by Engineer » 11 Apr 2009 10:22
Of course Raimundo is right (as he usually is in these things...) - Using soaps is only a trick, it's not perfect, it just helps in "emergencies" pretty well. It's been done for at least a hundred years that I know of (from reading old engineering manuals). I have to put that bit in, before someone wonders if I am over a hundred years old...
Sanding lighter when you've soaped the paper will help, as will changing the paper if the grit is showing signs off coming free from it''s backing. I've had to do it many times when we've been out of stock of finer grits for some reason. If the surface has got a problem, you may need to go back to larger grits and work it out of the surface. If this is the final finish (it usually is), then you can move onto using wire wool (plus soap as necessary) - Think kitchen pan scouring pads!
The final point to remember is that if you are using a reasonable quality of wet-and-dry paper, then grit will not be working free from the backing in anything like the same quantities it does with sandpaper.
