# Question about making sanding mops



## BTimmons (Aug 6, 2011)

I'm looking at throwing together sanding mops in various grits. Thinking of semi-mass producing smaller irregular shaped items that would benefit from this process.



For anyone who's done it before, do you think that ordinary sandpaper would work, or should I opt for something with a thicker backing like the belts that would go on a belt sander? Intuitively it seems like the latter would hold up better, but I'm not sure if it would overkill either.


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## renners (Apr 9, 2010)

Don't know for sure but cloth backed won't disintegrate when you hit an obstacle. Emery cloth is available in rolls.


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## BTimmons (Aug 6, 2011)

Hmm. The Ace hardware store down the road from my house might have it, then. I looked for emery cloth on their site and found 1 inch rolls in 80, 120, 180, and 320 grit. Not too expensive either. I think that just might be the ticket.

Thanks for the tip, Renners! (Shall we have another round of chess, by the way?)


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## Oldtool (May 27, 2012)

I've not done this, but if I were to try, I'd look at some of the commercially available products for reference. I suspect though, that "Renners" hit the nail on the head, cloth backed would take the most abuse from sharp corners, etc.
I assume you have already looked at this LJS project: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/38242
Good luck however you decide to proceed.


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## BTimmons (Aug 6, 2011)

Oldtool, indeed. I actually linked to that project in my original post up top. I tried sending a PM to the LJ who did it but I haven't heard back, thus prompting me to seek the wisdom of the forums. There are a few videos on YouTube on the subject but none mentioned emery cloth.


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## chrisperoni (Feb 2, 2013)

When I read the email notification of your post, first thing I thought was to use emery cloth… then I checked the links and the actual post


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## BTimmons (Aug 6, 2011)

Ha! I love the internet and email. It's orders of magnitude more effective than lighting up the Bat Signal.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Brian, I have made several sanding mops in different grits and I use drum sander paper (cloth) from Industrial Abrasives. I rip the 3" down the center to make my strips. The cheaper belt/strips were very disappointing as they came apart and shed most of the grit the first time I used them. They take a bit of time to build so I would use quality paper!


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## sgv (Mar 21, 2013)

I have made several, cloth back is the only way to go. I get it from a flooring place(leftover ends)


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I'm not sure how wide you need the strips, but I buy cloth backed paper in rolls (for turning). Harbor Freight's stuff is actually halfway decent. 10$ for a 20ft roll of 150 ,220, 320, and 400


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## BTimmons (Aug 6, 2011)

Joe, that looks like a fantastic option. And much better than paying $10 for a roll of each grit. Thanks!


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

They take a decent amount of abuse too. I'm probably on my 10th box of these. If I thought they sucked I would have looked for better options. They handle heat really well.


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## muleskinner (Sep 24, 2011)

I did do this last summer for refinishing my garage doors. I cut up a 6×48 belt. The backing was almost too stiff. A lighter backing would have been an improvement.


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