Sanding / Polishing mops

**Claire D** · 17-10-2014, 11:08 AM

Hi, just looking for a bit of advice on all the polishing bits and bobs that seem to be available!

The way I have been taught by my evening class tutor is to finish a piece by working through several grades of the wet and dry paper, by hand, and then use the blue and (I think) white luxi compound with a pendant motor. I don't really have a problem with doing things by hand but I find working through all the papers really time consuming and quite hard to get into fiddly spaces so I wondered if someone could tell me whether it's possible to do that stage with the pendant motor. And if so, what do I need to buy?
I find the selection of polishing mops available completely baffling and don't know where to begin! At the moment I'm just using a dremel with the felt pads that came with it, but am hoping to upgrade to a proper pendant drill after Christmas so will want to build up a little collection of accessories to go with it!

Thanks!

**medusa** · 17-10-2014, 12:07 PM

I use the radial disks from 3M (or lookalikes). They are a bit pricey but they last for ages, just don't bother with the ones which are finer than blue. The pink ones especially just crumble as soon as you look at them. I use the larger brown and green ones for cleaning up rough castings but for most stuff the yellow and blue ones are all you need. The main thing is to avoid getting spiralling marks. If you keep a light touch this can be avoided.

**enigma** · 17-10-2014, 12:08 PM

I like the Everflex rubber burrs:
http://www.cooksongold.com/category_...query=everflex
And also for tricky spaces these:
http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...rcode-999-1967

**caroleallen** · 17-10-2014, 12:43 PM

I use -

The purple ceramic drums that come with the Foredom for cleaning very rough bits and sprues (you can also get them from woodworking companies)

Roll sanders (coarse and fine) from Cooksons for sanding

Yellow, blue and green 3M radial disks for things where there are fiddly bits that I can't get a mop into

Menzerna polish on an alcantara mop for finishing

Sometimes an Eveflex for finishing small bits if needed

(I'm also doing a lot of those things on my Jooltool but that's another story)

**Nick martin** · 17-10-2014, 05:39 PM

I tend to use split mandrels with different grades of sandpaper attached to them, hand files of various fineness for the initial rough work and cleaning up castings, but my favourite tool for such jobs has to be my wolf tools belt sander. Fantastic and I always find a use for it.

Nick

**Patstone** · 17-10-2014, 06:41 PM

Yes I use those too, Everflex and the radial disks.

**Claire D** · 17-10-2014, 09:46 PM

Thanks everyone for such helpful advice. I was looking at the radial discs but would've been unlikely to try them without your recommendations as they look a bit strange and I wasn't sure what they did! Am definitely going to order some now as well as the roll sanders (although might just make my own with the wet and dry paper I already have). I got some bits with the dremel which look a bit like those Everflex burrs, but am assuming that anything that comes with a dremel won't be fine enough for jewellery work?