Hey everybody!
When I hand sand, I essentially clamp the blade to a block of wood. When I'm finished with one side, I flip it over and sand the other. Then, when I look at the first side again, I find the block has left scuff marks that need to be sanded out again! I typically deal with them by pulling the blade over the sandpaper hung over a sharp corner (I believe sanding a freestanding blade without a backing block is a bad idea for several reasons).
While my current process gets the job done, how can I prevent the scuffs from occurring in the first place?
I look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts,
-Ethan
I use either spray on rubber like paint or duct tape; or both
Mike Williams
Master Smith
blue painters tape works well just don't leave it on overnight.
MP
I use blue painter's tape but I put it on the support block instead of the blade. I change it often as needed. Compared to the frustration of re sanding, it is cheap. I also wash my hands frequently when it gets close to the final grits as well as wash the blade with WD-40 to remove any left over grit. After a while, you'll notice that you are handling the blade with the tips of thumb and finger. The care learned will just be translated through your hands.
I use a method I saw on a Nick Wheeler video. I'm using pages out of my grizzly catalog on my block and change it every time I flip the blade. The only time it doesn't work is when I use stones on the blade, then I use painters tape.
Gilbert
I use blue tape on the block like Lin said and toward the end in finer grits - I put a strip of fresh clean blue paper towel down each time I turn. The paper towel is sitting on top of the fresh clean blue painters tape.
I am paranoid about the scratches and hate re-sanding something I already finished.
I also agree with Lin - I keep my hands clean (or wear medical gloves) and I wd40 or simple green flush and wipe the entire blade down every time I turn it.
I cut paper towels in strips and place a clean one under the blade every time I change grits or flip the blade.
