Is Wet/Dry sandpaper available larger than 9x11? Update Feb 26 2018

[LDO]

I use it on a flat surface for scratchbuilding projects. Squaring up box sections, sanding off superglue, etc. I would like bigger sheets for bigger projects. Is it available anywhere?

If it is not available in bigger sizes, would two sheets side by side be ok, as long as they are held in place securely? I haven't tried that yet because I don't have a big surface to hold them securely. I plan to modify a big plastic cutting board just for that. Something to place over the kitchen sink, angled down slightly, so water can drip onto it and carry away the dust/swarf. 

Thanks. Lee

Edited February 27, 2018 by LDO

[cobraman]

Could you not just put them side by side and tape seam from the bottom ?

[cobraman]

Do they make wet and dry for a a sanding belt ? That could be cut and give you a long but narrow surface. ???

[BigTallDad]

I'm not aware of sheets larger than that.

If you plan on modifying/using a large cutting board, check your sink size first. Most dual sinks won't handle much more than 9 x 11; consider using a large-base, low-height "Tupperware" (for the lack of a better term) container instead of a sink.

You might want to get several cutting boards, to accommodate various grits you plan on using.

Use contact cement to affix the sandpaper; when the paper loses its "grit", peel it off, clean off the contact cement with acetone (in a well ventilated, spark free environment), and put new sandpaper on.

I'm curious why you need larger sizes of sandpaper...what scale are you building?

Edited January 14, 2018 by BigTallDad

[BigTallDad]

3 minutes ago, cobraman said:

Could you not just put them side by side and tape seam from the bottom ?

The tape, if water resistant, would leave a raised area and sanding would not be uniform.

[BigTallDad]

3 minutes ago, cobraman said:

Do they make wet and dry for a a sanding belt ? That could be cut and give you a long but narrow surface. ???

I've never seen wet/dry for belt sanders.

[Ace-Garageguy]

No problem sticking two sheets side by side. I do it often when making prototype real-car parts.

A sheet of tempered glass is ideal...dead flat, break-resistant, and safe if it does break.

A piece of Formica laminated to a waterproof, rigid backing is even safer.

But use rubber cement. Contact cement is far too aggressive, too hard to remove.

Edited January 14, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy

[LDO]

If I can't find a cutting board big enough, I'll use Corian. I want it to be big enough to go across about 80% of the sink, and be elevated on the countertop. It would be for things like cargo beds and boxes, sides of a tank hull, the "house" for a WWII ambulance/radio truck. I'm working on a 1/24 house for an Opel Blitz truck. To keep it symmetrical, left and right halves are glued together with tiny drops of superglue near the edges of the parts. Same with front and back. After lots of sanding and checking to make sure everything is straight, the parts are separated by running an X-Acto between them. Now I have 2 identical parts, but they need that superglue sanded off. For a 1/24 truck, that box can take up a lot of a 9x11 sheet. Go to 1/16 and two sheets would be better.  I think I need to dig out some scrap Corian.

Thank you

[58 Impala]

Lee, try and find a large piece of tempered or laminated glass. Glass is as flat as you can get. I have a few different size pieces of 1/4 tempered glass, i glue sandpaper to them to sharpen my chisels and plane blades I use for woodworking. it would work for what you need.

 

[Art Anderson]

19 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

No problem sticking two sheets side by side. I do it often when making prototype real-car parts.

A sheet of tempered glass is ideal...dead flat, break-resistant, and safe if it does break.

A piece of Formica laminated to a waterproof, rigid backing is even safer.

But use rubber cement. Contact cement is far too aggressive, too hard to remove.

Bill, I second your motion re: Tempered Plate Glass.  I was fortunate enough, for the past now-12 yrs, to have worked in the building which housed the Physical Facilities Department at Purdue--the architects and engineers, and construction inspectors:  Over the years, I was handed several tempered plate glass Thermopane samples,  each about 16" square or such.  Those are quite tough, and have their edges taped with heavy vinyl tape, which virtually eliminates chipping.  I use the three I still have (gave the rest of them to my fellow model car club members here, for use as perfectly flat "building" surfaces), for not only building surfaces, but also wet-sanding platforms.  If there's one problem with Formica, it's warping, no matter what substrate it's glued down to.  

Any full-service glass shop should be able to supply tempered plate glass in small sizes, and likely in thicker pieces as well--they don't often simply throw out small scraps.

Art

[LDO]

More good info. I came back to ask where to get some tempered glass.

Thank you.

[Art Anderson]

48 minutes ago, LDO said:

More good info. I came back to ask where to get some tempered glass.

Thank you.

Any good, well-stocked glass shop that does windows should have what you need.

[peteski]

On 1/13/2018 at 8:46 PM, Ace-Garageguy said:

But use rubber cement. Contact cement is far too aggressive, too hard to remove.

How about using spray adhesive? I think 3M makes removable spray adhesive. Easy to apply to large areas, and will spray on nice and even.

