Marketplace - Supplies for my fellow woodturners

As I have learned new techniques and discovered secrets locked behind the doors of my own ignorance I’ve found certain products I like to use.  They may not be the absolute best in someone else's opinion, and there are certainly other good products out there, but these work well for me.  I started buying some supplies in quantity to save some money for me and my fellow turners.

When I first tried hook & loop power sanding disks it was one of those “Ah ha!” experiences which improved results by an order of magnitude.  I can almost hear a lot of you saying "Duh!" but I guess I'm not only a slow learner, but have to learn everything the hard way.
"Use sand paper like someone else is paying for it."
Sanding 2 Inch 3 Inch
Hook & Loop Mandrel (firm)
 $8
 $10
Hook & Loop Interface Pad (1/2" soft)
 $6
 $7
Hook & Loop Disk Assortment (P60 to P600) (Rhyno Griptm)
 $12 (32) $12 (24)
PSA (self stick) Hook Fabric (More Info)

Round / Square
 $2, 3/$5
 $3, 2/$5
Credit Card Size
1/$3, 2/$5
Wet / Dry (Rhyno Wettm)  1/4 Sheet Assortment (P320-P2000)
 1/$3, 2/$5, 5/$10
Finishing
3M Non Woven Abrasive Pads (Scotch-Brite), 1 ea. 6 x 4.5 maroon, gray, white
 1/$3, 2/$5, 5/$10
Pumice, 2F (lb)
 $10
Pumice, 4F (lb)
 $10
Rottenstone (lb)
 $10
Rubout Kit (4 oz each + 8 oz mineral oil)
 $15
Mineral Oil, Thin, Food Grade, 8 oz (More Info)
 $6 (8oz), $15 (qt)
Walnut Oil, Expeller Pressed and Refined, Food Grade, 8 oz (More Info)
 $6 (8oz), $15 (qt)
End Grain Sealer
SEALTITE 60 tm (recycled container)
 $7 (1/2 gal)
 $12 (gal)
ANCHORSEAL tm (recycled container)
$7 (1/2 gal) $12 (gal)

"Worn out 120 grit does not make 240 grit."

Cracked LogIf you don't want this... 

Better use an end grain sealer.  I lost a lot of wood before I learned not to procrastinate when it comes to to sealing the end grain of my turning stock.  If it will sit for a long time before turning remember to trim out the pith too.  There may be differences in the formulation of the various paraffin emulsion products, but these get the job done for me. 

SEALTITEtm MSDS  and ANCHORSEALtm MSDS  are used to slow the evaporation of moisture through the end grain of logs, lumber, and rough turnings to reduce checking and cracking as wood dries.  They are paraffin emulsions that are brushed on the wood and when dry forms a moisture barrier that can easily be scraped off when it is time to use the wood.
Remember!  End grain sealer does not prevent drying, but slows it down to delay and reduce checking and cracking until you can process the green timber.  If you must store the stock for a long time it is essential to remove the pith, because when the wood dries it will move, and a whole log has little it can do to avoid cracking when it does.

Walnut Oil

I use walnut oil as my preferred food safe finish on functional turnings like salad bowls.  It is a drying oil (It polymerizes.)  that has a pretty good shelf life.  While virtually all oils will darken wood over time, my experience does not find it objectionable and suggests that “warming” or “mellowing” of the wood tones would be a better descriptor for what happens.

Many will argue that any finish is food safe after it cures completely.  I don't want to "argue" the point with a customer, so I use 100% pure walnut oil, refined for the food and cosmetic industry.  It is expeller pressed so it contains no petroleum distillates and is completely safe for food contact.  It provides a wood finish that will harden into a satin finish that can be buffed to enhance the gloss.  Just wipe on or immerse and let it penetrate and harden for 24 hours, then reapply as desired.  Leaves a satin finish on virtually all woods.

Mineral Oil

The mineral oil you get in your pharmacy is quite viscous and not terribly well suited for finishing and penetrating wood.  Other "parafin oil" products for finishing contain non food safe petroleum distillates.  This mineral oil is thin (70 viscosity) and also food grade so there is never a question about its safety for utility pieces.

PSA Hook Material Tips

Just like PSA sanding disks, the self stick hook material needs a pretty smooth surface to bond well.  If your hooks give out, try to carefully peel the old material off the mandrel or pad.  When I've been able to do this cleanly the new hook material bonds quite well enough for me.  If the surface left is pitted or torn you have a couple of choices.  You could put it in a chuck on your lathe and clean up the survace with a sharp skew or you could take the easy way out and use some thick CA glue.  I usually take the easy way out, and a fellow turner raves about how well it works for him.  As long as we're on the subject you can also mend the foam pad of the mandrel similarly.  Polyurethane glue also works for me, but the cure time doesn't do much to satisfy my craving for immediate gratification.