Thanks for the link Mike to Lin's forging video! He's going to be teaching at the ABS hammer-in in Maine next weekend. I can hardly wait!

I'd like to know more about the grit and the cork blade mentioned at the end. What grit is used, etc?

Thanks

Kevin

Mike mentions that when his cork belt quits cutting he recharges it with grit. Mike or anyone, what are you using to recharge it?

Dale

I will see if I can get Mike to answer these questions. I know that he uses different grit cork belts and a compound on them.

Brion

Thanks Brion. I've read, several times, of folks using cork belts, but never a mention of what kind of compound they use.

Dale

I am truly sorry that to you good folks who were unfortunate enough to view that video. I can always have a place in the circus if bladesmithing ever falls apart.

Cork belts?

I used plain cork belts with no grit for quite some time. I would apply the compounds I needed to them. White, pink, rouge, etc.

But; I can no longer find gritless cork belts. The ones that come with gris already on them have way too much random/ooversized grit to do what I need them to do.

I now use a 2X72 leather belt that I have custom made. At about 50 bucks a pop I really do baby them. They really do work well for the superfine grits. They are pretty fragile. You can knock a divot in one pretty fast if you are not real careful.

Grit integrity must be followed religiously. One stray 320 grit on the grinder can ruin your leather belt for finish work.

Using belts allows me to come to an almost mirror finish off the grinder while maintaining my lines and corners.

Mike

Thanks Mike. I appreciate the quick reply.

By the way, if you join the circus, you'll have to get Jerry to go with you.

Dale

Mike,

If I can ever develop the skill to make a video like that, I'd be happy. As one who taught for a while, it's really hard to teach well and be entertaining at the same time.

I've found several cork polishing belts on line.. Would these work? If so, could uoi explain the grits you'd add to a newbie (a real slow one)?

http://www.supergrit.com/products/products_belts-misc.asp

Note the polishing belts come grit-less...

Thanks

Kevin

(the unskillful slow one)

I guess I will try this again.

Kevin; those will work fine. Thanks for the link.

I use grit corresponding to 400,800,1200 on my belts.

A thought on using these belts: They are great to clean up coarse grits. They will not clean up a rough grind. A wobbly 1200 grit finish looks terrible.

A smooth and straight 120 grit finish will clean up mush faster than a sloppy 800. It's the humps and hollows that kill you on the grinder, not the grit size.

M

Thank you, sir.

I suspected as much. My grinds are still too wobbly but I'm learning...

I'll try these with the white, green, and black sticks (tubes?) I use on buffering wheels and see what happens.

Kevin

And I forgot to mention, if you take requests, maybe y'all can do a video on final finishing too?

K

|quoted:

Kevin

It is a YouTube video. I tested it and I can view it on my Windows, Apple, and Android devices.

This is the direct link for the video clip on YouTube: http://www.youtube.c...BlTfyTkk&sns=em

Dan

It turns out sometimes, if it hates you, Win 7 adds a line to the host file in system32/driver... That line read "74.125.162.39 static.cache.l.google.com s.ytimg.com". If you comment it out by adding a # in front of it, the problem goes away. It apparently happens with Win 7 as well as Vista.

Just in case anyone else ever gets this,

Kevin

And even cooler, Firefox will let you create a ABS live bookmark so you can see new videos added to the ABS Youtube channel.

Kevin:

Thank you! I like the Firefox live bookmark feature!

We do have a DVD in the ABS Store by Master Smith Russ Andrews on hand finishing a blade. Russ gave the presentation at the Mid America Hammer-In in Troy, Ohio.

Click: DVD Hand Finishing by Russ Andrews

Master Smith Russ Andrews demonstrated the techniques for the fine art of hand finishing a knife blade at the ABS Mid-America Bladesmithing Symposium in Troy, Ohio. This video has very clear close ups of Master Smith Andrews at work and Russ provides detailed instruction during his presentation.

This DVD contains the following Chapters:

1) Introduction & Plunge Cut Sanding

2) Initial 120 Grit Blade Sanding

3) Sanding Clip & False Edge

4) Next Grit 320 & Aluminum (Al) "Block"

5) Changing to 500 Grit Paper

6) Higher Grit Sanding Starting with 800

7) 1200 Grit: Al, Leather, Rubber Blocks

8) Compliant Block with 1200 Grit Paper

It may be unconventional but I used a 4" angle grinder to remove the scale for the preheat-treat grind then I go at it with my belt sander. Although I used a conventional 4' belt sander, because I didn't have the cash for a knife maker type sander at the time. Cool video though. I never thought of using compound on belts like that. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

I used to and still do sometimes use a farriers rasp and then a bastard file to remove scale before belt sanding and heat treat. I joined this society to learn your methods though, as that I'm not sure mine are the best, even though they seem to work. I always think any method I can learn, if it it works for me(as that some things are harder for me than others), and incorporate into what I do; is a good thing.