Need your secrets

panch0

panch0

Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Messages
3,415
Ok I am gonna send out about 15 blade to get HTed. The part that takes me the longest is the hand finishing. I use a level with the sandpaper secured with clamps to hold it on. I work my way up in the grits and get nice results but it takes friggin forever. What do you guys do to speed up the blade finishing. I am going to be finishing ats34 blades and the next batchwill be A2. Thanks for any and all advice. I ain't lazy I just am short on time and looking for a way of not wasting anymore time than is necessary. If what I am doing is the way then I will keep on doing it this way.:thumbup:

-frank
 
Go up to 1200 on the belt grinder then back to 1000 on water stones and then on up as you see fit.

My secret is to burn incense and listen to music like Bob Marley, Jefferson Airplane, and other relaxing music. :thumbup:

-Dan
 
Get a good machine finish first (I go to 600 grit usually) and then go back to 400 grit on a palm sander with a replacement platen made from micarta covered in plumber's gasket rubber. Once you get an even 400, go to 600. then hand rub for direction at 600.

Oh yeah, and use Rhynowet paper...it's the bees knees. Supergrit has it.

-d
 
For me, the thing that speeds it up the most is using good sandpaper, not being a cheapskate and changing the paper the moment I can feel it stop cutting, and lastly making myself a nice sanding stick with handles at each end and enough leverage that I can apply a good amount of pressure.
 
Jefferson Airplane? I shoulda thought of that. Here I've been listening to Led Zeppelin.

I was just wondering about the hand sanding as well. My hands hurt; my fingers hurt; my arms hurt; it's time consuming and I'm not a patient person.

Only having done two blades I wasn't sure how to do this. I use a sanding block (small piece of wood) that seems to work well.
 
Hand sanding is made easier and more consistant and rewarding by having a good and completely consistant finsh off of the machine work.
If you are short on time for hand finishing, then spend MORE time getting a good finish on the grinder.
 
Karl B. Andersen said:
Hand sanding is made easier and more consistant and rewarding by having a good and completely consistant finsh off of the machine work.
If you are short on time for hand finishing, then spend MORE time getting a good finish on the grinder.
Click to expand...

Ditto on Karl. Before I had a grinder, hand sanding to get file marks out and go through grits 60/120/220/400/600 took 6 to 8 hours. Even with my ultra-fast Craftsman, I can get a nice even 400 on the grinder and have the blade through 400/600/1000 in thirty minutes. Good paper makes a difference. If you're still using harbor freight, toss it.
 
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