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I'm curious what sanding block or caul you use for sanding the neck for finishing and between coats? I'm ready to sand through the grits before applying pore and wondering what works well.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

A stiff rubber block for the headstock as well as back of the headstock and my fingers for the rest.

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Yep, fingers for most of it, block for the headstock. My block that I use for pretty much all flat surface sanding is a 3x6x1" mahogany block (neck blank offcut) with cork glued on, and edges/corners rounded over.

The curved parts......the back of the neck and the heel are the areas I'm concerned with. Seems there should be something between your fingers and the neck that is fairly flexible to form the contour of the curve yet and help provide even pressure. I have one semi-flexible sanding block that might work but it seems something a little more flexible would work better.

I've made a few rigid, flat sanding blocks from 3/4" plywood. I have a layer of cork one one side of these blocks. Of course these don't seem appropriate for the back of the neck or heel.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

I glue up cork into blocks, and cut & sand them into shapes.

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Prior to finishing I cut sandpaper into about 1 1/4 x 8" strips and floss the curve and into the heel. A cloth backed paper will last longer with out ripping. I start with 80 grit. I do this with a lot of what the other guys do. After finishing I use my hand on the curves and blocks for the flats.

Drum sander sleeves work well for fairing the transitions. Without the drum inside, you can flex them to conform to your curve. For hand sanding, I use psa paper folded on itself. It's stiffer than other paper, easier to hang on to, and the stiffness helps it fair any blips in the curves.

edit: that's for bare wood.

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Found a 3M Sponge Pad at O'Reilly Auto Parts at lunch. It feels like the right amount of flex for working on the curves of the neck. I'll give it a try. Here's a pic:

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

I use those wet/dry pads they flex enough to match the radius better than a wood block. Sand paper folded double also works if you are careful. I do this when flattening the lacquer between coats.

Fred

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Fred Tellier
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I've forgotten who I stole this idea from, but I use blackboard erasers. The felt side is firm but curves, and the wood side provides a solid backing for flat surfaces. For smaller jobs, I use pink erasers.

I'm pretty much the Staples poster boy

Steve