When I try to sand cocobolo, it gums up the sheets of sanding paper very quickly. Is there a way to sand this wood that will not gum up the paper?
Michael Dresdner: Change the paper. You will find that using self-lubricating paper, which is sold all the way down to 80-grit, will sand without gumming up as readily. Although the paper is more expensive, there is no harm in using it to sand raw wood, but do make sure you wipe off any sanding dust before finishing, since the stearates in these papers can create problems for some water-based finishes.
