Norton Flexible abrasive sponges conform well to curved, contoured, or flat surfaces, and are intended for hand sanding a wide variety of contoured or flat surfaces, in wood, metals, ceramics, plastics, paint, and drywall.
In coated abrasives, individual abrasive grains are spaced at a predetermined distance from one another. This is a closed-coat sponge. A closed coat covers 100% of the surface with abrasive grains, while an open coat covers 50 to 70 % of the surface. An open coat allows for longer usage time because it clogs less, while a closed coat offers a finer surface finish than an equivalent open-coat abrasive. The cloth backing is stiffer, tougher, and thicker than a paper backing. Cloth resists tearing while bending and flexing during use.
Silicon carbide is a sharp, aggressive grain that offers high penetration, fast cutting, and high material removal even under light pressure. It is commonly used with softer materials like brass, plastics, and rubber, and abrasive materials like glass and enamel, but can wear out faster that aluminum oxide when used on wood.
Abrasives are used for a variety of applications from shaping a part to fine finishing, depending on the grit size. Low grit numbers like 40 are coarse and are used for removing excess material and shaping a part. High grit numbers like 400 are fine and help to create a smooth surface finish.
Norton Abrasives manufactures a wide variety of sanding, grinding, and polishing abrasives, and has been located in the United States since 1885. In 1990, Saint-Gobain purchased Norton, keeping its manufacturing facilities and offices in the same location. Norton/Saint-Gobain has been recognized as a Global 100 Sustainable Company, as well as earning ISO 9000 and 14001 certification for quality and environmental management standards.
These economical fabric backed sanding sponges are coated on one side and are designed to sand a variety of materials such as molding, millwork, ceramics, spindles and other curved and contoured surfaces