Hand sanding vs Palm Sander??

[MTHall720]

I want to have a high degree I polish on both a fixed blade an multiple folders.
Past experience has shown me that my efforts at using a Palm Sander range from ok to horrible but not sure why.
I don't want to mess these blades up.
Wondering if I just stuck with sanding from 600 grit up to 2500 by holding the paper in my hand and rubbing/sanding the blades with wet paper if the results may be better. Also trying to decide if using a sanding block or wrapping the paper around a large eraser would be better than just holding it in my fingers

Thanks in advance for any insights on this.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I like using an eraser to wrap the paper around. The 'Magic Rub' brand is the one I use; it's a bit more soft & rubbery than other erasers, and that works well for this task. It does a very nice job conforming to the contours of the blade (or handles/bolsters), and also evenly distributes pressure. That means fewer spots of heavier scratching or flat-spotting, as might happen if the paper is only held in the fingers. It's a bit smaller than I'd prefer (keep hoping to find a bigger one), but otherwise it works well.

I haven't tried a palm sander, but it might still be useful in early stages, if the blade is already kind of scuffed up with deep scratches. If using one, I think I'd focus on making a uniform scratch pattern initially, then use the eraser with the paper, to finish by hand. If the scratches are more uniform to begin with, it should be easier to remove them with subsequent grits.

 

[MTHall720]

Thanks David. When you do your sanding do you sand back and forth or do you simply go one direction, and then start from the beginning with each pass of the paper? Not sure if my question makes sense exactly.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Thanks David. When you do your sanding do you sand back and forth or do you simply go one direction, and then start from the beginning with each pass of the paper? Not sure if my question makes sense exactly.

My preference is to sand in one direction (not back & forth) with each grit, such as spine-to-edge with the first grit, then go perpendicular to that on the next grit (like heel-to-tip), and back to spine-to-edge with the next, and so on. That helps to make sure you fully erase the sanding marks from the previous grit. I don't like to use back & forth strokes when sanding, because it's too difficult to keep the scratch pattern nice & linear that way (for me, anyways ).