Aspiration becoming Reality WIP (Pics 10/23/11)

If you only know how many hours I have spent chasing scratches away:o With enough sanding they do go away, just remember sand the whole blade and not just the scratch. Keep at it and don't rush yourself, I think my first knife took me two months to finish.
 
It has been quite a while since my last update. My jobs have been keeping me pretty busy and when I have a little bit of time, it seems that I am so tired I may fall off the stool. I have since finished with 180 grit. Most of the scratches are gone, but there are two left. One on each side of the blade in pretty much the same spot.
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When I run my finger nail over them, it gets caught, which makes me think that if I keep sanding and progress in grits, they will not completely be removed. I decided it was a good idea to stop there and ask if there is anything I can do to fix it.
Suggestions?
Thank you.


Also, is it bad that I am not even close to finishing my first knife, yet am thinking about what my next knives will be?
 
If they are deep enough for a finger nail to catch... they will NOT go away if you progress in grits. In fact they will stand out more and more, and bother you a lot :D

I suggest going down in grits, but don't just sand the one area. You will have to sand everything otherwise you will get a low spot. Honestly, it will all be worth it in the end when you can look over it and see no flaws. I was too eager and rushed mine and it was impossible to get out the deeper gouges after heat-treat.

Looking really good man, keep it up :thumbup:

Also, is it bad that I am not even close to finishing my first knife, yet am thinking about what my next knives will be?
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Not necessarilly... but welcome to the addiction my friend ;)
 
I wish I had noticed those and given them a quick sanding when I did the HT. Looks like some left over file marks.

Sometimes you have to decide when a process reaches diminishing returns.

If it looks like it will sand out with dropping back a grit....and you don't mind going back...then you can re-sand the entire blade again at the lower grit and come back up to where you are. However, if you think it will require a LOT of sanding, it may be best to just leave these two scratches. While you may look at the knife and see the Grand Canyon, another person will not even see them.

In six months the blade will probably have many other marks from use in the field, anyway.

The main sanding looks good.

If it were me, I'd drop back one grit and give it about 30 minutes each side. Use the hard block of wood as a backing block, and lubricate the sanding with a few drops of motor oil dabbed on the blade. Apply the oil regularly and wipe away the mud when the sludge builds up too much.
After that, go back to the current grit again for about 15 minutes a side, using the oil. Then move on, leaving any marks that are still there (if any are left).
 
I will go to the hardware store after work this afternoon and see what I can find. I just hope that there is somewhere around here that actually has metal sand paper. I actually enjoy the sanding, so it will not be a big deal at all. Plus there is still plenty of metal left.

Stacy, hopefully I will have this sent out for HT close to the 1st of July.
 
Auot parts supply , paint supply, hardware store, K-mart,or even an auto repair garage should all carry wet-or-dry paper.
If you can't find any, let me know. I'll send off a pack to you.
 
From what I see in the picture, I would think that a little creativity with the handle may camo them a bit. Plus, since this will be a user, there will be more marks soon enough as Stacy said.

Now, about planning the next knife when you haven't finished the one you're currently working on... That's what finish sanding will do to you! Gives you time to plan the next knife or 7! as Wolffbite said, welcome to the addiction, there is no 12 step program for this one!

Great work and great determination!

Charlie
 
Went to a local auto parts store and they had some 80 and 150 grits wet or dry. I got 2 sheets of each. After using one sheet of paper, I couldn't pick up the scratches with the camera. I can still see them, so hopefully after I finish up with the lower grits, they will be completely gone.
Now a couple of fundamental questions. What is the logic behind sanding ricasso to tip instead of spine to edge?
Would it be worth it to round off the spine?
Thanks to everyone for the words of encouragement and advice.

Also, as far as this one being a user, yes it will be, but I want to feel like a gave it my best effort. I don't think I will take it to too much of a polish because the apparent scratches would probably bother me. Instead, I will focus on taking the convex edge to a good polish, so that it cuts me when I look at it wrong.
 
Don't round off the spine. When you go to fit your handles, you will be left with gaps after they are epoxied on, and it cant be fixed short of grinding them down, thus changing your handle shape slightly =(

I'm not sure 100% on the reasons for the sanding directions.. but from what I gathered when doing my first knife, it is MUCH easier to get uniform and straight scratch lines sanding length wise. While you do have to switch up the scratch pattern to find some pesky deeper scratches... finishing up with a lengthwise sand will always yeild a better looking finish I think... (someone please correct me if I'm wrong on that though :p)
 
wolffbite said:
Don't round off the spine. When you go to fit your handles, you will be left with gaps after they are epoxied on, and it cant be fixed short of grinding them down, thus changing your handle shape slightly =(

I'm not sure 100% on the reasons for the sanding directions.. but from what I gathered when doing my first knife, it is MUCH easier to get uniform and straight scratch lines sanding length wise. While you do have to switch up the scratch pattern to find some pesky deeper scratches... finishing up with a lengthwise sand will always yeild a better looking finish I think... (someone please correct me if I'm wrong on that though :p)
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That makes sense on the sanding direction.
With the spine rounding, I was thinking just from the end of the handle to the tip. With the angle getting shallower toward the tip.

Maybe I shouldn't try getting in over my head.
 
Ahh, in that case... it would probably be wise to do so after attaching the handles. That way you aren't restricted with the handle placements because you already rounded to a certain point.
 
Anybody see the file gouge?
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Me neither.
two sheets of 80 grit and two sheets of 150 grit seemed to do the trick.

The only thing that is left is a tiny scratch from the atrocious attempted plunge line that I chickened out of. They have diminished into two hardly noticeable scratches that I am ashamed to say that I am quite proud of.

I have moved on to the next grit. (norton emery k622) I googled trying to find a grit conversion but had no luck. Does anyone know what a grit equivalent would be?

Also to make sure, I move up in grit when the previous grit's scratch pattern has been sanded out, correct?

Thanks for looking
 
You are reading the abrasive type, there is another number printed in several places on the sheet. That number is the grit size.
 
Great work!! Is the purpose of chalking the file to keep it from clogging up?
 
C Bryant said:
Great work!! Is the purpose of chalking the file to keep it from clogging up?
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Yeah. The metal bits will also scratch the crap out of the blade.

However, if it is chalked too much the file will become ineffective.
As Stacy said, you just need enough chalk to cover the bottom of the teeth to keep the metal from collecting.

I also cleaned the file like some kind of neurotic chimp and didn't have too much trouble with scratches from it.
 
wolffbite said:
Looks great man. You definitely have the patience for sanding, down :D
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Haha. That's for sure. I actually enjoy sanding. Plus, it seems to go a lot better when listening to music.

I think that for the next one, I may not even touch a file, and just do all of it with sand paper. We'll see.
 
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