• Hi, if you have stumbled across here, welcome to our test site. This site is a working replica of the main aawforum.org website where we test and evalute new features and software updates. While you can login and post here, push notifications and email notifications have been disabled and any and all content on this site will be delelted with no notice. So please feel free to look around at our pile of shavings while we continue to refine the AAW Forums but please do not post any real messages here as no one will see them. Thanks!
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Sanding Interior of vase

Joined
Sep 1, 2015
Messages
1
Likes
0
Location
Vancouver BC
I usually turn bowls but had a request for a medium sized vase, only to realize I don’t know the best way to sand the inside. Checked on Utube but didn’t find much. Vase is about 8” deep and the mouth is maybe 5” wide. Any suggestions?
 

Dave Landers

Beta Tester
Joined
Dec 1, 2014
Messages
202
Likes
312
Location
Estes Park, CO
Website
dlwoodturning.com
Well first, you only need to sand as deep as your clients fingers are long. For anything deeper you just want a reasonably good looking surface.

You can grip sandpaper (maybe with a bit of foam backing) with long forceps or something. Or wrap/glue Velcro to a padded rod
 
Joined
May 4, 2010
Messages
1,196
Likes
496
Location
Bozeman, MT
I use an 8-10" long alligator forcep on deep boxes. To grab the sandpaper, I take a piece of the foam pad I stand on, place a piece of sandpaper over it and grab it with the end of the clamp. Old used medical clamps work fine if you know an old, used doctor who is going out of business, but you can find brand new, non-medical quality ones, used for fishing and ?else, for $5-10 bucks online.
 

john lucas

AAW Forum Expert
Joined
Apr 26, 2004
Messages
7,580
Likes
2,187
Location
Cookeville TN USA
I lost it in the move but had a rubber ball glued on a stick with velcro attached. Guess I will.have to make a other one. I looked for it just a month ago a d ended up just taking a broomstick handle a d wrapping velcro around it. That project was kind of small and didnt really need the ball although it would have fit.
 
Joined
Apr 11, 2014
Messages
264
Likes
200
Location
Dallas, TX
Don't want to be guilty of suggesting overkill, but finishing the inside is important. A low-viscosity epoxy works well - I've used Aero Marine 300/21 for years. You can pour a bit in, swirl and wipe. Epoxy is a much better barrier to water-vapor than the oils and other wipe-on products.
A good tool for working deep into small openings is an arrow. At a local archery shop or range, you should have no problem picking up an arrow or two - they are super stiff and strong plus they all come with a threaded insert that accommodates the target tips, broad-heads, etc. and also a standard thread bolt. Great for swabbing, filling and all the last minute corrections we need to make. You can get either carbon or aluminum - both work great for swabbing - with the aluminum you can insert a flux-brush, tape if needed, and have a super-stiff 24" brush.
 
Joined
Oct 3, 2013
Messages
96
Likes
85
Location
Ambridge, PA
Trevor,
Here's a small oak vase finished with black Kiwi shoe polish that I believe would be close to the description you gave (8"H x 5"D). I use 1 of 2 methods. For the inertia sander I slice cuts a 3" sanding disk to conform to the ball shape. The "Extend A Sand" takes your regular soft pad and disks (I prefer using Abranet for this because it conforms to the shape at the bottom of the vase) connected to your angle drill. Makes for quick clean up on hollowing tool marks.
vase2.jpg sanding1.jpg
 
Joined
Jul 17, 2010
Messages
88
Likes
24
Location
Waco, TX
Rubber ball on a stick with Velcro. You know the ball we used to get out of the coin machines. Are those things still around?
 
Joined
Feb 26, 2019
Messages
467
Likes
236
Location
Lebanon, Missouri
Probably considered a no-no based on some other threads but I can get my hand into 5”, and will hand sand, 100 rpm lathe speed. Depending on the bottom shape I’ll use the drill with foam pads and an extension for the bottom, but steep inner walls will require something else - I use hands.

I usually put finish on the ID of HF’s/vases, not to hold water but to slow water vapor moving in/out of the wood. Oil, poly, shellac are used - usually the same finish used on the OD, usually swashed around, concerned only with sealing the wood and not a nice surface finish. An open, funnel shape like the pic needs a nice ID finish.
 
Joined
Jun 13, 2020
Messages
75
Likes
98
Location
Jackson, NJ
Website
www.blacklabelwoodworks.com
I made an inertia sander that i use to sand any HF or vase that i can get the 2 inch mandrel into. For around $20 you can get enough magnets from ebay and bronze bushings from lowes to make a bunch at different angles. I made a handle with 3 positions. One straight off the end for the bottom. One at a angle to get the side walls. One at an angle pointing back to get under the lip of the opening. I spray most of my large turnings nowadays so i just spray the inside to give it a coating. Just enough so if someone looks inside it looks finished and not raw wood.
 
Joined
Sep 3, 2012
Messages
84
Likes
59
Location
Edmonton,AB,Canada
Another vote for a rubber ball on a stick covered in Velcro. This is what I have found to work the best and it keeps the temptation of me putting my fingers in opening out of my head.:rolleyes:
 

Randy Anderson

Beta Tester
Beta Tester
Joined
May 25, 2019
Messages
297
Likes
191
Location
Eads, TN
Website
candrwoodworks.com
I'm with Dave, I sand up to about 120 as deep as I can reach my fingers and then try for a decent surface for the rest with my cutter - no big ridges or gouges and done. Never known anyone to inspect and criticize the texture deep inside of a vase with a 1 1/2" opening.
 
Top