Hand sanding blades

S

SamaraVolk

Joined
Apr 17, 2014
Messages
93
Like a lot of guys, I like the satin finish of blades. Unfortunately the amount of work can be exhausting. If I know I am doing a satin finish, I grind my blade 100% then hand sand prior to heat treating. It's much easier than hand sanding a hardened blade. I find that when I leave the grinder after 80 grit, hand sanding is still tough because of the marks that were left by the 36 grit belt that simply got polished by the 80 grit. What steps do you guys take to hand sand blades? How long do you spend on a blade? The last blade I did I used a file to remove the belt marks and that saved a lot of time but it took me an hour. 80 grit paper wasn't cutting it. Thanks
 
You shouldn't move away from 80 grit until all 36 grit scratches are gone. I probably wouldn't goI would also take it higher than 80 on the grinder before hand sanding. Use the efficiencies the belt grinder provides.
 
Everyone has their own method. I'll tell you what I do when I use CPM 154 steel. 36 grit, 60 grit, 120 grit, 220 grit, 400 grit, Norax 22. After the 60 grit it goes fast with the other grits. When I grind, I tilt the blade at a 45 degree angle both ways so I can see if the previous grind marks are out.
After the Norax 22 I hand sand with 400 grit paper. I have sanding blocks the same diameter as the 10" wheel I grind with. The sanding blocks are two inches wide and are covered with a leather strip. It takes less than 5 minutes per side for a 5" blade.
I then send the blades to Bos heat treating. When I get them back I start with 400 grit, 500 grit, 600 grit, 800 grit. It takes maybe ten minutes for each side.
Using the Norax 22 after the 400 grit belt has made a huge difference in hand sanding.
Be sure all previous grind scratches are out before going on to the next grit.
 
Also, using a felt or leather backed platen has helped me get into all the nooks and crannies of a knife. It works best with a full flat grind though because, if you have transition lines you want to remain crisp, the mushiness of the soft platen backing can screw them up. FYI.
 
For sanding at the plunge line, i use a rubber block. Some top maker mentioned it in a video. I tried it and it was much faster than a hard block. As long as there is at least a 0.005" step at the spine, when sanding lengthwise the plunge will catch on the block and not get rounded off and blurred out. I can get the scratches out of the plunge area just as fast as any other portion of the blade now.

I place the edge of the sandpaper right at the edge of the rubber block, no hang over at all. When the sandpaper wears out, i trim a sliver off with scissors and repeat.

NSo07Zf.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all of the great ideas guys. I've debated dropping 36 grit as well. I also never thought of grinding at 45 degree angles during the flat grinding process. I also use a micarta block near the plunge. I'll have to try the rubber block method.
 
I have a variable speed reversible disc grinder. It's nice for many things but I added a 1/8" neoprene backing and use it to replace 90% of the hand sanding. I have sandpaper that goes all the way to 2500 and I do 95% plungeless full flat grind kitchen knives so that has made it a dream!

I would think a similar backing on your belt grinder platen would do about the same thing like a previous poster stated. Just go nice and slow with varying the angles like you should be doing with the hand sanding.
 
Even without a misting system there are ways to wet your belt. Dipping in your cooking bucket with a bit of dish soap will go a long way on high grit bolts. I have seen post from other guys using a squirt bottle. A little bit of time spent at 220 grit or higher on the belt saves tons of time .

A technique that I'm not sure about but was taught in a seminar is to acid dip and scrub before final sanding.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top