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PRODUCTWATCH<br />
SANDMAN ABRASIVE PRODUCTS<br />
Foam-backed sanding pads<br />
Flexible finishing tools<br />
Whether you are applying an iron-on film or a painted finish, to<br />
achieve a great-looking model, you need to have a smooth surface<br />
under it. To get that perfect surface, you have to do a lot of<br />
sanding, and Sandman Abrasive Products' foam-backed sanding<br />
pads are the right tools for the job. These abrasive-coated<br />
pads come in various shapes, can be<br />
used wet or dry and come in<br />
grits from 80 to 600.<br />
GREAT PLANES<br />
Power Plane<br />
Save time and elbow grease<br />
Removing material from leading edges, nose blocks and wingtips can<br />
be a time-consuming job. First, you have to carefully cut away chunks<br />
of material and then use a razor plane to smooth the part so you<br />
can sand it to its final shape. Don't get me wrong; I love my building<br />
time in the shop, but like anyone else, I like to save time,<br />
They can be used to sand balsa, fiberglass and plastic surfaces, and finer grits can be special<br />
ordered. The pads fit comfortably in your hand, and they conform easily to contours such as<br />
wing leading edges, fuselage turtle decks and wing fillets. They are also great for sanding fiberglassed<br />
wing surfaces and for smoothing primer to obtain a very smooth paint surface.<br />
The differently shaped pads, such as the radius block or the slanted block, are ideal for<br />
sanding hard-to-reach edges and surfaces. I like the fact that the pads are washable and<br />
can be used for many years. I found the finer 2,000 and 4,000 grits ideal for removing<br />
scratches from clear plastic canopies. The Sandman foam pads are great companions to the<br />
traditional hardwood-sanding block on your workbench. —Rick Bell<br />
' Sandman Abrasive Products, 12676 Pierce St., Unit 6, Pacoima, CA<br />
91331; (818) 834-8851; (888) 954-1800; fax (818) 834-8850;<br />
www.sandmanabrasives.com.<br />
too. The new Great Planes' Power Plane is a handy workbench<br />
tool and a great timesaver.<br />
The Power Plane removes material from flat surfaces as easily<br />
as an electric-powered rotary cutter, but you can also set the depth<br />
of the cut accurately (as finely as 0.030 inch at a time). It has a spiral<br />
rotary-cutting blade.<br />
126 MODEL AIRPLANE NEWs<br />
I had excellent results the very first time I used it. The tool is plugged into any<br />
110V AC outlet for power, and it is light and easy to hold. It feels a lot like holding a<br />
curved sanding block, but it removes a considerable amount of material with each<br />
pass. Its two power buttons allow you to operate it with either hand. Since you have to<br />
depress both buttons, the unit can't be turned on accidentally by tipping it over on its<br />
side, nor can it be left on by mistake.<br />
The cutting blade is easy to remove and can be replaced when it gets dull. I have<br />
used the Power Plane on balsa and lite-ply sheeting, and it works very well. The<br />
instructions recommend that you not use the tool on hardwoods such as oak, maple<br />
and birch.<br />
If you're looking to save a little time and want the newest gadget for the workshop,<br />
the $29.99 Great Planes Power Plane is just the ticket. —Gerry Yarrish<br />
Great Planes Model Mfg. Co., PO. Box 9021, Champaign, IL 61826-9021; (800) 637-<br />
7660; www.greatplanes.com.
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