Foam Sanding Blocks.

Hello all...

Can anyone point me in the right direction as to where everyone who says they use one got it from...

Ive tried searching this forum and the internet but cant seem to find anything but those stupid blocks which are actual sandpaper, not a tool used to put sandpaper on.

thanks,
chris

Hey man, my favorite ones to use come from the drug store in the nail care aisle. They are the only ones I use.


Mark

The only blocks I could finds where those used for woodworking. I did not like them as the grits were too harsh and the debri from the blocks would make a mess of things.

I prefer to simply use either fingernail sanding sticks, as markiii aluded to, or a small piece of sand paper backed by hard rubber foam.

I know this isn't exactly what you were looking for but it works well for me. If you haven't tried them they could do the trick for you.

Blocks are really for woodworking; they're too heavy and hard to handle for modeling.

I do use sanding sticks that I get at my LHS. They're available in fine grits. I also have a diamond-grit fingernail file that comes in very handy. I got it in the grooming section of a pharmacy. It has a dark plastic handle that looks like tortoise shell.

Ddms

Excuse me if I'm wrong but I think you guys have mis-read the question. He doesn't want abrasive sanding sticks/blocks. I think he's looking for a plain (non-abrasive) block of foam that he will then use in conjunction with abrasive paper.

For what it's worth, I have no idea where you buy that foam from! Sorry.

Micro-Mark http://www.micromark.com/ carries a polishing kit that includes a foam block like what I believe you're looking for. Unfortunately, I don't think you can get just the block, but if you don't have a polishing kit then it would be good to get the set. Here's a link to the set: http://www.micromark.com/MICRO-MESH-FINISHING-KIT,7601.html

you can use white/pink pencil eraser as a sanding block. If you have a large one, it can be cut into the size and shape you need.

You can make your own sanding blocks/sticks with ice cream sticks and the foam from those sponsored foam sun visors that they give away at sports events (I usually get mine in goodie bags when I enter cycle races).

Use contact adhesive to glue a strip of foam to 1/4 of the stick, then trim the edge of the foam to the shape of the stick (I find it useful for sanding into corners to leave a corner on the foam rather than rounding it off completely). Next, using contact adhesive again, glue your sandpaper (I do this with MicroMesh) to the foam and trim again. Be careful not to get glue onto the sanding surface at this stage. You'll find it useful to write the grit # on the stick using a marker pen, especially if you're working with a range of grits (like MicroMesh).

You'll find that Micromesh sticks made up this way last a long time (particularly if wetsanding), and because of the amount needed to make a stick a sheet of Micromesh goes a long way.

Two bits of advice though.
1. Don't sand colours like red and then proceed to sand white without cleaning the stick carefully - you'll contaminate the paint horribly. Best use another stick. Actually I think that's a general rule.
2. Be VERY careful with sticks or blocks around edges. They're unforgiving!

thanks for the answers guys..

and yes i was referring to using foam and attaching sandpaper to it. i probably should of reworded my OP.

im not exactly *new* to modelling, as i did it as a 15yo....obviously not as good as ANYTHING in here...

now that im 10 years older ive started to get back into it on a more serious note. this site has been a great source of information on some of the tools and techniques ill need that i was really unaware of in my early days of building models..

I walk in my hilly neighborhood for exercise, and sometimes find thin, flat strips of hard metal on the street. They're about 1/8" wide, 1/32" thick and six or seven inches long; maybe they're dropped by power company repair crews, I don't know for sure. They might be steel; unlike brass or aluminum, they're very hard to bend.

Using my favorite super glue (Gorilla), I glue thin strips of wet-or-dry sandpaper to these metal sticks. They're excellent for removing hard-to-reach orange peel.

Ddms

Foam blocks can be found at your local auto paint supply shop. They may have a variety of blocks and thin foam pads. I buy them and then cut them down to the size I need.

You can also vary the stiffness of the foam by cutting the foam pads or blocks to various thicknesses. Make a thin block for flexible, shape conforming, work and make a thick block for more rigid work.

I don't use any glue to hold sand paper to the block. I just wrap it around the block and hold the whole thing together with my fingers.