Question on cleaning up the tang on western handle chef knives.

J

J_Style

Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Messages
36
My first western handled chef knives in 52100 are back from heat treat. I've made 20ish wa handled kitchen knives and cleaning up the tang is easy. First time I'm making scales, epoxying them to the handle, and pinning them. When should I clean them up? Is it ok to leave the scale on them? Bevels set on 50 grit then moving to 120. I have gators, noraxs, scotchbrites and a few others. http://imgur.com/qp3520z
 
I would just sand it at 180 grit, making sure to keep it flat, an easy way to make sure you keep everything level is to clamp a sheet of sand paper onto a hard counter top or something you know is flat and solid and rub it back and forth, I hope this helps
 
I have a granite surface plate so maybe that's the best bet. I also have a 9" disc sander, but am worried about keeping everything flat.
 
I've always flattened on granite plate with sandpaper. Or a precision ground d2 sanding backer. