Long ago Michael Hosaluk turned me on to using Siasoft Red Foam Backed sandpaper. I really like it. It is tougher than nails and works great on spindle turnings and wet wood. You can wash it out with water. Then reuse it over and over.
Red Siasoft works great for two things.
Spindle Sanding
Just hold the Siasoft paper in contact with a spindle turning spinning on the lathe and it is like magic. It quickly turns a mess into a thing of great beauty.
However, Siasoft will also quickly wipe out any fine details! I use Siasoft to sand big uniform areas. I use small chucks of sandpaper to sand up close to fine details. See my “Klingspor Sandpaper Rolls” blog entry for detail sanding. https://carlford.us/blog/2019/12/klingspor-sandpaper-rolls/
Sanding Wet Wood
See my “Sanding Wet Wood” blog entry. https://carlford.us/blog/2020/03/sanding-wet-wood/
Purchase Red Siasoft from VincesWoodnWonders
Red Siasoft is probably one of the best deals out there at only $8 per yard from http://vinceswoodnwonders.com/sia-foam-backed-abrasives/
I purchase Red Siasoft by the yard or roll. I use 80, 120, 180 and 220 grit. I don’t waste time with 150 grit. It is to close to 180 grit.
Red Siasoft is comes in 4-1/2″ wide strips or rolls. I tear off chunks that are 3-1/2″ long. Thus I end up with 3-1/2″ by 4-1/2″ chunks that are easy to work with.
Note: I only like the RED Siasoft foam backed sandpaper. 80 to 220 grit. I DO NOT like the finer grit BLUE foam backed sandpaper. It is ok. But, Mirka Abralon foam backed pads work better for grits finer than 220.
Handy Sandpaper
I store my Red Siasoft sandpaper on sanding board ready to go.
1/4″ plywood with binder clips from local office supply store. One clip for each grit. See photo and my “Handy Sandpaper” blog entry. https://carlford.us/blog/2015/01/handy-sandpaper-2/
Sanding Cheat Sheet
Check out my Sanding Cheat Sheet. It ties all of my sanding blog entries together. Wet Wood? Already Finished? Spindle Turning? Bowl or Hollow Form? Then use …