Emery cloth and sandpaper are man-made abrasives that contain natural minerals and elements. The rough outer layer of each creates friction against a surface, smoothing it to the desired texture or polish. Emery cloth and sandpaper are used by manufacturers
Emery cloth and sandpaper are man-made abrasives that contain natural minerals and elements. The rough outer layer of each creates friction against a surface, smoothing it to the desired texture or polish. Emery cloth and sandpaper are used by manufacturers and artisans but each has its own specific purposes. In most cases, you can't use them interchangeably.
Emery Cloth Construction
Emery cloth is a strip of dense fabric that has small metallic or synthetic particles bonded to it with glues and adhesives. It's best used to smooth metal surfaces. The small metallic particles often include bits of aluminum oxide that are set in iron oxide. Emery cloth is especially helpful in eradicating rust, eliminating corrosion, polishing metal and removing paint from metal surfaces. It shouldn't be used on wood surfaces because the tiny bits of iron can permanently damage natural wood.
Sandpaper is made from adhering one of three primary minerals or elements to paper, rather than cloth. The three main options are garnet, aluminum oxide and silicon carbide. Garnet isn't as durable or as long-lasting as most synthetic abrasives. It's sharp but wears out faster than aluminum oxide or silicon carbide. It's used for woodworking because it's too dull for metal surfaces. Garnet sometimes leaves tiny particles in the wood that are difficult to remove. Aluminum oxide is a common and highly valued sandpaper material. It's hard and durable and can be used on wood and metal. It's a good choice when you need a sandpaper for high-speed grinding. Aluminum oxide doesn't flake or shred. Silicon carbide is versatile and can be used wet or dry in conjunction with water or lubricants. It's an extremely hard synthetic abrasive that can be used on glass, rubber, ceramics, plastic, nonferrous metals and for a final wet sanding on natural wood. Silicon carbide sandpaper creates a shiny, glossy surface. It cuts faster under light pressure than any other coated grain abrasive.
Emery cloth has a fabric backing, so it's generally sturdier than sandpaper. Sandpaper shreds, tears and breaks apart faster than emery cloth. Both emery cloth and sandpaper have varying grit options. Grit refers to the number of abrasive particles per inch of sandpaper or emery cloth. The lower the grit, the rougher the sandpaper or emery cloth. For example, sandpaper with 40 to 60 grit is course and is for stripping or roughing up surfaces, 80 to 120 grit removes imperfections, 150 to 240 is for fine finishing and 280 to 600 is for polishing and removing some luster or surface scratches. Metalworkers rely on emery cloth because of it's strength and durability. Even though it's also manufactured according to grit-level, metalworkers often narrow it to three broad categories -- fine, medium and course. In his book "Applied Science for Metalworkers," published in 1919, William Dooley originally graded emery cloth from 8 to 120. The larger the number, the smoother the finish. Grade 120 represented a completely smooth file.
Versatility of Emery Cloth
Emery cloth and sandpaper are both versatile, but the durability of emery cloth makes it suitable for surface materials that sandpaper can't penetrate. However, emery cloth can damage natural wood. Emery cloth can be used on ferrous metals, leather, s