist moving onto the next coat until the last one has had enough Tassie drying time.... however was more than somewhat surprised about how much sanding was required with my (PB approved) super fine steel wool..after the second coat I decided to vacuum the steel wool waste that was collecting inside the guitar. A reasonable job...but when I get to the final coats and before the electrics are installed, how important is it to suck out any remaining steel wool residue?

[andrewdosborne]

I personally would get out as much as possible. Maybe attach a magnet to some string, lower it in and roll it about a bit?

[wazkelly]

It will find it's way into the finish and eventually the magnets in the PUP's and as Ponch said best to do multiple sweeps with a magnet. Better option is to avoid or minimise use of steel wool for sanding. Reluctantly I use it for mainly polishing frets but not much else as it breaks down into such very fine particles.

[Simon Barden]

It has its uses on awkward shaped objects but with very fine Micromesh grits now available, it there any real need to use it for general purpose finishing?

[FrankenWashie]

It has its uses on awkward shaped objects but with very fine Micromesh grits now available, it there any real need to use it for general purpose finishing?

I found it created more issues than results so I stopped using it in favour of wet sanding and micromesh. A good strong magnet wrapped in cling film will be your friend to get rid of the filings from you workpiece.

[Steve Mars]

Thanks troops, I thought I was merely following PB recommendations...now I am somewhat worried, yes using a strong magnet is no problem, but tell me more about micromesh...I do feel as though I need to improve the finish after three coats of colour before I move on to the finishing stage. It has looked great for an hour or so after application but then seems to deteriorate somewhat, which is why I used the steel wool...now I am really considering how to get a classy finish before I move on.
Thanks again...it is such a lovely looking instrument I do not want anything less than magic.
Steve

[Simon Barden]

Look on eBay for a set of Micromesh pads (foam backed) or cloths (cloth backed - believe it or not!). You can get a set that will go from a 1500 grit to 12000 grit and are great for a multitude of fine finish sanding and polishing duties. The 12000 grit will get you to a semi-gloss shine on most finishes. You can use them wet or dry. Very good for polishing frets. Note that their grit sizing is different to the normal P range of grits. Refer to this table for a comparison http://www.seabean.com/polish/GritScales.pdf

The MMR column is for the normal Micromesh, the ISO/FEPA for the standard P-range papers (Europe and Australia) and CAMI (USA) for typical North American papers. Elsewhere in the world you need to check if its the ISO/FEBA or CAMI grit ranges that are available as there are differences in the finer grits.

[wazkelly]

Hi Steve, here is a link to an Aussie supplier that some of us use to purchase micro mesh kits and once on their website you can have a look around at other sand paper stuff you might need..... https://www.thesandpaperman.com.au/m...arist-kit.html

Can't remember if you are using DT or other products but tend find that light wet sanding with quite fine wet & dry (nothing under 1200, in fact 1500 or 2000 is better) between coats causes less dramas than using steel wool. If the grit is too coarse or used dry it will rip in hard and easily clog up the paper that is why a finer grit used wet is gentler on the surface and surprisingly can strip plenty of finish off too if not keeping a close eye on things.

[Steve Mars]

Just a passing note...used a magnet (was really surprised how many different magnets were available at our reasonably local, only 60k away, hardware store)...and the amount of steel wool filings there were inside the guitar quite amazed me...definitely will not be using steel wool again...not because the magnet did not do its job, it did, but because I can see in the finish on the guitar some impact of what I thought was a very careful use of the material. Hoping the use of very fine wet and dry or micromesh in a few days after the last coat is completely dry, do leave it a week plus between coats given that Tassie weather is not Perth weather, will allow me to redress the problem(s).

On the matter of weather... how long do people in really dodgy climate places Canada, England, Finland etc leave between coats?

thanks again
Steve

[Simon Barden]

England has decent, sometimes outstanding weather, for about 6 months of the year - late spring to early autumn - with occasional upsets. We rarely get hot humid days. DT is an Australia-only product at the moment, so have no idea what the drying times for that are like over here, but spray paint drying times are standard. And as DT can be easily used indoors, I wouldn't see any problems with a typical indoor 22-23°C and 45%-55%RH.

Because I need to work outdoors when spraying and sanding, I'm frustrated by the cold and rain for around 6 months of the year.

Scotland and the north of England are generally a few °C colder and wetter, Wales is about the same general temperature but most places are wetter. But indoor conditions are very similar in all locations.