[Kit Basher]

I also use sandpaper and glass for sharpening. I use a spray craft adhesive. Be sure to get the "removable" or "temporary" kind. I use 3/8" plate glass, but laminated or tempered would be safer. For your purpose, 1/4" would probably be fine. Laminated is usually cheaper, and tempered has a longer lead time, as it must be cut and then tempered. Either way, get ground or polished edges for safety.

Corian should be available from custom countertop makers. The sink cut-outs are basically scrap. The 3/4" thickness would be preferable, as the 1/2" sometimes warps. The 1/2" would be OK, if you can get a flat piece, and store it flat, it will probably stay flat. It can be cut and shaped with regular woodworking tools.

[Ace-Garageguy]

3M makes an adhesive marketed specifically for temporarily adhering sanding discs to pads, but in typical 3M fashion, it's wildly overpriced now (because the cost is always added into the "material" bill on any body-shop job). I think you'll find plain old garden variety rubber cement will work at least as well for model work.

[Pete J.]

Micro mesh is available in sheets up to 12"X12" or rolls 6" wide and up to 50 feet long.  This is the address for Micro-Surface.  The company that makes micromesh.  http://micro-surface.com/index.php/products-by-type/sheets/adhesive-back-micro-mesh-sheets-individual.html  I have been dealing with them for years.  Great company to deal with and you get to eliminate the markup from the middelman!  Oh, and yes they to make belts.

[SfanGoch]

I have a couple of 18 x 18 x 1/2" marble floor tiles I use for sanding large parts. They slide onto a 36x18x3/4" plywood board to which I attached 90° 1 1/4 x  1 1/4" aluminum angle stock to secure them. Elmer's Multi-Purpose Spray Adhesive works well for attaching sandpaper. You can find it at Target, Walmart, hardware stores and Michaels. With a 40% coupon, an 11 oz. can will set you back about $6.60.

[peteski]

11 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

3M makes an adhesive marketed specifically for temporarily adhering sanding discs to pads, but in typical 3M fashion, it's wildly overpriced now (because the cost is always added into the "material" bill on any body-shop job). I think you'll find plain old garden variety rubber cement will work at least as well for model work.

Yes, it is cheaper, but it is not fun using a small brush to coat a 9x11 sheet. Plus, does the cement self-levels or the brush creates uneven layers of glue?  Spraying is much easier and produces an even surface.  You don't need that expensive special sanding disc-adhesive variety - only the craft-type removable variety (from Michael's or Hobby Lobby).

[Ace-Garageguy]

9 minutes ago, peteski said:

Yes, it is cheaper, but it is not fun using a small brush to coat a 9x11 sheet. Plus, does the cement self-levels or the brush creates uneven layers of glue?  Spraying is much easier and produces an even surface.  You don't need that expensive special sanding disc-adhesive variety - only the craft-type removable variety (from Michael's or Hobby Lobby).

Well see...you don't want to coat the whole sheet anyway.

I didn't mention...the "waterproof" aspect of wet-or-dry paper only has to do with the adhesive that holds the grit to the paper backing.

The paper backing inevitably swells when it's wet, and if you coat the whole sheet with glue and stick it down, when it gets saturated with water, you get wrinkles in the paper that defeat the entire purpose.

A stripe of glue down the center of the paper is quite sufficient to hold it in position until you wet it, and when it gets saturated with water, the water itself does the rest.

If your paper is moving around, you're putting too much pressure on it and trying to cut too fast.

Edited January 16, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy

[Greg Wann]

https://www.createforless.com/Sulky-KK-2000-Temporary-Spray-Adhesive-3.6-fl-oz/pid32313.aspx?utm_source=bingProdAds&utm_medium=cse&CAWELAID=530001980000062706&catargetid=530001980000165791&cadevice=c

 

There is a product called KK2000.  It is a temporary spray adhesive.  It is a alcohol based product that cleans up quickly.  It is used for quilting and found in some fabric shops like Joanns.  Do a search for locating this item near you.  It is not cheap either.  This product might be useful to temporarily hold model parts together.  Ebay is a good place to find it.

Edited January 16, 2018 by Greg Wann

[LDO]

I contacted a local shop and ordered a piece of tempered glass. It's 10 x 30 x 1/2 inch thick. Those dimensions are to hold two sheets and make a surface that is 9x22, and also be used in a single compartment kitchen sink. I may try it resting on towels or something. I have lots of scrap Corian (2 or 3 kitchen remodels worth. No joke!). I just need to cut a piece and glue strips on to capture the glass. Then it can be angled into the sink so water can drip on it and carry the swarf down the drain. 

Btw the shop I got it from is a small independent place. The guy who owns the business thought my use for it was really cool and I got a great price. I may get more for things like a model workbench top or even a darn nice display case.

Thanks to all of you for the advice about tempered glass.

 

Edited February 27, 2018 by LDO
Stupid auto correct. I have no desire to wash the dwarf down the drain.

[Dave Ambrose]

I've been using a 5$ piece of granite counter top tile as a poor man's surface plate. It's flat enough, and it doesn't readily break or shatter.