Hey Dana,

Many of the folks who are typically on the forum are at the Blade Show right now; and quite busy. Hang on and I'm sure you'll get some replies soon!

Thanks Steve, I thought everyone was gone, I don't mind waiting

Dana

Hi Dana, welcome the the forum.

Many ways to finish. Personally, I don't use oil, water, or leather, except on grits finer than 600 grit, to help keep the paper clean, and decrease aggression. I want aggressive, flat action up to that point. If I'm going no further than 600, I even things up (color,scratch pattern etc...)with a scotchbrite pad.

I make extra sure that the paper I use is not contaminated with other grit sizes or dirt.

You said SOME of your final finishes, so if you are doing the same thing on all your blades, it must be some inconsistant variable,like paper contamination, or quality.

Use the best paper you can, keep it clean and seperated by grit till you use it. Don't use fresh paper for your last finishing stroke.

Keep it up, Dan

Thank Dan, I did say some, but I've really have not been 100% happy with the finishes, at the end of your post you said do not use fresh paper for my final strokes, I'm confuesed on that.

Dana

I'm bumping Dana's question so it will be noticed. He's been wating on answers to his question while many of us were in Atlanta.

I use fresh paper for my final strokes. If Dan has another way, I would be interested in hearing about it. It may be a simple typo.

The Scotchbrite idea is interesting. I have heard of it and do use it on fittings, but have not used it on blades.

Dana, I suggest you try other mediums for your backing sticks and play around with leather, rubber, and maybe even other textures to see what will work for your combination of paper and method. This is where there is no substitute for attending a hammer in and watching this done.

Thanks Steve for the bump,

Lin, I use a wood sanding board with leather, Im thinking this maybe the problem, I'm think of going to flat steel all the way, is this what most guys use or wood? I've used this wood ever since I started and that's why I'm think of changing. Lin when I send my Bowie for you to look at you'll see just what I mean about the lines.

Thanks again

Dana

About leather, I use the hair side of the hide out. I glue the flesh side to the board. Then while evening everything up on the belt grinder, I bevel the leading and trailing edge on about 30 degree angle. This allow the leather to flex up into the plunge area.

Thanks Lin, I'll try it

Hey Dana,

My sanding sticks are pieces of micarta that are 3/8" thick, 11/16" wide and about 6" long. One is just a flat stick with the edges slightly broke and the other has leather glued to it. But, I seldom use the stick with leather on it.

I cut my wet-or-dry paper into 3/4" wide strips with a cheap paper cutter. I use WD-40 on the blades while sanding. I always change the direction that I am sanding for each grit; sanding lengthwise with one grit, diagonally for the next grit, then back to lengthwise for the next. I clean the blade with WD-40 and a paper towel after each grit to make sure that I have all of the previous grit removed.

I use a popsicle stick for my final finish; making full length passes down the blade. I do not use anything on the blade for the final finish, but sand with the blade dry. I use fresh paper for the final strokes, shifting to a new place on the paper after each stroke. I don't often use Scotch-Brite on my blades, but I have before with good results. I know of several other maker who use it for final finishing, so I suggest you give it a try.

I echo what Dan said about keeping your paper separated and clean. I keep my paper separated and organize by grit in stacking letter trays. They are also kept in a cabinet where dust and grit from grinding can't contaminate the paper.

Keeping your abrasives clean and separated also goes for buffing wheels. My wheels are stored separately in zip-lock bags. The buffing compounds are also stored in zip-lock bags. The wheels and compounds are stored in a cabinet when not in use. I only run one wheel on the buffer at a time to make sure that the other wheels are not contaminated. Do not mix buffing compounds on a wheel. Do not leave the buffing wheels on the buffer when not in use, as they will be contaminated by airborne dust and grit.

Thanks Steve, thats good advice, because i don't do that with my buffing wheels, the sandpaper i do keep separated by grit but not in a cabinet, ive always used wd40 for final strokes, i'm going to start trying some different thing. with my shop/garage i have to make do with the space i have. I just need to make some changes so when i go for my JS stamp i will be ready.

Thanks again

Dana

I like to use the scotch brite pads after my final sanding. You can scrub back and forth the length of the blade and not leave the little swirlies that you get if you reverse direction with sand paper. I use the maroon pad with 400 grit finish and the grey pad for 600 or 800 grit finish. Just my opinion, but 400 grit seems to be easiest for the customer to keep looking good. Whenever I think about it, I will include a small piece of scotch brite pad, with the knife. I'll show the customer how to use it after he/she cleans their knife.

Dale

Hi Dana , For my final strokes I use my sanding bar which is a pc. of 1/4" x 1" aluminum and between it and the wet and dry paper I use a pc. of one of my buisness cards . I find this cushions the paper enough to get out random scratche but its stiff enough to not wash out my grind lines . Hope this helps. Paul

Thanks Dale an Paul,

I'm going to try different thing until i find what works for me, those are some good ideas.

Dana