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Best sanding disc for 304ss

Depends on the tool you are using.
I do a lot of 304.

For weld finishing, we usually use 4 1/2" grinders, with Klingspor SMT 625 50 grit flap discs on em. 50 grit is aggressive enough to grind off weld beads, but still leaves a nice smooth finish. If you need a finer finish, switch to 120 grit after the 50's.

On belt sanders, and my big stationary disc sander, I use Klingsor CS411, available in belts for any size sander. Its a blue alumnia zirconia cloth backed abrasive, tough, long lasting, and really high quality. Again, I mostly use 50 grit.

For fine finishes on sheet, I sometimes use random orbit sanders, or auto body air powered DA sanders. Dont usually use the CS 411 on these, just aluminum oxides, as you dont want the fine stuff to cut TOO much. This is 80 to 200 grit stuff.

For final polish, you can get as wiggy as you want- but 3M scotchbrite pads are easy to use and give a nice multidirectional brushed finish, either on grinders or belt sanders.

Sandpaper, Abrasives, Woodworking, Metalworking, Rolls, Automotive, Waterproof, Belts, Discs, Sheets, - KLINGSPOR Abrasives, Inc.

Klingspor is the bomb. If you get an account, it really good pricing- usually I pay less, in case quantities, by far, than the local welding supply sells much crummier brands for.
Warehouses on both coasts, quick shipping, incredible german quality, and they make everything. They will custom make belts or discs in virtually any abrasive to fit any sander.
 
personaly over here theres a fair few makes that outperform the klingspores. Its surprising how diffrent the makes are perfomance wise. Heck some even smell noticably worse in use than others. At work we genraly stick to 60 grit for every day use. We have a few finer ones which are good at times. We tried 40 grit ones but there too course for us, if were removing matirial then its a grinding disc that will get used. weld blending they rock. I even have a couple of realy soft - very flexible flap discs at home, they realy conform to things and work a treat at blending.
 
I would be interested to know which manufacturers you think are better than klingspor.

Here, we are inundated with cheap chinese product, and real industrial stuff is harder to find.

The two premium brands that are commonly available that I have tried, Norton and Walter, do not satisfy me.

Part of that, though, is the difference in distribution systems between Blighty and the USA. Where I live, many industrial companies on the east coast of the USA are as far from me as you are from Tehran. Imagine if you had to buy your abrasives from Istanbul, or Bahgdad.
The entire Isle of England and Scotland is about as big as ONE US state.
So, in my case, that definitely influences what I buy, and from whom.
I can make one phone call, to Klingspor, and get delivery in 3 days (and 3 days is GOOD, for me) of all my abrasive needs, at wholesale prices, at net 30 terms.
OR, I could drive a 3 hour round trip to the nearest "full service" industrial supplier- who usually only carries a portion of what I need.

Walter, for some reason known only to its German overlords, will not sell directly to companies like mine- I must buy thru a distributor, who, in turn, must order minimum quantities of what I want, when they get around to it. And then, of course, they double the price. So a Walter 4 1/2" flap disc costs me about double what a Klingspor version does, and, frankly, from the ones I have tried, are no better, if not a bit worse.
Norton, similar- I can order in case quantities from middlemen. I have found Norton to be good quality, but not noticeably better than the Klingspor.

I admit, I get in a rut- I have been ordering from Klingspor since the mid 80's, and its so damn easy- one call, and the stuff is always pretty high quality.
If there was a similarly convenient, and reasonably priced alternative, I would try it- but so far, anyway, I havent found one. I have 4 belt sanders, a dozen of so miscellaneous disc and hand sanders, and a stationary disc sander in my small shop- and I like being able to outfit them all from one source.
 
Do ya have to call to set up an account? And is there a minimum that needs to be ordered before they will give ya an account.

I'm not a multi-million dollar company, nor will I be. Just wondering if the "small guy" can still sign up.
 
I have had an account with them for so long, I have no idea what the current procedure is- but my guess is you need the standard stuff to get a net 30 account- bank info, 3 other businesses you have net 30 accounts with.

And to get the wholesale prices, you usually have to buy by the box- which is 10 pieces for the 4 1/2" flap discs, 50 or 100 pieces for PSA discs or velcro discs.

For retail amounts, and higher, retail prices, Klingspor has this website-
Klingspor's Woodworking Shop, Woodworking Supplies, Tools, Discs, Sanding Sleeves, Sandpaper, Belts, Klingspor's, Klingspor's, Proxxon

even though it says "woodworking", they sell the same stuff.
 
Ok, will have to look at them to remember the names. 3m ones acording to the boss stink in use. I can't smell them but hes convinced. Klingspore ones we have used i would rate as to the better end of middle of the road. Oh we buy by the box, probaly go through about a box a month. Flap wheels sometimes come in boxes of 10 or sometimes 25 depending on make. Generaly we pay less than £2 each for most of them so a box is not realy a vast investment.

For reasons i cant fully grasp alu backed seam to be bad news. Catch the backing on anything and it kicks, and it kicks bad. Fiberglass - plastic backed dont kick back anything like as bad. Oh we only buy zirconia ones but probaly 75% of our work is mild steel. Mostly light fabrication - furniture grade tube stuff. Generaly weld blending and edge smoothing - corner rounding - deburr type ops.

We have tryed a lot of diffrent makes. Its incredable the diffrences in them. Some wear smoth and just almost sease cutting. Others wear quick and are gone before removing much at all. Even sticking with our std of 60 gritt, some will remove weld as fast as a good grinding disk. others can barely remove the scale of steel. Our favorites are foriegn, cant remember were but there plastic backed (yellow) and are a good comprimise of wear resistance and cutting power.

flexovite are the ones!
 








 
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