King Arthur’s Tools is proud to bring you the Kirjes pneumatic miniature sanding and finishing system from Sweden. Invented by a Swedish fine furniture maker – this complete miniature sanding and polishing system that will change the way you think about sanding and polishing forever! Guinevere® is exclusively distributed by King Arthur’s Tools.
Introduction
It is a well-known fact within woodworking circles that pneumatic or inflatable sanders achieve fast, gentle and smooth sanding. Building on this knowledge Kirjes developed not only the inflatable sanders under a new patented design but also a complete well balanced sanding and polishing system suitable for wood, metal, plastic, bone and horn.
It is, with out doubt, the most revolutionary sanding system to come out in years. Guinevere uses inflatable rubber sanders, each with four sanding sleeves, from coarse to extra fine, fitted either to a flexible shaft or the quiet 1⁄2 HP (300 watt) motor. The inflatable sanders are ruggedly built from Swedish steel and heavy rubber. From the quiet yet powerful motor to the complete range of long life sanding cloth sleeves, Guinevere ensures complete control over the sanding process. This system easily eliminates your laborious hand sanding process, saving you countless hours of sanding while puffing a beautiful, silky smooth finish on your masterpieces. You will actually enjoy this sanding experience.
A Treasure Of Natural Beauty Within The Wood
Underneath all that wood, often deep in the grain, waiting for you to reveal its natural beauty- lies the treasure within! And in every creation made from wood it really is there, that beautiful silky smooth surface, even though it might still be concealed from the human eye. What can bring this feeling and beauty to the world? Guinevere! Only with Guinevere can you touch wood and experience a smooth, velvet touch that is truly unique, revealing its natural beauty, structure and colors. It’s a “Wow” feeling. Using Guinevere isn’t just about sanding – It’s a rewarding journey every time. The velvet wooden surface also protects the wood from dirt and moisture, minimizing application of finishing substances such as fillers, oils, stains and waxes.
Guinevere is a complete sanding system- without equal! Simply defined, it conforms to the shape of your work, whether concave, convex or flat. This patented system is ideal for difficult profiles, finishing small to medium carvings, boxes, bowls, musical instruments, duck decoys, walking sticks, fine furniture, toys, spoons, 3D-intarsia, taxidermy and a myriad of other DIY applications. The dome shaped round sander is also particularly well suited for round, curved, bulging or cup-formed shapes where the drum sander is great for puffing the finishing touches on small to medium flat surfaces. Both are real humdinger, first class accessories.
Inflatable Sanders
The Guinevere Inflatable Sanders are pumped up through an air inlet in the drive shaft located in the bottom of each sander. The air valve design leaves the bottom flat without a clumsy protruding valve on the sanders. This patented solution made it possible to make superior cylindrical drum sanders as well as a unique rounded sander with a dome shape at the business end. This molded rubber bulb constantly flexes and changes shape, making the sanders soft all the way to the edge. With the choice of four (4) grits from course to extra fine, Guinevere eliminates scratches and allows you to apply the sander’s total width against the work piece or to use only the edge in all kinds of complex sanding. The sander actually becomes flat when pressed against a flat surface and round when pressed against a round surface i.e. the sanders conform to the underlying surface. Consequently the sanders should be filled with very little air (the round sander, part number 11341, needs to be pumped slightly harder than the drum sander).
Sanding Sleeves
Every sanding sleeve is made to specifically fit each inflatable sander. The sanding cloth material is highly flexible and made of the very best quality, sanding not only wood but also metals, plastic, bone and horn. To ensure maximum performance, it is therefore essential that only original Guinevere long-life sanding sleeves are used. On the round sander, the improved and original overlapping design of the sanding sleeves is to ensure longevity and optimum effectiveness in awkward places. As the sanders are both round and soft the tendency for them to be clogged by dust and resin is very small compared, for example, with rotating paper discs. The sharpness of the abrasive lasts a long time, however, we highly recommend using a cleaning stick to considerably extend the working life of each sleeve. Cleaning sticks are included in each sanding set and are also available separately.
Flexible Shaft
We strongly recommend sanding with our flexible shaft since you can clearly see your progress whilst the sander smoothly follows the contours of your work piece. The flex shaft’s high quality, vibration free design is optimally matched to the mandrels on each sander which makes them the ideal combination. With a maximum reach of 5 1″ (1300mm) the flexible shaft, connected to the easily movable Sanding and Polishing Motor will allow you tremendous flexibility and maneuverability in most work positions. The shaft is intended for low-speed use, around 3000rpm, mainly for sanding and polishing. This quality Swedish Flex shaft has 2 encapsulated ball bearings in the hand piece and one in the drive end for continuous work and is extremely flexible due greatly to the double spiral steel cord in the protective tube. The shaft is rated between 3,000 – 10,000 rpm with a key chuck from 1/16″ – 3/8″ (1.5mm -10 mm).
