sanding fillets

Has anyone tried sandblasting fillets prior to varnishing?


4 replies:

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RE: sanding fillets

I wouldn't recommend it although I've never tried it. The wood is much softer then the fillet and if the sandblast stream wandered off the fillet it would destroy the surrounding wood. A short piece of dowel wrapped in sandpaper works well.

George K

RE: sanding fillets-flapper wheel?

I'm getting ready to sand the inside of my Dory and wondered if a good size  abrasive flapper wheel in a cordless drill would work? 

RE: sanding fillets

Here's an interesting option that I recently read about, and will soon try:

File sharp square corners around the circumference of a suitably sized steel washer. Grab it with a small vise grips, and use it as a scraper to smooth out cured fillets. Should be much faster and more pleasant than using sandpaper. If it works ...

Old Yeller

RE: sanding fillets

  I went out and gave it a try: it worked a treat! I sharpened a washer on the disc sander, bent it in the vise and grabbed it with my vise-grips. It took a bit of bending to get the right angle, but I was able to scrape a smooth arc onto an uneven fillet. I could see having these in various diameters for the different sizes of fillets to dress them if you mess up the smoothing with alcohol step. It did dull quickly so perhaps Grade 8 would be better than cheap mild steel. It also scraped better on day old fillets than on 2 week old ones although it worked on both.

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