Where To Find 4000 Or 6000 Grit Sanding Paper?

[No1]

I have looked in home pro, but they only go up to 2000. Is there maybe a mail order shop for these things here in Thailand? Or any other idea where to look in Chiangmai?

[FolkGuitar]

I don't think that you'll find it as 'sandpaper.' I use those grits for knife sharpening (you REALLY get a sharp edge at 6,000!) and buy sheets of 4,000/6,000/10,000 and sometimes can even find 15,000 but I find these in DIY shops, hobby shops, or order on-line. They are plastic film with the grit embedded on one side. Do a Google search for '3M Polishing Flim' or 'lapping film' and you'll find dozens of companies that will ship overseas, and do so cheaply. Because these polishing films are just thin sheets of film, they pop them into envelopes and mail them regular mail.

But try looking at HomePro... Just don't look in the sandpaper bin. Look above it at pegboard displays. Many of these companies sell packets with 3-4 different grits in the same pack, size about 6"x6" or 10"x10" Usually pink or light blue colored films. Sometimes tan color for the 15,000 grit. I've even found packs of this stuff sold in Dollar Store types of places.

Edited August 29, 2012 by FolkGuitar

[Semper]

Maybe at a car paint shop?

[FolkGuitar]

Maybe at a car paint shop?

Most (but not all) auto paint places use wet/dry sandpaper but only up to 1,000 or 2,000 grit. I'm a knife hobbyist, member of several different internet knife forums, and to date, none of us has been able to find ordinary (or wet/dry) sandpaper beyond 2,000 grit. Once in a Blue Moon someone locates some 3,000. These days it's almost impossible to find emery cloth in grits finer than 320 grit. Those of us trying to create knife edges that can make your eyeballs bleed just by looking at them have had to go to the polishing tapes and films, or compounds such as chromium oxide, aluminum oxide, diamond pastes, etc. We can get diamond pastes as fine as 50,000 grit (according to the maker) but all too often one maker's 50 is another's 20....

A lot of what is used will vary with what is being polished. A steel with a high carbide level just won't get beyond a certain point before getting to fragile. Polishing plastics requires different materials than polishing glass. Paints differ from type to type, and the polishing medium has to match to get the most effective result. We KnifeKnuts that like to have a perfect mirror finish on an edge usually don't go down below 0.25 microns (we don't even bother with grit sizes there...) with compounds and finish with natural silicates found in horsehide at 0.05 mics.

Edited August 29, 2012 by FolkGuitar

[Semper]

Maybe at a car paint shop?

Most (but not all) auto paint places use wet/dry sandpaper but only up to 1,000 or 2,000 grit. I'm a knife hobbyist, member of several different internet knife forums, and to date, none of us has been able to find ordinary (or wet/dry) sandpaper beyond 2,000 grit. Once in a Blue Moon someone locates some 3,000. These days it's almost impossible to find emery cloth in grits finer than 320 grit. Those of us trying to create knife edges that can make your eyeballs bleed just by looking at them have had to go to the polishing tapes and films, or compounds such as chromium oxide, aluminum oxide, diamond pastes, etc. We can get diamond pastes as fine as 50,000 grit (according to the maker) but all too often one maker's 50 is another's 20....

A lot of what is used will vary with what is being polished. A steel with a high carbide level just won't get beyond a certain point before getting to fragile. Polishing plastics requires different materials than polishing glass. Paints differ from type to type, and the polishing medium has to match to get the most effective result. We KnifeKnuts that like to have a perfect mirror finish on an edge usually don't go down below 0.25 microns (we don't even bother with grit sizes there...) with compounds and finish with natural silicates found in horsehide at 0.05 mics.

Interesting. May I ask what you "Knife Knuts" cut with those knives? If I had one that had undergone so much work, I would frame it and mount it on the wall or similar.

[KRS1]

Maybe at a car paint shop?

Most (but not all) auto paint places use wet/dry sandpaper but only up to 1,000 or 2,000 grit. I'm a knife hobbyist, member of several different internet knife forums, and to date, none of us has been able to find ordinary (or wet/dry) sandpaper beyond 2,000 grit. Once in a Blue Moon someone locates some 3,000. These days it's almost impossible to find emery cloth in grits finer than 320 grit. Those of us trying to create knife edges that can make your eyeballs bleed just by looking at them have had to go to the polishing tapes and films, or compounds such as chromium oxide, aluminum oxide, diamond pastes, etc. We can get diamond pastes as fine as 50,000 grit (according to the maker) but all too often one maker's 50 is another's 20....

A lot of what is used will vary with what is being polished. A steel with a high carbide level just won't get beyond a certain point before getting to fragile. Polishing plastics requires different materials than polishing glass. Paints differ from type to type, and the polishing medium has to match to get the most effective result. We KnifeKnuts that like to have a perfect mirror finish on an edge usually don't go down below 0.25 microns (we don't even bother with grit sizes there...) with compounds and finish with natural silicates found in horsehide at 0.05 mics.

Interesting. May I ask what you "Knife Knuts" cut with those knives? If I had one that had undergone so much work, I would frame it and mount it on the wall or similar.

