True Grit Sanding Pasta
True Grit, from Yorkshire
This True Grit abrasive paste he makes consists of mineral oil, beeswax and very fine abrasive powder. The abrasive powder consists of 2 kinds of stone. Pumice stone and very finely ground "rotten" stone. During use, the abrasive particles become smaller, resulting in a finer sanded surface. It is therefore a kind of liquid sandpaper that gradually gets an increasingly finer grain. True Grit can be used if you have sanded to grain 240. (320 works better, but higher than 400 is not necessary. When finished, the surface looks like it is sanded with grain 1000. All ingredients are mixed without solvents. True Grit does not smell.
How to use.
Make sure your workpiece is neatly twisted and there are no pressure marks from the chisel. Sand your workpiece up to minimum grain 240 and. Make sure that the traces of the previous grain are sanded away. If necessary, use a sanding sealer to make the surface harder and smoother. When the sanding sealer has dried, apply the True Grit with a piece of kitchen towel on a stationary machine. Make circular movements with the cloth or kitchen towel so that the pores of the wood are also filled. If the whole surface is lubricated you start the lathe at a low rpm. (15 cm diameter about 500 rpm) Use the same cloth or paper and firmly push it on the rotating workpiece. Gradually the speed can be raised. You will feel the paste sanding and you feel that the abrasive grain becomes finer. Once you are satisfied with the surface you wipe the excess of the surface with a clean cloth. If there is no more pasta in the cloth you are ready to make a finish with an oil or wax or Hampshire Sheen.
Finishing
True Grit is a preparation for the final finish. True Grit itself cannot be used as a finish. When you are done with the polishing paste you bring up the final finish.