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Sandpaper from Sand, Hide Glue and Paper
A coated abrasive is grit glued to a backing. The first recorded one, in 13th-century China, bonded crushed shells, seeds and sand to parchment with natural gum. Here clean quartz sand is crushed, sieved into grades and scattered on paper brushed with warm hide glue.
Sieve mesh only roughly matches a shop grit number: real P grades are set by ISO 6344. Quartz grit on hide glue wears faster than garnet or aluminium oxide paper, and water softens the glue, so use it dry.
Beginner
1 hour, plus a day drying
Instructions
1
1
Crush the sand
Crush the sand
With a dust mask on, crush clean quartz sand in the mortar, a few spoonfuls at a time.
Materials for this step:
Quartz Sand300 gTools needed:
Mortar and Pestle
Dust Mask2
2
Sieve into grades
Sieve into grades
Sieve through the 60, 80 and 120 mesh sieves stacked coarse on top. Keep what each sieve holds in its own labelled jar: coarse, medium and fine.
Tools needed:
60-Mesh Sieve
80-mesh Sieve
120-Mesh Sieve
Glass Jars with LidsDust Mask3
3
Warm the glue
Warm the glue
Soak hide glue granules in water, then warm them in a double boiler to about 60 °C until runny. Do not let it boil.
Materials for this step:
Hide Glue50 g
Water0.1 literTools needed:
Double Boiler
Hot Plate
Leave-In Probe Thermometer4
4
Glue the paper
Glue the paper
Brush a thin, even coat of glue over one face of a sheet of strong paper, edge to edge.
Materials for this step:
Paper3 sheetsTools needed:
Glue Brush5
5
Scatter the grit
Scatter the grit
While the glue is wet, sprinkle one grade of grit thickly over it, press it in with a rolling pin over a clean sheet, and let it set for a minute.
Tools needed:
Rolling Pin6
6
Shake off and dry
Shake off and dry
Tip the sheet on edge and tap off the loose grit back into its jar. Dry it flat for a day, then label the back with its grade.
Tools needed:
Glass Jars with Lids7
7
Test it
Test it
Sand a scrap of softwood ten strokes and look at the scratches. Cut sheets to size.
Tools needed:
Scissors8
8
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
Home-made sandpaper troubleshooting.
Flow
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Materials
4- 300 gPlaceholder
- 50 gPlaceholder
- 0.1 literPlaceholder
- 3 sheetsPlaceholder
Tools Required
12- Placeholder
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