you mean JOEST?

if so, those are drywall sanding pads and very low grit

Don't see those working at all

 

Sia Air and Abralon are the only 2 i have seen

Some use 3m pads as well.

there is a new product out there I saw at a demo days this summer, Mirlon or something like that

came in 1500 or 2500 and was for a hand sanding operation in a see-saw type bag

Ive used them...they are fine.  Abralon and SiaAir were derived from Jost...they originated from Germany. usually about $2 each....you find better than that? 

Fuuny that when I saw this post I did a google search on "Jost Sanding pads". The only internet reference was this ball reviews thread!!

They also asked if I meant "Joest Sanding pads".

 

 

Thank you!

Here's a very interesting quote in the Pro Source web site about Jost pads:

"These pads are the original German patented pad that Abralon,  SiaAir and other pads are based upon. These can be used for surface  conditioning with a sanding performance that is up to 6 times higher  compared to conventional paper abrasives in fine grades."

 

 

 

Edited by charlest on 10/17/2011 at 0:43 AM

I posted this on BowlingChat dot net earlier this year:

 

Regarding abrasive grades, there is no practical difference between Abralon and Siaair when new. Both use European FEPA grading, not U.S. ANSI/CAMI grading. Mirka, an industrial abrasives company headquartered in Finland, manufactures Abralon, Abranet, Autonet and Mirlon abrasive pads. SIA (Swiss Industrial Abrasives) manufactures Siaair Velvet Pads as well as Wurth industrial abrasive pads.

Abralon uses silicon carbide as its abrasive (very hard but brittle) while Siaair (along with Abranet) uses more conventional aluminum oxide as the abrasive. Your Pro Shop owner/operator likely uses either Abralon or Siaair, perhaps both. Some pro shops report longer life using Siaair. That is consistent with my experience. I seem to get about 50% more effective life from the aluminum oxide pads (Siaair and Abranet) as compared to the silicon carbide pads (Abralon).

Non-woven scuff pads manufactured by 3M and Mirka are also widely used. These use ANSI/CAMI grading; not FEPA grading. There are conversion tables available to compare different abrasive grading systems: ANSI/CAMI, FEPA, JIS, and micron. Industrial sandpapers, usually ANSI/CAMI graded, utilize aluminum oxide abrasives and have been widely used for decades. Use of aluminum oxide sandpapers, particilarly for coarse resurfacing, are more cost effective than the more recently available Abralon/Siaair/Wurth foam-backed pads.

You can extend the life of your Abralon pads by reducing the pressure you put on the pad against the ball. The Abralon uses sharp but brittle silicon carbide. Use it to "scratch the surface" of the ball. The aluminum oxide surface of the Siiair/Abranet pad is softer with a more ductile particle. It is not as likely to break when you "lean on it" but, like the silicon carbide pad, you can substantially increase the life of the pad by moderating the pressure. Wet sand, use the spray bottle liberally to keep the ball and pad lubricated, and "scratch" the surface. If you are leaning into the pad with the heel of your palm, you're using too much pressure. Try using even pressure with your entire hand with emphasis on the pads of your fingers instead of the heel of your hand. (This is easier on your carpal tunnels, too.) Sanding gloves/mitts also work well to equalize pressure over the entire surface of the pad/ball.

Wurth pads are generally cheaper, pricewise, than the similar Siiair pads. Both use aluminum oxide as their abrasive. Both are available as foam-backed 6" pads.

Joest Superpads (from Germany) are similar to Mirka's Abralon. Both use silicon carbide as their abrasive. Some of the Superpads are available in 6" diameters (320-grit, 600-grit, 1200-grit, 1800-grit and 2500-grit) at a cost that is ~ $0.50 less expensive than Abralon per pad. Superpads are also available in 5" diameter pads in a much wider assortment of grits (220, 320, 800, 1200, 1500, 1800, 2000, 2500 and 3000-grit by FEPA rating) and are ~ $1.25 cheaper per pad than Abralon. There are also some no-name "bargain" pads available in both aluminum oxide and silicon carbide but you get what you pay for: thinner foam backing, shorter pad life, etc.

 

Update: I've been using the Joest pads for several months now and will be sticking to Abralon, Abranet, Wurth and Siaair in the future. The Joest pads use a thinner backing material. On a spinner, I've experience separation of the backing material from the abrasive while using the coarser grits that greatly shortens the life of the pad. I haven't had this happen when hand sanding or using finer grits on the spinner. YMMV.

 

Jost or Joest? Essentially, both are correct. In German the umlaut ö is used which is an o with two dots above it. This translates to "oe" in English. Since URLs don't support special characters, their web address is joest-abrasives dot de

 

 

Edited by jbungard on 10/17/2011 at 9:26 AM

 

Edited by jbungard on 10/17/2011 at 11:20 AM

 

Edited by jbungard on 10/17/2011 at 11:21 AM