240 Grit Sanding Belts (5 pieces)

Excel abrasive belts, 240 grit

Replaceable abrasive belts in 240 grit; there are five pieces in the package. They are consumable parts: as soon as a belt clogs with plastic dust or goes blunt, you take it off and fit a new one while the holder goes on sanding. It pays to keep a supply before you run out, because a clogged belt gives itself away only by stopping cutting and starting to polish.

Where 240 grit is most useful

It is the typical grit for a parting line. The mark of the mold runs along the whole length of a fuselage, a wing and the wheels and it shows the moment a gloss finish falls on the model. The same goes for a glued seam: once the glue has dried, the squeezed-out material has to be leveled flush with the surrounding surface, but not so aggressively that the engraved lines right beside it are lost.

Why a belt and not paper in your hand

Abrasive paper held in the fingers follows the pressure of the fingers and bends into every irregularity, so the seam stays and its surroundings get deeper. A belt tensioned in a holder keeps a plane, so it removes material only from the raised places. That is exactly what you want on a parting line.

Use

• Sand along the line of the seam, not across it, and the scratches will then not show through the finish.
• Work from a coarser grit to a finer one, as a fine belt will never catch up with a coarse mark.
• Run a finger over the spot as you go or light it from behind, as touch finds an irregularity sooner than the eye.
• Tape the engraved lines nearby over in advance so that you do not erase them.
• Clean the surface after sanding, as dust left in a seam shows as a gray shadow under the paint.

Who they are for

For anyone who builds plastic kits and uses a sanding stick with replaceable belts. 240 grit belongs to the basic outfit alongside one coarser and one finer step.

Do not inhale the plastic sanding dust and work in a ventilated room. Wash the remaining dust off the model rather than blowing it toward yourself.