Problem with hand sanding blade

[Zakk Wylde]

Hello guys;
Im having trouble to get a nice finish on my Spyderco tenacious which i had a lousy attempt before for mirror finish.
I disassembled knife, secured at a vice and sanded with each grit different direction.Blade is ffg but wasnt perfect so when i sand with flat hard surface sanding wasnt consistent.doing with finger yield better results.
360,400,500,600,800,1000,1200
And hand polishing with metal polish.(which is not aggresive i guess)
After 1200 and polish i could still see the marks from sanding.
This photo is with 1000 grit(cant find 1200 paper , i re-did the whole blade 3 times probably);

Should i go to a kinda long trip to get more finer sandpapers for mirror finish? or its too much to ask without buffer and compounds?
Also what do you guys recommend for sanding block that have some give?

Then i tried to have satin finish with paralel sanding with 600 grit.I read you shouldnt make back and fort for final step for satin finish just straight pulls still not very consistent either as you see.

Should i go back to 320 grit and stop at 800 grit for a meh satin finish?I still can see marks from previous grits
This blade is hard to work btw you cant really sand the area where the grind ends when you are sanding paralel.

This is the finish i would really like to achive btw;

 

[Big Chris]

I still see some vertical scratches along with your horizontal ones. You have to be 100% positively sure that the previous grit scratches are gone before moving to the next finer grit. You may need to go back down to the 600 or 800 range to clean the vertical scratches out before moving finer. Also make sure your backing block is flat and true or that will give you finishing issues as well.

 

[Zakk Wylde]

You are right sir, i was just unpatient.Satin finish one is 600 grit and still have vertical lines so i keep sanding with 600 grit or lower the grit?
Also what happens if i sand vertical and horizontal at each grit, bad idea?
I tried a true flat hard surface but as i sad sandpaper dont touch every place equally, i was thinking a leather backing.

Also what about mirror polish , should i dont even think about it when i suck at this stage ?

So many questions

 

[jomarti]

Hand sanding something as hard as that blade will take some work- as you probably know by now. The previous poster was right about the need to have all previous grit scratches gone before moving to the next finer grit.

And once you determine the direction you want the scratch pattern don't change from that. Mixing/changing directions can really screw up the appearance.

Materials- Use a firm or semi firm sanding block for that hard material. I like pine or balsa with the paper wrapped firmly. And paper should be automotive grade wet or dry, preferably silicone carbide. Try securing the blade flat and horizontal to lesson the effort. Easy enough to make a simple jig with wood pegs and a flat 3/4" x 4" piece of pine.
Finally, use some soapy water to extend the paper.

 

[Zakk Wylde]

Yes, proper sanding job is not easy by any means.
Lots of people suggests changing direction with each grit so you can easily see the left over scratches from previous grit but i may try all going vertical.
My paper says silicon carbide waterproof,not high quality i guess, i will take a trip to get better quality/higher grit papers
i use oil at low grits and soap at higher grades

 

[hank_rearden]

I'm trying to do it with my titanium military (s30v.) this is where i discovered how wear-resistant s30v is. zdp 189 was relatively easy to hand-sand, no kidding. for the millie, i taped sandpaper on a block of wood and move the flat of the knife diagonally (imitating the japanese sword polishers.) when i move to a finer grit, i reverse the diagonal direction so it's easier to spot the scratches from the previous grit (being 90 degrees relative to the present scrathes.)

i'm still not finished with the s30v and i'm still at 800 grit. i average 3 strips on the wood for each grit before the older scratches disappear.

 

[Zakk Wylde]

Im sure its pain in the ass, no wonder most s30 blades have coarse satin finish .
Surely i didnt used 3 strips maybe thats problem.
I will sand back again today and report with pictures.

 

[bigmark408]

Forget the mirror w/o a buffer, S30V is like sanding concrete...go back down to 320 atleast with a rubber pad for backing.

Knife makers that do a hand satin or mirror polish get the blade close with belts down to microns before polishing on a buffer....it's crazy hard doing a production that has been stonewashed or a factory 220 grit finish....takes patience.

I have done many and it's a pain in the ass.

Go the same direction with all grits, you should be able to finish up decent at 600 grit.