RAS vs. Bluestone - What paper?

[fifo28]

I need to smooth out some blue stone that's part of a BBQ.  Its a section thats about 3 inches high and I need to remove about 1/4".  Can I use the RAS for this and it so what paper should I use.  I know I can use a grinder but I want to make sure I have complete control and slow removal, the grinder is pretty quick.

Thanks

 

[leakyroof]

Saphir would be my guess, 36 or a tad higher grit. Do a search on the RAS115 here at FOG as I swear someone has covered this with regards to smoothing and trimming stone work with the RAS. [unsure]

 

[tbellemare]

I have shaped a lot of limestone with a Rotex 150 and Saphir. It goes pretty quickly and you can get good results without a lot of effort. The RAS would be even easier for sculpting because it rotates instead of orbits.

Tom

 

[MrToolJunkie]

I have shaped a lot of limestone with a Rotex 150 and Saphir. It goes pretty quickly and you can get good results without a lot of effort. The RAS would be even easier for sculpting because it rotates instead of orbits.

Tom

Tom -- what grits have you used to get to a honed finish on Limestone?  I assume you start with the RAS to get the initial scuplting/shaping done and then progress through the different grits, but I would be interested in hearing your thoughts.  I have Limestone floors and a few problem areas that have been etched by chemicals or light surface scratches in some areas and I have been toying with the idea of trying to touch up these areas.

Thanks -- and I do not want to hijak the thread.

Scot

 

[tbellemare]

For shaping, I used Saphir 36 and then, starting at Rubin 50, went through the grits to 120. I only used Rubin because I had a lot of it. If I were to pick the perfect abrasive for the task, I'd use Saphir through 80 and then switch to Rubin to get a nice finish.

The first time I tried this, I made a coffee table with mahogany legs and skirt and a limestone top. I started with a big slab of landscaping limestone, rough shaped it with a 4" angle grinder, and finished with the Rotex 150. When I got to Rubin 120, the fossils became evident and it felt quite nice so I stopped. After that, I sealed it with several applications of some Teflon enhanced marble/stone sealer I had left over from a bathroom remodel and I like it. If I wanted a shinier appearance, I'd probably have kept going but it came out like I wanted. We had a couple of tables already from a local craftsman who works in iron and limestone so I wanted it to approximate their look and it does pretty well.

The whole sanding process goes pretty quickly.

Tom

 

[MrToolJunkie]

Thanks...do you think Granat would work?

Scot

 

[tbellemare]

It should but with Granat, the backing wears out before the grits typically. I used Saphire for the overall toughness and Rubin because it has a tough backing plus I had lots of it and in a full range of grits for the task. I didn't want to skip grits because I think it's inefficient when using hook and loop pads. In all cases, one sheet of each type did the trick. I even used the same sheet of Saphir on another project, cleaning up a cedar 2x12 that spans above my two-stall garage door for aesthetics. It was looking gray and dirty. Saphir is really tough stuff.

Tom