I use my SOG Spec Elite to cut everything. Meat, fruit, vegetables, letters, loose string hanging off a shirt, boxes, tape, plastic packages, stems, cigarette filters, toe jam, dirt/grease underneath my finger nail, peel carrots, lifting dead bugs, protection from bob cats and mountain lions when hiking...etc

It's so much easier to have a razor sharp blade. But the true satisfaction is in obtaining an edge so sharp it's like chasing perfection.

edit: cutting bagels, english muffins, sandwiches in half too...

Edited August 29, 2012 by KRS1

[FolkGuitar]

Maybe at a car paint shop?

Most (but not all) auto paint places use wet/dry sandpaper but only up to 1,000 or 2,000 grit. I'm a knife hobbyist, member of several different internet knife forums, and to date, none of us has been able to find ordinary (or wet/dry) sandpaper beyond 2,000 grit. Once in a Blue Moon someone locates some 3,000. These days it's almost impossible to find emery cloth in grits finer than 320 grit. Those of us trying to create knife edges that can make your eyeballs bleed just by looking at them have had to go to the polishing tapes and films, or compounds such as chromium oxide, aluminum oxide, diamond pastes, etc. We can get diamond pastes as fine as 50,000 grit (according to the maker) but all too often one maker's 50 is another's 20....

A lot of what is used will vary with what is being polished. A steel with a high carbide level just won't get beyond a certain point before getting to fragile. Polishing plastics requires different materials than polishing glass. Paints differ from type to type, and the polishing medium has to match to get the most effective result. We KnifeKnuts that like to have a perfect mirror finish on an edge usually don't go down below 0.25 microns (we don't even bother with grit sizes there...) with compounds and finish with natural silicates found in horsehide at 0.05 mics.

Interesting. May I ask what you "Knife Knuts" cut with those knives? If I had one that had undergone so much work, I would frame it and mount it on the wall or similar.

Many do just that! They are treated like works of art. Like owners of 'Leica' cameras who never take photos with them, but keep them on the shelf in the living room on display. Many of the better knives cost as much as a work of art too! It's not uncommon to spend $300-$500 on a nice pocket knife. Average seems to be $100-$200.

But then there are just as many of us who use them to cut apples in the park, slice up cardboard boxes for the trash, etc. I seem to use mine most often to open bags of kitty litter...

Some folks spend hours working to achieve that sort of edge, while it may take others 20 minutes. My daily use pocket knife sells for about $125, looks like something a Girl Scout would carry, and get's used at least once or twice a day for little odd jobs... opening mail, cutting a piece of string or fish tank tubing, pruning a dead branch off a plant on the veranda, etc. My kitchen knives get their chance to work too. All of them get sharpened when needed. The kitchen knives get 'steeled' before each use, and the pocket knife gets stropped about once a week, and they all get actually 'sharpened' perhaps 4-5 times a year. But when they've just been sharpened, that little pocket knife can whittle hair. Not cut hair. 'Whittle' strips from the sides of the hair. And only because it's fun to do, rather than need to do!

[zippydedodah]

Does any one know of a good knife sharpener in town? Preferably in Sansai area, but i have a decent set of Wustof knives that need sharpening and i would definitely drive across town to get it done right.

Thanks in advance

[HullyGully]

Have you tried Global House

[Tywais]

I've also been looking for 3-4000 grit with no luck. Asked our machinist and technicians and 2000 was it. Need it to polish the copper surfaces for prepping printed circuit boards. Steel wool doesn't leave a very smooth surface.

[heatherm]

Have any of you guys tried jewelers' rouge? For sharpening I put it on a piece of leather. I forget what grit it is, but it goes brown-green-white. With white being fine enough to get a mirror finish.

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[jackr]

Assuming op doesn't need it for sanding knives to split atoms, perhaps have a look at 3M's white marble polishing pad (in Home Pro, Global cheaper), which have a high grit equivalent. It's a floor pad so would need chopping up; ideal for bigger jobs but probably not great for circuit boards.

[zippydedodah]

Have you tried Global House

for the high grit or for the professional knife sharpening service?

[FolkGuitar]

Have any of you guys tried jewelers' rouge? For sharpening I put it on a piece of leather. I forget what grit it is, but it goes brown-green-white. With white being fine enough to get a mirror finish.

Sent from my GT-P1010 using Thaivisa Connect App

The 'brown' may be iron oxide. The green 'rouge' is Chromium Oxide. And the white is Aluminum Oxide. Of the three the green has the smallest grit size at roughly 0.5 microns, or 10,000 grit. The Aluminum Oxide is roughly 8,000 grit. These grit sizes can vary tremendously from maker to maker... One producer claims his ALO2 to be 80,000 grit, but I think that's a typo... When knife sharpeners want to get smaller than Chromium Oxide, we use mono and poly crystalline diamond in either spray or paste. Then we can get down to 0.05 - 0.02 microns. That's a really BIIIIIIG grit number....

