[Andrew]

Hi all,

I am new to resin molds and resin sanding. I have gone through sanding one piece now and I find the process is very time consuming. I am curious if a belt sander can be used for the entire sanding process. I have read through this guide https://www.resinobsession.com/resin-tutorials/wood-and-resin-jewelry/ which was very helpful, but it essentially suggests using a belt sander for removing buffs and uneven surfaces. After that all the sanding is done by hand.

My question is, supposing I have proper ventilation, and supposing I am careful enough not to melt resin (the tutorial linked above states this is doable) can I use a belt sander all the way up to 2000 grit sandpaper. I know that sandpaper of this grit does exist for belt sanders, but I am curious if there are other limitations that make this impossible for resin. Perhaps the moving belt is just too uneven to do such detailed sanding?

Thanks in advance for your help,
Andrew

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Andrew,

Yes, you can do this. I have a belt sander attachment for my jewelry flex shaft for this purpose. It has very fine grit sandpapers.

[Andrew]

Oh thats good to hear Katherine! Could you share a bit more about your setup? I only just googled what a flex shaft is.

What kind of flex shaft are you using? What kind of belt sander attachment?

How wide is it? I work with generally 1″ to 2″ pieces on their widest sides, so I am worried that getting a tiny 1″ belt will result in uneven sanding.

Do you still swap out several sandpapers on a single piece? Most guides suggest working your way up through 7ish sandpapers from grits 100 to 2000, do you still do this on the belt sander?

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Andrew,

I got my flex shaft and belt sander attachment for it at riogrande.com

[Andrew]

Gotcha. Do you work with pieces that are wider than the belt width? Have you personally tried sanding with high grit using the belt sander?

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Andrew,

Yes, I have to answer both your questions.

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