Alpha Precision Abrasives

Plastic Sanding Needles

Stock Number: 0401 (150 grit), 0402 (240 grit), 0403 (320 grit)

Reviewed By  Jack Wade, IPMS# 45604

MSRP: $5.99 (for one set of 12) Website: www.alphaabrasives.com This is a very handy product indeed. Each package contains 12 plastic 'needles' that are kind of pencil shaped with a sharp point on one end and an angled flat surface at the other end. Each one is about 4.5 inches, made of plastic and covered in grit. These are ideally suited for reaching into small tight spots for sanding and shaping. For this review, the overly thick exhausts for a 1/72 HobbyBoss Lynx HAS.3 were thinned down to a more realistic thickness. These sanding needles were ideally suited for the job. The main sanding was accomplished with the 150 grit needles and then the 240 grit and 320 grit needles were used to polish up a bit as these would eventually be painted with metalizers. The grit did have a tendency to wear off rather quickly as this was a major grinding job rather than a simple smoothing process. As the grit wore away, sprue cutters were used to cut back the point and continue sanding away. Three 150 grit needles, then one 240 grit and one 320 grit needle were used to finish the job. The tips of the three 150 grit needles were used up, but the remainder of the needle will be usable for another job. The flat end will be handy for spot sanding deep in an intake or something of that nature.

These are extremely useful tools for specialized needs and were perfectly suited for this particular task. They will surely come in handy for any number of sanding tasks in tight spots and have found a permanent spot in my tool kit. Thanks to Alpha Precision Abrasives for the review samples.