Sanding and Polishing Motor
This small and portable, extremely quiet but powerful sanding and polishing motor is optimized for use with our flexible shaft and inflatable sanders. The Y2hp (300 watt) motor is fitted with two chucks that open from 1/16″ – 3/8″ (1.5mm -10 mm). This means that you can quickly change between different combinations of sanders and grits. You can mount the flex shaft with one sander to one end of the motor chuck with the other sander fitted to the remaining chuck. Both chucks are tapered-connected to the motor shaft guaranteeing smooth, vibration-free running. With safety being our top priority we also engineered precautions to ensure that the motor stops if a sander gets stuck for some unexpected reason.
FAQ
Q: What makes Guinevere different?
A: It is compact, versatile, original in design, flexible and easy to use. Many pneumatic sanders have large drums and hard edges, with a valve protruding from the bottom and fitted with a hefty drive shaft. Good bye! Guinevere has eliminated these problems by forming tire rubber into both a drum and dome shaped sander while placing the air inlet valve unobtrusively through the drive shaft. This makes Guinevere sanders far superior to others on the market, especially the rigid styles. It is also available in three combinations to suit different market needs.
Q: How do you inflate the sanders and what is the result?
A: With just a few strokes you can pump the drum sander up making it hard and flat, using it like you would a rigid drum sander. The best pressure is to only pump the sanders once or twice with a small thrust. If the sanders are only partially inflated they are very compliant. This lets you sand inside and outside curved, contoured and convex surfaces with ease. As you push the drum down to the work it folds over or into the surface. The result is a beautifully smooth and velvet finish on all surfaces. For specific details refer How To Inflate Guinevere’s sanders, Loading Models 11341 Drum Sander and 11351 Round Sander.
Q: Is dust a problem?
A: Dust is a potential issue with any hand held power tool. The dust particles and residue are very fine but confined to the immediate work area. Wearing a dust mask and having a dust collection system is highly recommended. Guinevere has an optional dust extractor attachment that works with your shop vac – created especially for this issue.
Q: Can I use an air compressor to inflate the drums?
A: We don’t recommend it for the following reasons: 1. The drums require very little air, so it’s very easy to over-inflate them with a compressor. If over-inflated too much, a bubble of rubber will force its way out from under the sleeve. Once this occurs, a permanent weak spot has been formed on the bulb. 2. The compressed air system must be able to deliver totally dry air, otherwise moisture will cause rust on the internal steel parts, and will interfere with the airtight seal of the interior valve.
It is very difficult to “tune” the bulb to the right softness while inflating. The best way to inflate the sanders is with King Arthur’s Tools Guinevere small 2 way hand pump, which allows you to feel the softness of the bulb while you are pumping, giving you the ideal drum softness for the grit being used. A regular bicycle pump would be a preferred second choice, but usually requires two hands on the pump. The best pressure is as soft as possible while still keeping the sleeve from moving on the drum.
Q: Can I sand materials other than wood with these drums?
A: Yes. The sanding sleeves we supply are metal quality and very sharp. When sanding metal, or other hard materials like bone, horn or plastic, be aware that you are sanding with a soft rubber bulb under the sleeve. Avoid holding the drum in the same spot and allowing heat to build up possibly burning through the abrasive cloth. Watch for sharp burrs or projections.
Q: Air seems to be coming back out the shaft after I inflate the drum, and my sleeve goes loose on me. What is happening?
A: Occasionally, sawdust or other dirt can be pumped into the shaft when inflating. This grit can get under the valve on the inner shaft, and create a tiny space where air can escape back out the way it came. If this happens, simply remove the bulb, and roll back the inner valve, and clean out any grit. Take care not to cut the inner valve with your fingernail, pen, pencil etc. when doing this. It’s good to form the habit of always cleaning off the shaft end before inflating.
Q: I put the sleeve on, inflated the drum, and now it seems “bumpy” when I sand. What’s up?
A: Check the sleeve, and see if the lap joint of the sleeve is straight to the centerline of the sander. If not, it can “catch” on some types of material, causing the bump on each revolution. As you look at the drum with the shaft pointing downwards, the high side of the lap should be on your right for clockwise operation.