Throughout history, natural abrasives like flint and emerygave us the ability to sand wood, metal, and even glass with a level ofefficiency and convenience never known before. But with the introduction ofAluminum Oxide and Silicone Carbide sandpaper, the industry of abrasives wasforever changed. And sanding products are now manufactured with a moreconsistent and predicable set of materials. This is good because we have also,throughout the years, invented new man-made products, like plastic.
So what doyou do when you need to shape or finish an artificial material such as plastic?Continue reading to find out!
Sanding plastic is tricky, and comes with a list ofpotential problems. But majority of times, heat is the largest issue you willface. Common knowledge tells us that friction creates heat, so it should be nosurprise that sanding produces heat. Unlike wood and metal that warm up butthen reflect heat, plastic absorbs heat; so even the smallest amount of heatcan soften, warp, crinkle, or alter plastic, thus jeopardizing the finaloutcome of your project.
But all this does not mean that it is bad to sand plastic.Sanding plastic increases surface area, which creates even more opportunity fornew coatings to adhere to the surface. A simple “gentle scuffing” or lightsanding is enough to improve on adhesion. It doubles surface area, givingcoatings new areas to cling to!
A gentle sanding is fine for plastic, but too much cancreate a load of problems. For instance, a common problem caused by too muchsanding of plastic is a defect called hairing, in which parts of plasticsplit off into hair-like strands. It can also called thermoplastic re-flow,blemishing, scratching, and much more. Use the proper sanding products and findthe right medium in terms of pressure, and you should be safe!
Buy Sandpaper Today!
Call Sandpaper America at 1-800-860-SAND to buy high-qualityand competitively-priced sandpaper products, today. We manufacture all of oursanding products in-house, so you can feel confident in the quality of ourproducts. Call 1-800-860-7263 to learn more about ordering sandpaper online,custom orders, bulk orders, and more!
