What Are Cross Pads?
Cross pads are specialty abrasives comprising abrasive flaps folded into the shape of an X. These products attach to high-speed pneumatic tools like rotary drills and die grinders to perform grinding, polishing and deburring applications on the inside of pipes, cylinders, tubes and other channels with small radiuses. When inserted into these tight spaces, the pad’s flaps conform to the area’s shape and diameter.
Aluminum oxide abrasives are among the most common, as these materials are tough, economical and resistant to fracturing. They are suitable for wood, ferrous alloys and high-tensile materials.
Why Buy Aluminum Oxide Cross Pads?
When you come to National Abrasives, Inc. to buy cross pads online, you can expect to reap the many benefits of these innovative abrasive solutions. Aluminum oxide cross pads provide users with all the following advantages for their sanding projects.
Reaching Capabilities
Perhaps the most significant benefit of cross pads is their ability to access hard-to-reach spaces not easily accessed by other types of abrasives like grinding wheels and flap discs. That’s because their unique shape and flexible materials allow them to squeeze into tight areas and conform to the containers around them.
When you secure aluminum cross pads, you can perform close-tolerance applications with ease. Some of the many narrow spaces these abrasives can reach include:
- Fillets.
- Corners.
- Inside contours.
- Irregular channels.
- Bell-mouth configurations.
- Radii channels.
- Tubing.
- Cylinders.
- Blind holes.
- Holes.
Application Versatility
Cross pads are highly versatile abrasives capable of handling many wood and metal materials. Because they can work with so many kinds of mediums and fit into tight spaces, these solutions are suitable for an expansive range of applications.
Some of the many actions you can perform using aluminum oxide cross pads include:
- Polishing.
- Grinding.
- Cleaning.
- Blending.
- Deburring.
- Sanding.
- Spotting.
- Weld removal.
Flexibility
Cross pads are highly flexible due to their distinctive X-shaped construction. Because of their flexibility, cross pads minimize sanding aggressiveness. They deliver less aggressive performance than other types of abrasive pads.
Performance
Cross pads exhibit excellent durability and long-lasting performance thanks to their aluminum oxide grain. Aluminum oxide abrasives are known for their robust composition, fast cut rate and hardness.
Cross pads have a cloth backing on the other side of the abrasive that adheres to the particles with a strong, stiff resin. As the cross pads are used, new abrasive layers are revealed beneath the old ones. That’s because the aluminum oxide grains self-fracture during use, continuously exposing newer, sharper cutting edges instead of growing dull over time like other abrasives. This ability also gives the cross pads a longer life span.
Tips to Optimize Cross Pad Usage
After you buy your aluminum oxide cross pads, it’s important to know how to use them. You can follow various tips and tricks to achieve the best results.
Before you can begin sanding, you’ll need to choose a power tool. Whatever you choose, note that though instruments with a 20,000-revolutions-per-minute (RPM) maximum will deliver the best performance, they will also wear the pads more quickly.
You’ll also need to use a threaded mandrel to mount the cross pad to your rotary tool. This component allows you to reach the inner contours of various channel sizes. Before putting the cross pads under power, obtain a heavy-duty power cord to minimize the risk of bottlenecks.
To produce a flat, smooth area using your aluminum oxide cross pads, choose the largest cross pad size for the area you’re working on. Then, apply pressure to flatten the cross pad against the surface at a 45-degree angle, slowing the speed of the die grinder until the pad becomes more flexible. It’s crucial to rotate the cross pad as you work to maintain a sharp edge.
If you need to reach a low-lying area, you can trim the edge of the cross pad with sheet metal cutters to allow for greater flexibility and reach more detailed spots.
How to Choose the Right Grit for Your Cross Pads
The number, coarseness and size of the cutting particles on the surface of an abrasive are called grits. Higher-numbered grits contain more grains, which produce a smoother surface finish, while lower-numbered gits produce a coarser texture. The grit that’s best suited for you depends on your application and desired finish.
While all abrasives can come in practically any grit, abrasive cross pads are most often used with 60-, 80- and 120-grit variations. These grits are designed to produce the following outcomes:
- 60 to 80 grits: Grits in this range have a coarse to medium composition and are useful for rounding rough edges and removing paint and wood from surfaces.
- 100 to 120 grits: Grits between 100 and 120 are considered fine grades. They cannot remove paint or varnish on wood but are suitable for general-purpose sanding applications like removing water stains, cleaning plaster and preparing wood for finishing.
Buy Cross Pads Online at National Abrasives, Inc. Today
If you’re looking to purchase aluminum oxide cross pads from a reliable supplier, National Abrasives, Inc. is your solution. For over two decades, we’ve made our customers our priority by delivering products from top brands, shipping orders with quick turnarounds and providing discounted prices for bulk purchases. When you purchase products from us, you can also expect to get the most value from your tools with our competitive prices.
Contact us to inquire about our abrasive products today!
