What abrasive discs are for. How to use them best

What are abrasive discs used for? And how can you use them best?

As is often the case, to use something at its best you need to know its characteristics, types, and peculiarities. Because of this, inside this blog of our e-commerce website, we provide in-depth information on all products on sale, from double-sided adhesive masking tape up to double-sided adhesives to, indeed, abrasive products, starting with abrasive discs.

Today we will explore what abrasive discs are and what information you need to know to be able to use them at their best. Enjoy!

What are abrasive discs for? Let’s start from the basics

Abrasive discs are characterized by a surface covered in abrasive substances, which are defined by the Treccani Encyclopaedia as “substances with great hardness and grains with sharp edges, which are used, in powder or agglomerated form, often applied on canvas or paper, on edges of wheels or blades, work surfaces, to cut stones”.

There are many different types of abrasive substances, each of which has different characteristics: in all cases, however, they are materials whose hardness, together with their particular density, allows for their users to abrade the other materials’ surfaces, thus removing parts of them.

But what characteristics should an abrasive have to be effective? Simple: it must be harder than the material it needs to abrade, smooth, or polish. There are various ways to measure the hardness of a material; to keep it simple, it is possible to say that, in nature, the hardest abrasive material is diamond.

It should be noted that, both on sandpaper and abrasive discs, it is possible to find materials of natural or synthetic origin, such as zirconium, corundum (aluminium oxide), silicon carbide, and so on.

What is the abrasive disc used for? Manufacturing and types

Abrasive discs, or rolls of abrasive paper, are manufactured by depositing dust or abrasive grit on supports: in general, paper, canvas, or various other plastic supports; special resins are used to glue the abrasive to its support.

In general, discs with paper supports tend to work well as long as they are not moistened or until the point in which they begin to lose their shape.

But how many and what types of abrasive discs exist on the market?

Well, the variables involved are many, beginning with the device you wish to use.

There are, for instance, abrasive discs designed for angle grinders, thus for devices which can be used both for cutting and for operations such as grinding or polishing; but there are also abrasive discs that need to be mounted on non-angular grinders, air sanders, electric sanders, and so on.

That is not all. There are, in fact, different abrasive discs based on the manufacturing process and the material used, beginning with the materials which they will need to “abrade”, the processing time, the available budget, the degree of finishing required, and so on.

There are, for example, abrasive discs with mesh support for the needs of the world of bodywork, then fibreglass, foam, canvas, nonwoven and, of course, lamellar abrasive discs for grinders.

So, it’s clear that the first step to use any abrasive disc is to take some time to identify the starting requirements of your device: will you use a grinder or an orbital sander?

Will you work on metal, wood, or marble? Will you need to only quickly grind, or will it be necessary to sand with a high degree of finishing?

Using abrasive discs

In any case, when using abrasive discs, it is best to be certain that you have all the necessary personal protective equipment available to you, which can vary according to the machinery used, the material to be treated, and so on.

This could include gloves, respiratory masks, and goggles. It should be highlighted, however, that some abrasive discs, designed to be mounted on orbital sanders, for instance, are designed to be supplemented with a suction system, to significantly reduce dust release.