Hand Sanding Help Needed

H

Harley Boatman

Joined
Jun 21, 2020
Messages
98
So I've watched Nick Wheeler's videos and read as much as I can on all the different hand sanding threads, but I'm still having some difficulties with my final lengthwise finish.

I got all the 220 scratches out and now I'm trying to get rid of the 400 grit J-hooks and start/stop marks so it's just a nice, clean 400 grit finish. My main thing is not having start marks at the plunge line. It seems like sometimes when I put the sanding block down on the blade it moves just a teeny tiny bit, just enough to make super small marks, sometimes just like dots. And if I start on the bevel up against the plunge line instead of *on* the plunge line (like where the ricasso drops off and becomes the plunge line) then I'll have scratch marks that have a definite stop/start.

I'm thinking it may be most helpful for you guys to actually see how I'm doing it, but I'm not sure how to post a video.
I think a video of the correct way to sand near the plunge line would help me out, too.

Thanks!
 
for the final finish grit, i do my plunges first and get them looking good sanding lengthwise from about the middle of the blade to the plunge. i use the edge of the sanding block for this, not the flat bottom. when the plunge looks good i do the lengthwise bevel pulls, from plunge to tip. the trick here is to no disturb the nicely finished plunges you already made. always have the paper moving toward the tip of the knife before actually contacting the knife. otherwise you get stop/start marks. another tip there is to not pull with your arms. your arms cannot pull at exactly the same speed, and it wont look consistent. lock your arms against your ribs like when you are buffing or grinding and make the pulls by leaning back instead of using your arms. once that looks good i do the ricasso, from tang to tip. same arm lock on the ribs.
DSC_0716 by john april, on Flickr
 
Zac Buchanan has a really good video on youtube for hand sanding to a mirror polish. Regardless of the grit you're at, his tutorial was super helpful to me, even though I gave up and etched the blade when I got frustrated by those 1200 grits
 
anNRXPD.mp4


Sv3bfVq.jpg


Unfortunately I accidentally made my plunge line pretty sharp which I know isn't making any easier. Hopefully you can see the video, when I uploaded it to imgur it looked pretty tiny.

The picture of the plunge line makes the scratch marks look pretty nice actually, but from a different angle it's horribly ugly. I just wanted to get a clear picture of the plunge line so you guys could see what I'm dealing with.
 
Ohp, looks like the video didn't work. Sorry about that. I'll post it to my instagram if you guys want to search for it. It should come up if you just search my name.
 
Also I should mention that I've been starting with just the edge of my sanding block at the plunge and then dropping the flat down once I get onto the bevel when I'm draw sanding
 
What helped me with my final hand finish:
1) use WD40 or oil
2) take a fresh piece of sandpaper, place at ricasso, move to tip and repeat 50 times with the same piece of paper.
It will dull, so the final strokes will be with dulled paper but it makes the finish look softer
 
I agree with John. For the higher grits I put a folded piece of thick paper between the block of steel I use for sanding, and the paper. Pulls from the top of the plunge should work well after that.
 
You do need to be a little careful. Keep it wrapped tight, and experiment with the thickness.
 
I find that a plain ol' pink rubber eraser makes an excellent addition to the knifemaker's collection of hand sanding backers.
Sometimes flexible can be really helpful.
 
Alright so I've got a new question now. What's the best way to protect the blade while I'm finishing up the scales? I'd hate to scratch the blade at this point
 
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