Sanding Sponge #400 (6 pcs)

Mirage Hobby sanding sponges, 400 grit (6 pcs)

A set of six flexible foam sanding sponges from the Polish maker Mirage Hobby with a grit of 400. It is not a kit and not consumable chemistry but a modeling tool: the abrasive grit is carried on a yielding foam backing, so the sponge follows rounded shapes, the fuselage of an aircraft, the hull of a vehicle, the helmet of a figure, instead of sanding flat facets into them the way hard sandpaper on a block does. The sponge can be used dry as well as wet, and after work it is rinsed with water and ready for the next use.

400 grit, the coarser work

Four hundred is the coarsest grit in this range and serves for removing material, not for polishing. With abrasives the rule is that the lower the number, the coarser the grit: four hundred removes material fast, while fifteen hundred only smooths. Always work from a coarser grit to a finer one and do not skip steps, as a fine sponge will never smooth out the scratches left by a coarse one, it will only polish them. Bring the 400 grit sponges in as the first step wherever there is something to remove.

Use

• Knocking down flash and burrs on parts left by the injection mold, especially along the mold seam.
• Sanding away the remnants of casting blocks and sprue gates after a part has been cut from the sprue or a lug removed.
• Rough cleaning up of joints, sanding glued seams on a fuselage, wings or hull level.
• The first, shaping sanding of dried filler, where excess material has to be removed quickly.
• Wet: dampen the sponge and the part, as the dust binds into the water, the grit clogs less and the surface is easier to read.
• Once the rough work is done, continue with finer grits (1000, 1200, 1500), as the scratches from four hundred would otherwise show under the finish.

Who the sponges are for

For plastic modelers who build aircraft, vehicles, ships and figures and need to sand shapes that flat sandpaper cannot handle. The flexible foam backing adapts to the curve of a fuselage, a wing, a turret or a helmet and leaves neither flat facets nor sanded-off edges. A sponge can be cut up to reach tight places too. A grit of 400 will be appreciated above all by anyone who builds older molds and kits with more pronounced flash or who uses a lot of filler.

The package contains 6 pieces. After work rinse the sponge with clean water, squeeze it out and let it dry in the open air; it will regain its springiness and can be used again.