HELP!

I'm starting to assemble a grandfather clock from a kit. Its cut from cherry.

The instructions say to finish sand the pieces before assembly.

My question  - what the best way to finish sand the 'carved' pieces? I was thinking maybe fine steel wool?

ECS,
I would use a sanding sponge.  3M makes a few sponges that are generally 3" x 5" and have an abrasive on one side.  They are not designated by grit - but rather course, medium, and fine.  Generally the fine is similar to a 220 grit.  They are perfect for profile sanding.  Do not confuse them with 3M's abrasive pads (green and red)  These sponges are gray in color and can be found at Lowes, HD, etc..  If you can't find them, let me know and I'll send you a few.

Good luck on the project.
Tim  

Tough to do and not round over the sharp edges.  Try using small pieces of sandpaper wrapped around the steel wool, or better, wrapped around appropriately shaped objects that match the contour of the carved pieces.

Or, even better, find some *scrapers* that are shaped to match the contours... once you get used to using them, the finish is much better and smoother than using sandpaper.

This woodworking site has great info, and is alot of fun if you don't know about it... a great place to ask your question.

Have fun!

[url]http://www.wwforum.com/cgi-bin/forum_main/handtool.cgi[/url]

For concave areas that are small, I use a dowel rounded off to a ball on the end and wrap fine sandpaper over it. You might have to make several for different radiuses. Try not to round off sharp edges if you can help it because that will lessen the detail on fine carvings. Cherry is soft so don't over do it. You will have to make sanding blocks to the proper contour of everything else. Good luck.

Ditto on the sanding sponges. I just bought one at Target for $2.99. The finest one is rated at 320 grit, and they can be used with a much lighter touch than sandpaper.

OK thanks fellas. I think I'll try the sanding sponges first and see how that works. I'm a bit nervous because this kit was expensive so I don't want to screw it up.

I'm also getting a countersink/pilot set so I can drill the required blind pilot holes for the wood screws.

I’ll third the remarks about not rounding off the edges.  

Also, to the degree that you can, try to sand with the grain.  Always back your sandpaper up with something fairly firm to keep from developing waves in the wood from the grain structure.  But also have a backing with a little give (thin foam or felt) so if the sandpaper develops a clog, it won’t scratch the wood.  

For flat surfaces, a small orbital sander can save a lot of wear-and-tear on your elbows.

Did you get this from an on-line source?  Sounds interesting.

ECS, be real carefull if you use steel wool and are planning to use a water based finish.  The steel wool is bad to get caught in areas that you don't notice until you go to finish and water based finish will cause the steel wool to rust and stain the wood.  You can also get synthetic wool in place of steel wool.

No, I ordered it from a catalog. They are currently working on a web site.

[url]www.emperorclock.com[/url]

My father built one cut from walnut back in the 70's. They don't offer them in walnut so I got one in cherry.

I still need to buy the movement. They offer several that will fit my case, including their top of the line with 9 brass tubular bells, instead of the usual chime rods.

Belt Sander.  40 Grit.  Works EVERY time to remove those annoying pieces of handcarved art.  Shaker style is the way to go!

ROFLMAO

TheRedGoat