Removing Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Backed Sandpaper
George VondriskaAdhesive backed sandpaper is very convenient, right up to the point where you need to take it off so you can put on a new piece of paper. The good news is that adhesive backed sandpaper sticks pretty well while you’re using it. The bad news is that it continues to stick pretty well when you’re trying to take it off. Here’s a very cool trick that will help you peel your paper in one large piece, instead of a hundred tiny ones.
Preparation is key
Whether you’re using adhesive backed sandpaper or hook and loop; a random orbit sander or belt sander; stearated paper or non-stearated paper, knowing how to get your projects ready for finish is as important as the finishing step. Using the right abrasive, and knowing how to use it, is key. It may seem simple, but knowing how to sand wood is critical. If you don’t do a good job sanding, you can’t do a good job finishing.
A variety of projects
Looking for ideas on what to build next in your shop? WoodWorkers Guild of America has you covered. We offer a huge variety of woodworking projects. Some can be completed in a few hours, some will take longer. But they all have the material and procedures spelled out, part of our mission to keep woodworking projects as simple as possible for you.
There are a lot of tools you use in the shop that call for pressure-sensitive adhesive, PSA sandpaper. This is one of 'em. This is off of a sharpening device that I have. So I went to change grit, and this is what happened. Maybe this has happened to you.
Here's the answer. We can make that sandpaper come off like this, instead of like this pretty easily. Here's the answer. Take this, put it in the freezer, let it get nice and cold. And when that adhesive gets cold, it lets go so much more readily.
We can peel that abrasive off, let that warm back up to room temperature. You'll be ready to stick your new abrasive on there. So just a little bit of cold makes that sandpaper separate a whole lot easier.
That’s a great way to get it off, however, if you take your heat gun or a hairdryer to the disc it will also come off cleanly and easily. That work especially good on metal disc and you don’t have to disassemble the tool to place it in the freezer.
Another alternate idea is to heat the metal mounting plate with a heat gun or hair dryer. Works pretty slick.
Another alternate way to remove PSA sandpaper is to heat up the back of your metal mounting plate with either a heat gun or hair dryer. Works really slick.
But my 12" disc sander doesn't fit in my freezer...
Cool! (No pun intended)
Great for the glass on the Work Sharp! Any tips for metal discs as on belt/disc sanders? Thanks.
Thanks so much for this tip ! This saves using a razor blade and paint thinner.