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Sanding question

Hawkwrench

Hawkwrench

Active member
I've got a question about sanding edges of tubing or rod. To get a flat squared edge, obviously the right way is to put it on your miter box and cut it, but how do you get that same flat squared edge when you can't use the miter box?

Tim
 
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Regards,
 
Bingo what Piet said. Make sure it's a straight edge or you might start corkscrewing it.
 
Hawkwrench said:
Thanks Shark, but I was looking for a quick tip that I can use tonight.
Click to expand...

Tim, sanding a straight edge requires a tool. My post was to give you an idea what works. you can probably make your own.

The others have pointed out how to cut the tubing and rod.

Regards,
 
Doh, sorry! :bang head
I'll check it out.
So what's the best way to sand an edge flat if you have a small part in one hand and a sanding stick in the other.
I already tried holding the part straight and sanding in figure 8's and that didn't work.

Tim
 
Hold the part in a vice, or between a flat surface and the palm of your hand. Take the sanding stick at a 90 against the surface and try that. Without having some sort of squared surface it's gonna be really hard to make it squared off. How about chuck it in a dremal or a slow speed drill, use it like a lathe?
 
Actually, if it is metal tubing (or plastic) I would suggest a fine tooth smoothing file not sandpaper. You don't want to use a file that has a diamond pattern on the cutting surface. What you want is a surface that looks like a real fine set of parallel lines. As an alternate lately, I have been using my 600 grit diamond hone as a file. Cuts like sandpaper, rigid like a file.

As far as getting the end perpendicular, practice at filing it square, or tooling to cut and machine it.
 
If you have a micro miter box, use it to hold the part and put your sandpaper on a wood block.
 
All these great ideals .
... I think if you put the tube in a vice lined up parallel to top edge .... With just a bit sticking out and sand with wooden block until you are flat with side of vice. If it has to be more precise than that no one will notice

Now I came here to get a question answered, after the Squadron white putty, what do y'all use to smooth the surface pits & bumps ???
 
Something so obvious that I didn't think of for years: a tube cutter works on styrene too. I have a K&S tube cutter that I use constant with brass and copper, but every time I'd cut styrene I'd go for the miter box.
 
But tube cuter doesn't work with really small stuff does it? I guess if it's that small you can't really tell if it's squared up or not.
 
I cut 1 mm brass tube with it, anything smaller than that cut just be chopped with any X-acto I would guess.
 
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