Blog by Al Jones
Yesterday I reluctantly escorted Mrs. Jones into our new “Hobby Lobby” store. After overcoming the fright of a giant floral area near the entrance, I have to admit there was some interesting items for sale.
I made my way to the model making section and found some products made by Alpha Abrasives that appear to be identical in design and grade sizes as Micromesh. But, these products were significantly cheaper. Later, I found their entire line on their website. Hobby Lobby carried the sheet and pad sets detailed below at the online pricing.
Micro Cloth Finishing Products
http://www.alphaabrasives.com/alpha/micro-cloth-finishing-products.php
– 2″ x 2″ pads @ $8.99/set
– 3″ x 4″ cloths @ $14.99/set (my preference)
– Foam block for holding the cloth (I bought one of these)
Sanding Files
http://www.alphaabrasives.com/alpha/sanding-files.php
Plastic Sanding Needles
http://www.alphaabrasives.com/alpha/plastic-sanding-needles.php
Sanding Pads & Sanding Foam Blocks
http://www.alphaabrasives.com/alpha/sanding-pads-foam-blocks.php
I find that I don’t use the full line of the micromesh and typically only use the last four grades. Alpha does not sell individual grades, but I will inquire about that option
rebornpipes 
I emailed Alpha Abrasives and received a very quick and positive reply from the president of the company. They do offer individual sheet grade selections and it can also be ordered in larger sheets, than cut to the desired size. I will order a supply of 6000, 8000 and 1200 grit papers to use in future restorations. The foam sanding block used with the larger sheets is exactly what I was looking for.
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What is the size of these large sheets? Are they on the website? I have the little 2×2? size pads.
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I haven’t had to order any yet, but printed the email from Alpha last night and it is laying on my car seat (in a hotel this evening) to call them tomorrow. Here’s the full response from the President of Alpha
“Hi Al, thanks for your email. We like to get responses from our customers. Yes you can get individual sheets, 3” x4”. We also have 8” wide material we can cut to any length and we just calculate the cost per square inch for pricing. Let me know what you need. We can put the sheets in the mail so that is not expensive. We accept VISA and Mastercard for payment.
If you have photos of your work, I would like to see them, we are always interested in new applications. Our product is “softer” and more flexible than our competition, any feedback you may have would be appreciated.
Best Regards,
Paul Weber, President
Alpha Precision Abrasives Inc. / Creations Unlimited Hobby Products
http://www.alphaabrasives.com / http://www.flex-i-file.com
Phone: 519-425-0911
Toll-Free: 1-800-506-9618
info@alphaabrasives.com”
I was going to order 8″ x 6″ sheets in the 8000 and 12000 grits, which is the only grades I use. I’ll report back after receiving this product. That was a pretty gracious reponse from Mr. Weber, hopefully the order goes smoothly.
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I was just at our local HL last night. They didn’t have much in stock so I’ll look at the website. I did, however, wonder about the files and sticks for getting at “that spot” where the button is: I always have trouble really getting that area good.
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