Abrasive Chart

Orchid Friends, Does anyone have a chart cross referencing the
various grit sizes of sanding, polishing products?

Last year Martin Niemeijer provided [May 28, 03] a chart with cross
reference to the old sandpaper numbers, the FEPA grain system and
the grain size in uM [1/1000 mm]. The list is a great starting point
but I have a sandpaper listed as A6. I know it is a fine grit but
don’t know how to compare it to other known “sand” papers that I
have.

Also, does anyone know the grit or grain size of cerium oxide?

Basically I am grinding a cloisonne enamel piece to level the wires
with the enamel and want to take it to mirror finish through
traditional methods. I do not want to “firepolish” a gloss back into
the enamel.

Anyway, I want to progress through the grits of the papers that I
have 600, 800, 1/0, 2/0, 4/0 but am stumped with that A6. I also
have an abrasive film on a roll that is so fine that the grit side
looks and feels like the texture of Scotch Magic tape. The film is
pale translucent yellow and the other side of the abrasive film is
shiny. I bought this in a warehouse clearance situation and it has
no grit identifier. I believe it may be one of the products for
truing and polishing the end of fiber optic cable.

Thank you in advance.
Orchid Rules!..Karla in sunny S. California

Basically I am grinding a cloisonne enamel piece to level the
wires with the enamel and want to take it to mirror finish through
traditional methods. 

Hi Karla,

Not addressing your abrasive comparisons, but cloisonne finishing.
You can approach this task as if it were a lapidary (gem cutting)
task. I’ve done a limited amount of cloisonne, but had excellent
results finishing the pieces on my Genie diamond lapidary set up. If
you have access to such resources, or know someone who does, it is an
effective solution. One advantage is that the final step would be a
lapidary polishing, not strictly finer and finer abrasives.There’s
still debate about the scientific details, but it is a generally
accepted fact that the surface molecules actually “flow”, eliminating
the finest surface scratches left by the last abrasive process.

It can also me done manually, but of course, takes a lot longer. You
can do the final polish with a felt wheel on a flex shaft, using a
slurry of cerium oxide and water. A makeshift splash shield would
probably be desirable. You don’t want it to be dry, nor dripping, but
kind of maintain a dampness, if you can.

All the best,

Dave Sebaste
Sebaste Studio
Charlotte, NC (USA)