There will no more be rough wood surface for furniture pieces—thanks to sanding. Before, people need to smooth out woods by using a special sharp tool that can take as thin layer of wood as possible. But with sanding, smooth finish is achieved without using sharp objects and without taking too much from the precious wood. No wonder why sanding developed throughout the centuries. From the hand sanding, there came the belt sander. But the superior today is the random orbit sander.
Unlike the belt sander, the random orbit sander smoothens out the wood without removing too much on the surface. That is why many carpentry professionals prefer this than any other kinds of sander. Besides its usefulness, random orbit sander is also very easy to clean.
Cleaning the device should be done every time after using it. Doing this will never be a trouble because it only takes the following steps:
- Protect yourself. Wear a mask for your nose and mouth. This should be able to keep off small dust particles. Wear rubber gloves, too. Random orbit sanders are sometimes used to remove paint and other toxic surfaces. Better protect yourself than take your chances.
- Remove the bag. See the bag attached to the random orbit sander? That collects the dusts produced whenever you use the device. This is one of the advantages of random orbit sander because unlike other sanding, it does not let the potentially toxic particles to contaminate the air. Empty the bag in another plastic bag and throw that in a garbage can for toxic items.
- Wipe the sander. A rag is already fine for removing the dusts from the random orbit sander. Wipe off as much dusts as possible. Wipe the cord also and other parts connected to the sander.
- Blow off more dusts from the sander. Wiping does not completely remove dust particles from the random orbit sander. Small areas on the sander can never be wiped off. So, blow them off. Using a compressed air to blow off all the dust should be done. If not, you can never be sure if your sander is already dust-free.
- Wipe the sander again. This time, get a clean used cloth and wipe the random orbit sander. If you have a microfiber cloth that will work much better.
- Attach the bag to the random orbit sander. Make sure it is completely clean. Well, it doesn’t matter anyway because that won’t affect the sander’s performance that much. Just make sure you have emptied it before attaching it. Wipe the bag’s exterior, too, using that clean cloth or microfiber cloth.
- Check the cord. Do not plug the cord unless you are sure it is free of dust particles. Check it also for any wiring damages.
The random orbit sander is now ready for a new sanding job. Isn’t it better to be working with something clean? Do this cleaning regularly to prevent toxic dust particles from damaging the device. You surely don’t want to spend another $50 to $200 to replace that random orbit sander.
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