The red, green, and white compounds are easily found in Chiang Mai at any shop that sells buffing wheels, but you usually have to purchase them in large blocks. To use, just 'crayon' on with the block onto either a smooth piece of MDF or leather. You do NOT need to make a thick layer of the stuff. Just getting a greenish cast is enough to do the job.

[FolkGuitar]

I've also been looking for 3-4000 grit with no luck. Asked our machinist and technicians and 2000 was it. Need it to polish the copper surfaces for prepping printed circuit boards. Steel wool doesn't leave a very smooth surface.

There is a Jewelery Maker's supply shop east of Chang Puak Gate. They will sell small quantities of red jeweler's rouge. If you rub that onto a cloth, you can then use the cloth to polish down the copper. The other compounds may prove too abrasive and remove too much soft metal.

[FolkGuitar]

Does any one know of a good knife sharpener in town? Preferably in Sansai area, but i have a decent set of Wustof knives that need sharpening and i would definitely drive across town to get it done right.

Thanks in advance

If you can wait a few months til we get back, I'll be happy to sharpen them for you. What sort of edge do you prefer?

[zippydedodah]

Does any one know of a good knife sharpener in town? Preferably in Sansai area, but i have a decent set of Wustof knives that need sharpening and i would definitely drive across town to get it done right.

Thanks in advance

If you can wait a few months til we get back, I'll be happy to sharpen them for you. What sort of edge do you prefer?

the kind of edge that is sharp and stays sharp... as long as possible...

given how long i have been looking for someone to sharpen knives, i very well may still be looking in a few months....might take you up on your offer.

THANKS!

[FolkGuitar]

the kind of edge that is sharp and stays sharp... as long as possible...

given how long i have been looking for someone to sharpen knives, i very well may still be looking in a few months....might take you up on your offer.

THANKS!

Sorry... I wasn't clear enough. Are you using these knives to push cut or slice? Do you need a toothy edge or polished? Do you prefer a convex edge or a beveled edge? And most importantly, do you have some way to maintain your knives when you use them?

A maintained knife only needs to be re-sharpened 3-4 times a year in 'normal' use. Without maintenance, your edges won't last two weeks of daily use. My pocket knife can dry-shave hair off my arm, but hasn't been sharpened in at least 4-5 months even though I use it almost every day. It has been maintained almost daily.

[zippydedodah]

the kind of edge that is sharp and stays sharp... as long as possible...

given how long i have been looking for someone to sharpen knives, i very well may still be looking in a few months....might take you up on your offer.

THANKS!

Sorry... I wasn't clear enough. Are you using these knives to push cut or slice? Do you need a toothy edge or polished? Do you prefer a convex edge or a beveled edge? And most importantly, do you have some way to maintain your knives when you use them?

A maintained knife only needs to be re-sharpened 3-4 times a year in 'normal' use. Without maintenance, your edges won't last two weeks of daily use. My pocket knife can dry-shave hair off my arm, but hasn't been sharpened in at least 4-5 months even though I use it almost every day. It has been maintained almost daily.

we use our knives for slicing.... just cutting pork, chicken etc for cooking at home. A polished edge is probably preferred unless you have other advice. I imagine a beveled edge is also preferred, again, i would defer to your advice. We have a good steel and we also have a sharpening stone. The wife (thai) does real well with keeping an edge using the steel, but a few of the knives (mostly the steak knives) have lost the edge and need a good sharpening. Hope that clears things up on how little i know about the matter.

zippy

[FolkGuitar]

the kind of edge that is sharp and stays sharp... as long as possible...

given how long i have been looking for someone to sharpen knives, i very well may still be looking in a few months....might take you up on your offer.

THANKS!

Sorry... I wasn't clear enough. Are you using these knives to push cut or slice? Do you need a toothy edge or polished? Do you prefer a convex edge or a beveled edge? And most importantly, do you have some way to maintain your knives when you use them?

A maintained knife only needs to be re-sharpened 3-4 times a year in 'normal' use. Without maintenance, your edges won't last two weeks of daily use. My pocket knife can dry-shave hair off my arm, but hasn't been sharpened in at least 4-5 months even though I use it almost every day. It has been maintained almost daily.

we use our knives for slicing.... just cutting pork, chicken etc for cooking at home. A polished edge is probably preferred unless you have other advice. I imagine a beveled edge is also preferred, again, i would defer to your advice. We have a good steel and we also have a sharpening stone. The wife (thai) does real well with keeping an edge using the steel, but a few of the knives (mostly the steak knives) have lost the edge and need a good sharpening. Hope that clears things up on how little i know about the matter.

zippy

Clear as a bell! For meat cutting, a polished beveled edge is best. (Tomatoes do better with a toothier edge...) That steel, used daily, should keep your edges perfectly! (But you need an edge to begin with.) Personally, I prefer a smooth glass rod to steel with (the edge of a Pyrex bowl really works well!) or a smooth meatpacker's steel rather than a grooved butcher's steel, but that's a personal preference. I'll be happy to help you get the knives back to being able to do what they are supposed to do when I get back to where I'm supposed to be!

[zippydedodah]

just thought i would bring this back to life... still looking for a good professional knife sharpener service.... any clues? hints? suggestions?