Sanding Sticks

Model Airplane News, Nov 2003 by Bell, Rick

FOURMOST PRODUCTS

Low-cost, versatile sanding tool

Every once in a while you come across a new tool that is handy, versatile and easy to use, and you ask yourself, "Why didn't I think of that?" Well the new Fourmost Products Sanding Stick is all that and more. It measures 8 1/2 inches long and is molded of a lightweight, durable plastic. Its tapered sanding surface is flat on one side and rounded on the other, so it can access those narrow, difficult-to-reach areas that every model seems to have. The Sanding Stick comes ready for use with a piece of 120-grit sandpaper attached. The package also contains a page of six patterns so that you can cut various grits of sandpaper to fit the tool to replace the sandpaper when it's worn out. For greater convenience, Fourmost sells a package of precut sandpaper with two pieces each of 120-, 180- and 220-grit.

The Sanding Stick's unique, tapered slotted design doesn't require the use of adhesive-backed sandpaper. Instead, the sandpaper is wrapped around the taper and the edges are then folded into a slot to secure it. Depending on how you wrap the sandpaper around the tool, you can have an uninterrupted sanding surface; it's easy to position the seam on either the rounded sanding surface or on the flat portion.

I put the Sanding Stick to the test on the latest kit I'm building: a Dynaflite S.E.Sa. As you know, after you punch out die-cut parts, the edges must be smoothed of any irregularities. I'd normally use a sanding bar for that job, but it is difficult to sand slots and cutouts with a bulky sanding bar. The Sanding Stick makes it easy to sand slots, cutouts and the inside diameters of holes of various sizes, so a tiresome task is handled quickly. At a cost of only $3.95 per Sanding Stick and $2.95 for a package of precut sandpaper, you could have several handy and preloaded with different grits of sandpaper for various sanding jobs. A paltry sum for a tool that will do so much. -Rick Bell

Fourmost Products (888) 857-9049; fourmost.com.