Mrm8834 Posted January 18, 2023 Report Share Posted January 18, 2023 Any advice on using a small orbital sander to smooth out a guitar with a flame maple veneer? Obviously, be careful and use 220; but I’ve never done this before… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted January 19, 2023 Report Share Posted January 19, 2023 Hi and welcome! No matter what type of tool you use for sanding, be it an orbital or just your fingers holding the sandpaper, don't push! You can only cut the wood to the depth between the tip of each abrasive chip and the base paper. Past 220 or so we're talking about single thousandths of an inch or even fractions of that. The weight of the tool is plenty enough. Also de-dust the paper every so often. If the dust starts to build lumps, you're going to burnish marks on your veneer which you obviously don't want to. Another trick is to wipe the wood with a damp cloth and let it dry. That will raise the grain so you can just cut the protruding fibres. Do that when you're going to a finer grit and a couple of times with the finest. Be as light handed as you can! I've often compared sanding to mowing your lawn: The aim is to cut the grass to a certaing length instead of steamrolling it level with the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted January 19, 2023 Report Share Posted January 19, 2023 my advice: don't. I've sanded lots of veneer in my days as a cab maker and I can tell you that anything more than a simple "once over" - just to say you hit it... is gonna result in a burn through. it is super easy. the best part is... you don't even need to burn through to make a blemish that you won't be able to hide later... simply make the lamination thin enough and it'll have a "splotchy/dark" spot that stands out. when you say "smooth out"... that doesn't sound good to me... is there a bubble in your veneer or something? veneer is typically 1/40" thick... that is less than .03". even with 220 on it... hit a high spot with an orbital sander and you will instantly burn through. I say this because you say you've never done before... that sounds like a recipe for a burn through. Personally I would suggest you manually sand it with 220 and up... little more work but much harder to burn through. just one aholes o... i wish you the best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted January 19, 2023 Report Share Posted January 19, 2023 Good point about burning through with a machine. I've done that with finer than 220. It's even easier at the edge, especially if there's some sort of a clearcoat. Same thing with bubbles or other proud spots. Didn't think you were talking about veneer-veneer (0.55 mm) instead of a drop top (~5 mm) but the piece of advice I wrote is valid for any sort of sanding. Adding to that, hand sanding is meditative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrim Posted January 19, 2023 Report Share Posted January 19, 2023 When you hear yourself saying “just a little bit more from that corner” you’re done. Stop. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted January 19, 2023 Report Share Posted January 19, 2023 And just so you know, the pale wood beneath doesn't take dye! Or worse, the tip (1.) does but the pale rim in between (2.) doesn't as it's impregnated with glue and primer (read: plastic) and there's no other way to hide it than redo the veneering at least partially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted January 20, 2023 Report Share Posted January 20, 2023 20 hours ago, Bizman62 said: Good point about burning through with a machine. I've done that with finer than 220. It's even easier at the edge, especially if there's some sort of a clearcoat. Same thing with bubbles or other proud spots. Didn't think you were talking about veneer-veneer (0.55 mm) instead of a drop top (~5 mm) but the piece of advice I wrote is valid for any sort of sanding. Adding to that, hand sanding is meditative. i guess it never occurred to me that by veneer someone could have meant a thin top... could be either way I guess only op knows for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted January 20, 2023 Report Share Posted January 20, 2023 20 hours ago, henrim said: When you hear yourself saying “just a little bit more from that corner” you’re done. Stop. yup... that is it right there. for a stint I worked putting edge banding on lam top tables for nurse stations and store displays. sometimes we'd edge band black malamine... and you'd have to hit the edges with a file and clean them up... man one slip on that stuff and you'd have white lines you could see from space. Needless to say: over and over i learned that lesson! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrm8834 Posted February 2, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2023 Took your advice and used the orbital on the mahogany body to make it a littler easier in myself but hand sanded the veneer from 220 to 320. Even that felt dicey once I got started! Thanks for the advice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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