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I have been felting with a sander for over five years and found the following advantages:
1. speed up a felting process by 60%;
2.less stress on our body;
3. helps to felt most difficult parts of a layout.
How to prepare sander?
Some feltmakers block holes at the bottom pad of the sander to prevent water getting inside. I cover my sander bottom plate with an IKEA draw liner. You also can attach bubble wrap. This adds more friction and speed up felting process. It gives little bit of a protection too.
Type of sander to use for felting
Use vibrating plate sander only and never use drum or belt sander. Make sure that the sander bottom plate is around 92 x 185 mm.
Makita BO3711 - 5 speeds and Makita BO 3710 - 1 speed are popular due to their reduced level of noise and vibration. If you live in the USA, then Triton TTRDSS 2 Amp Orbital Sander 1/3" Sheet is an affordable variable-speed sander that can be purchased for $59.
When sander is your best friend?
Your layout has lots of fibre on top or in between wool layers.
Nuno felt using thick silk, non silk or synthetic fabrics.
Connecting prefelts, parts of a garment.
Having applique made of prefelt, viscose or silk paper to avoid misshaping.
The main mistakes to avoid
Layout has too much water.
Not enough soap.
Forgetting to remove net before sanding. I do this often, ups.
The following video gives an introduction to working with a sander.
For more information working with a sander and a full felting process, please check my online class Fine Felted Scarf with 3D embellishment.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best wishes
Lena