A number of years ago while flipping through a botany textbook I came across a half page article about how Japanese craftsmen sand and polish using Horsetail. I would love to be able to cite the article here but I really have no idea here I saw it.

Horsetail is a common weed we have all seen. It grows pretty much anywhere it gets the chance, but we have all seen it in quantities on roadsides, riverbanks, abandoned lots, etc. Horsetail is also called scouring rush, snake grass and many other common names.

Unlike most plants, horsetail has silica in its epidermis (Campbell, Reese, Mitchell, 1999). I wanted to find out if this silica was hard and sharp enough to act as sandpaper for turning projects. Trying to be as scientific as possible I turned a straight spindle at about 1.5” circumference. Using a parting tool, I marked divisions into the spindle. I then sanded the partitioned segments. Starting at 120 I sanded two segments and then applied dried Horsetail to the second of the two segments. I used the horsetail just like sand paper. I then sanded the next two segments with 120 then 220 and again applied Horsetail to the second of the two segments. I continued down the spindle with 320 and finally 400 grit sandpaper. I then compared the segments sanded with and without horsetail The results of the experiment were not impressive. The horsetail did improve the look of the spindle when applied after the 400 grit sandpaper. The horsetail was difficult to hold and use, and I am not sure if the slight sanding and polishing it did was worth the effort.  It would be much easier to simply buy a higher grit of sandpaper.

Since the experiment I have fully sanded two bowls. I finished the sanding process with horsetail. It did give the bowls a slightly more polished look, but the difficulty of holding the little segments of horsetail is not worth the slight improvement. Free sandpaper growing in roadside ditches is just a little too good to be true.

Source: Biology, Neil Campbell, Jane Reece, Lawrence Mitchell and Richard Liebaert – Benjamin/Cummings – 1999

Last modified: June 16, 2018