Mirka Abranet Sandpaper and Bosch sander (advice)

craftsman on the lake · Aug 17, 2009

I have a Bosch B0S20VSK sander.

I ordered two sanders.. both worked great with the 80 grit paper supplied. I ordered some Mirka Abranet sandpaper. It lasts forever. Highly recommended. After using it for a few minutes the sander pad would no longer hold on any sandpaper, no matter what brand. I found out the reason. Using a microscope I found that the Bosch velcro hooks on the pad are much tinier than on my other sanders. They slip through the Abranet sandpaper grid and are sanded off. No hook, no sticking. The pad looks and feels new but the hooks are missing. My other sanders have visibly larger hooks. My recommendation: Mirka makes some widely used and popular sanding disks but they will destroy your sanding plate velcro in 20 minutes of use, on this sander anyway.
Bosch is sending me new sanding plates after a call, thank you. I will use an interim pad saver between the sander and paper from now on or use paper sandpaper. They might want to make a small alteration to their design though as not everyone has a microscope to investigate with.

If you have one of these sanders or a sander with fine velcro hooks I recommend using only paper backed sandpaper and not the screen mesh one like Mirka's or use a 'pad saver' which is a pad of velcro that goes in between the sander and the sand paper.

PurpLev · Aug 17, 2009

thanks for the insight. Bosch CS is wonderful to work with. thy are top notch.

have you contacted Mirka about this? perhaps give them some reviews for design considerations.

craftsman on the lake · Aug 17, 2009

Bosch has a phone number and website for email. Mirka seems to be a bit more elusive. Both are great products. The sander, no dust, no kidding. The paper, just lasts.

CreekWoodworker · Aug 17, 2009

Wow, there is another tool I must add to my shop… a microscope ;-) Just kidding. Nice investigative work and thanks for the post, I never thought too much about the sandpaper I buy. Thanks for the recommendations.

mirkaman · Aug 18, 2009

Ok - a word from the manufacturer
Abranet was developed, in conjunction with users, to offer virtually dust free sanding and, in certain applications, this is what it does - up to 95% of dust removed into extraction system and not reground into the surface or released into work area or lungs.
Dust is the natural enemy of a high quality clean job and is highly dangerous when inhaled (always use a dust mask, no matter what).
Naturally, when you go against convention and develop something new there are always things to learn, 'side effects' as it were.
The benefits are clear but you are right, to achieve great dust extraction and long sandpaper life a modification was required to the attachement system - we have developed a special grip system that gets rid of the problems you describe above and we also sell a range of 'pad savers' for those going through the conversion process.
Mirka are a Finnish manufacturing company with subsidiaries all over the world, your local contact can be found through www.mirka.com as can all the answers to the above posting
We are in the top 5 coated abrasive manufacturers globally and higher than that in our niche markets.

A quick note - we have also developed an electric sander no biggger or heavier than a pneumatic, air driven 'palm sander' but twice as powerful and needs no compressed air, so can be used anywhere - an unbelievable product for the craftsman, it is brand new and just being launched now. Again the website will give details.

Hope this helps, happy to add more

craftsman on the lake · Aug 18, 2009

Mirkaman. Actually I was more concerned about the small hooks on the bosch sander than your paper. I'm 'hooked' on the abranet paper. In fact my old crappy B&D sander has larger hooks that I don't think would be affected. I think that all sanders should adjust so that your paper is usable without an interim pad.

I've even changed the title of this post to be more descriptive

EdWood · Aug 20, 2009

Hot dang now I know what is happening with the pads on my Ridgid R2600. I started using Abranet about a year ago and have had good sanding results. But I have killed one pad that lost all its grip and a second that is not far behind.

Mirkaman, I have been using a pad saver but apparently it is not helping that much. I have just about decided to stop using Abranet because the pads are too expensive to keep replacing.

a1Jim · Aug 20, 2009

thanks for the heads up

jimc · Aug 21, 2009

As I understand the written material I have seen on Abranet, they produce a pad saver that sits between your router pad and the Abranet mesh, thus preventing the problem that you describe. From the Abranet pad description on Amazon: "This proprietary pad goes between your sanders standard grip pad and the Abranet disc and ensures a good grip and prevents premature wear on the pad. Highly recommended."

5" Pad Protector = 9955
6" Pad Protector = 9956

Jim

craftsman on the lake · Aug 21, 2009

And Jim, I've purchased a package of the pads. It's funny, the pads have what appears to be larger velcro hooks than the sander does. These pads should work. But… even thought the pads have a thick cushy backing to attach good to the sander, I have to wait for the new Bosch velcro plate because nothing sticks to it since it was damaged. The Ad for the pads says "highly recommended to prevent premature wear". Highly recommended should read 'mandadory'.

I still commend Mirka for making an exceptionally long lasting and effective sandpaper and Bosch for making the best sanding and dust retrieving sander I've ever had. I just need to find a way to successfully merge the two products. The easiest thing would be for Bosch to apply a larger velcro hook to their sander. If the interim pads don't work I'll have to go back to paper backed sanding disks. I hate to after using this Mirka stuff. My old B&D has larger velcro hooks. I don't think it would be a problem with that sander. I'm also thinking of taking my old damaged sanding disk and trying to find some 'normal' street velcro to glue onto it. We'll see.

sIKE · Aug 21, 2009

Have you look at the backup pads Mirka offers to replace the manufactures backup pad? I did a quick peek they are offered for the B&D, DeWalt, and PC. One of them might work for the Bosch.

resurfacesolutions · Apr 15, 2010

we have awsome prices on mirka sanding paper. www.resurfacesolutions.com

SnowyRiver · Apr 15, 2010

Thanks for the info.

ramjet · Sep 12, 2011

I have used a heavy duty hook and loop conversion kit from duragrit.com, on my Rigid ROS. It has good, large, strong hooks. They also have pretty interesting 5" steel backed, carbide grit coated, sanding discs, which are good for the coarser sanding jobs - 46, 60, 80, 120 & 150 grits available. They last much longer than regular sandpaper discs.

Mirka Abranet Sandpaper and Bosch sander (advice)

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