Mirka Abralon

For polishing everything from urethane to gelcoat to solid surface and even glass! Also ideal for de-glossing.

Mirka Abralon is a Silicone Carbide abrasive bonded to a porous and flexible knitted fabric backing, and then bonded to a soft foam backed Hook n Loop Pad.

This unique process makes this a very useful special purpose abrasive for an array of applications.

The soft and flexible knitted fabric backing allows the abrasive to conform to contours, from gentle curves down to preserving an orange peel texture. Abralon’s unique construction also lets water and air to pass through freely while sanding or polishing. Abralon can be used dry, but is primarily designed to be used wet, and is the perfect solution for wet sanding and polishing.

Loved by those who work on finished wood; both raw and finished metals; fiberglass and gelcoats; glass; plastics solid surface; and a wide array of composites. Abralon is effective on flat surfaces and on gently profiled surfaces, such as orange-peel, and decorative edges.

The 6.5mm foam thickness holds the perfect amount of water or lubricant for wet sanding and it slowly and evenly dispenses the water or lubricant through the porous abrasive face rendering just the right combination of cutting and lubricating. Abralon gives you superior wet sanding without the usual slinging of water or lubricant all around you and your work.  Abralon allows you to find the perfect ratio of lubricant for cool, smooth, and yet still time-efficient polishing.

Abralon will not flatten the work surface, it is a very slow-cutting, surface polishing abrasive. Abralon is a consistently even-cutting abrasive designed for those who need perfection in a polished finish.

Because Abralon is not made for fast cutting, and is not intended to flatten textured surfaces, it is perfect for repair of light scratches in surfaces with orange peel as it will conform to the surrounding orange peel and not flatten it out. This prevents creating an unsightly, overly shiny patch that is inconsistent with the rest of the finish. If texture matching is important to the outcome of your project, then Abralon should be your abrasive of choice for that task.

The secret is the unique pressure distribution qualities is the unique combination of the flexible knitted backing and the light foam backing. When you apply only light pressure, it allows the foam to evenly distributes the applied pressure and the result is that you don’t remove more material in one area than in another. Regular abrasives, even with an interface pad, won’t achieve this perfect of a result. This perfection is a slow process, so be patient. It is worth the wait. Use a light touch and a minimal amount of lubricant.

If on the other hand, you want the orange-peel gone, gently flatten first with a film abrasive such as Microstar . Once the desired texture or flatness is achieved, wipe down with a micro-fiber cloth and switch to Abralon. Abralon’s slow cutting/polishing characteristics make it the perfect next step. Abralon can perfectly polish the underlying surface without the risk of cutting right through the thin finish below. (when removing orange-peel, always check the total finish thickness first with a mil-gauge to be sure that you have enough paint or clear coat to start with).

For polishing glass you won’t do better than Abralon. For very deep scratches, first remove the scratches and flatten the glass. The best abrasive for this is a Non-Stearate, Silicone Carbide abrasive, such as Abralon SIC NS. (Be careful not to let the friction temperature of the glass exceed 160 degrees F or 70 degrees C – monitor temperature repeatedly while working) After flattening the glass and removing deep scratches, polish with Abralon. Use only a minimal amount of water or lubricant, as too much lubrication will stop the Abralon from cutting at all. The glass also has to reach a minimum ideal temperature to start cutting, work in small areas to retain the heat from the friction of the abrasive. When the temperature and lubrication reach their ideal state, you will feel the Abralon start to grab. That is your signal that you are cutting and polishing. Polish with a consistant pattern, overlapping your work areas by 50% as not to lose the flatness of the work area, blending into areas outside of your work area as you go. Polish with Abralon until you reach a perfect crystal clear finish. Finish off with Polarshine E3, on a felt-polishing pad. Polarshine E3 is made specifically for glass, it will make you and your work will really shine! It will be clear perfection!

For Polishing Gelcoat, first we use a more aggressive abrasive, such as 1000 grit Abranet on a foam interface pad, to remove heavy oxidation, and then let Abralon’s slow cutting polishing characteristics take you to the perfect like-new finish. If you are starting with only light oxidation, then starting with 500 grit Abralon and using it dry is usually sufficient. Next work you way up through the rest of the grits working wet. When working with the 500 grit Abralon using it dry, we typically only make one pass. It is easy at that point to see where you have sanded, so to avoid burning through, our procedure is that once the surface clearly shows that it has been sanded we never go back over it with the 500.

Then it is time to switch to wet sanding with the higher grits of Abralon. Patience is the important ingredient here. Once you are working wet, it is hard to see where you have been and where you have not. We always try to work in small areas at a time, perhaps 3 to 4 square feet. We overlap each pass by 50 percent as you would do when spraying paint. After each complete pattern, we switch directions, up and down to side to side and back. We make at least 3 or 4 passes in each direction before moving on to the next section. Then we move to the next higher grit of Abralon and start all over again.

Silicone buffing compounds fill the fine scratches with silicone. It looks great right when you are finished, but it will not last. A little water and sun and the scratches are back and your shine is gone.   Wet sanding with Mirka Abralon is different, the shine you see is really in the finish. The patience always pays off. Even before moving to buffing, you have a superior finish that will last much longer than machine buffing ever will. When wet sanding by this procedure with Mirka Abralon you have almost reached perfection, so don’t be too aggressive with the compound. We usually go right to Polarshine 10 water-based compound applied with an orbital buffer or even your RO Sander. Its just the icing on the cake.

