"fish hook" problem w/ hand finishing

H

hoosier784

Joined
Mar 17, 2007
Messages
13
Do any of you experienced makers know how to avoid "fish hooks" showing up during hand finishing? I am a newbie and am looking for some good practical advise. I tried using a flat file wrapped in sand paper but still had problems. Thanks !!!
 
try using something even wider than your file, or do it the painfull way: drop in to the plung and go all the way to the tip, one even stroke, no more back and forth. :D :jerkit:
 
"Back-and-Forth-and-Side-Ways" is fine while trying to ensure the blade is flat. Alternate your sanding strokes as you go through the different grits of paper. Go from Ricasso to Tip, then from Cutting Edge to Spine.

If you are trying to achieve a 600 grit finish........ then Back-and-Forth" is sorta OK through 600.

Take it to 1200 or 1500............ Then pull it back to 600 with all strokes in one direction. "Gently put the paper and its backing down on the blade and slowly pull it to the end of the blade.

Like everything else......... It takes lots of time and pracitce. Did I mention that it takes lots of pracitce? :)

Robert
 
It seems to be less of a problem when sanding across the blade. Still use the whole length of your sanding stick/file, because the fewer times you change direction the fewer swirls there can be. Plus, if you're careful you can ease the stick off the blade at the end of each stroke. I do the first couple grits this way to avoid swirls that are hard to get out later. Sometimes in there I'll go ricasso to tip just to check things out (flatness/straightness).

Roosko said:
If you are trying to achieve a 600 grit finish........ then Back-and-Forth" is sorta OK through 600.
Robert
Click to expand...
Yup. After that, it seems you have to do it right :D
 
use a softer backing when you are finishing up. I bet you are getting a thin line of "fish hooks" that just so happens to be the same distance away from the plunge cuts as the width of the file, right?:D
 
Thanks for the advise. I will keep at it. What grit finish to most of you like to end up with - say on a carbon hunting blade? I have also heard the higher the grit, the easier to scratch - even on a carbon blade. Thanks Again !!!
 
hoosier784 said:
Thanks for the advise. I will keep at it. What grit finish to most of you like to end up with - say on a carbon hunting blade? I have also heard the higher the grit, the easier to scratch - even on a carbon blade. Thanks Again !!!
Click to expand...

I just took one to a 600 grit wet sanded finish and it looks good.
 
I don't think a mirror finish is necessarily easier to scratch. It's just that a rough 220-grit finish "hides" small scratches among the big ones. It seems that rougher finishes are more likely to get light surface corrosion more quickly. I doubt it makes much difference, other than looks.

How fine to finish? When it looks the way you want or you run out of sandpaper/elbow grease ;)
 
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