So stop making a mess and wasting time with inefficient wet abrasives!

Take your work to the next level!

Let Mirka Abralon take you there.

Abralon is not intended for leveling or denibbing. Your surface should be leveled and flat before you break out the Abralon.  De-nib first with a film backed product such as Microstar, Polarstar, or Polarstar SR. Wipe down with a micro-fiber cloth, switch to the Abralon and prepare to be impressed.

Because Abralon is a slow cutting product, it is best to drop down a grit or two after flattening or denibbing before transitioning to Abralon. This practice will better deal with any sanding marks or tails left by the prior abrasives. For instance, if you finished your rough work in 1000 Abranet, drop back to a 500 Abralon, and then work your way back to 1000 and then beyond to 3000 or 4000 as desired.

If you used a 1000 or 1200 grit film abrasive such as Microstar to denib or level (for instance leveling of orange peel) then wipe it all down with a micro-fiber cloth, drop back down to a 1000 Abralon, then 2000, 3000, and then work your way back up to the desired polished finish.

For spot repairs on non-textured surfaces, such as dust nibs, prep area first with a spot repair sander and Polarstar SR, wipe clean with a microfiber cloth, and then wetsand with 1000 Abralon, then 2000, 3000 and 4000 up to your desired gloss.

If complete removal of orange peel is desired, denib first, including wiping afterwords with a microfiber cloth, then flatten with a film abrasive such as Mircrostar 1000 or 1200 grit, wipe again with a microfiber cloth and then proceed with wetsanding with Abralon as above, working your way up to 4000 grit Abralon.

To set the refraction (control the gloss) of solid surface such as Corion or LG Hi-macs, level and shape first with Abranet.   Work your way up to 1000 Abranet, and then a final leveling with a film backed abrasive, such as 1200 microstar. Next, go all the way back to a 500 Abralon (slightly wet of course) and work your way grit by grit all the way up to. Best not to skip any grits. Once you have an even consistent shine, work your way back down one grit at a time, until you achieve the desired refraction of satin or mat finish that you or your customer desires. This seemingly longer process will guarantee a perfectly consistent refraction and reflection throughout your entire work-piece. It’s so perfect its worth the effort. We have found this trend with Solid Surface. Customers who don’t want the countertop surface to significantly outshine stainless appliances, often request so a satin or even mat finish on their solid surface countertops. Mirka Abralon is the perfect solution.

A similar process also works well on urethane and clear-coat, and many varnishes and poly finishes, where a mat or satin finish is desired. Using this method to control refraction will not muddy up or compromise the “Pop” of your finish like spraying or finishing with a pre-made satin or mat, or adding flattening-agents to your finish when spraying will. This process is also certainly more exact and more controllable than frustrating chemical flattening agents. Spray or brush only with gloss clear (not mat or satin), and then use Abralon to lower and control the finish refraction. Its an amazingly better way to achieve the satin, mat or dulled refraction you are craving. Try this technique and it will put your work in a whole league above your competition. It is that much better! I promise!

On sharp inside corners of finished woodwork or casework, and for sharp inside corners on solid surface, we will often put a 6 inch Abralon disk on a sander with a 5 inch backing pad, with the extra ½ inch of pad hanging free. Set your sander to a lower speed. (5000-7000). Let the extra half inch of pad flop around in the corner for a consistent luster and finish. The result is a nicely polished corner without much risk of damage. A flexible-edge backing-pad is another method, or alternatively, use an interface pad to really conform nicely with the flexibility of Abralon.

Abralon can be lubricated with your lubricant of choice. We usually just use water, and we prefer to spray it right onto the pad instead of onto the workpiece. In some circumstances, we use Windex and sometimes we even lubricate with Polorshine polishing compound (which is a water based polishing compounds). When using Polarshine as a lubricant, still spray the Abralon with a small mist of water for the perfect lubricating/cutting ratio. It’s a new world of time-efficient polishing.

When polishing out a mirror shine on raw steel or cast iron, for instance the top of your table saw or shaper, we use Windex as a lubricant instead of water because of its quicker and more even drying process. That process helps prevent against rust in the crevices or small rust spots before you get the surface waxed. Windex is naturally slicker than water, so you don’t need to use much to achieve the perfect mix.

Only add enough water to dampen your abrasive. Too much lubricant and the Abralon will cut way to slow, or may even stop cutting altogether. You will be there all day, and make a big mess while you are at it. So spray or spritz on just enough that it doesn’t sling out of the pad is a good rule of thumb. A little practice and you will find the ideal amount of water or lubricant for an effortless perfect finish on a time efficient schedule.

You’re gonna Love this stuff!

Your customers will love you too!

I guarantee it!!

Order some today at Get-Mirka.com

 

 

Please note: Our shop has used Abralon and Abranet for over two decades and has developed these methods over time and they work well for us. You should experiment with them and try them out before using them on your cherished work to be sure you agree that they are also best for you. Some changes or modifications may be needed to make them the perfect method for your shop and your work.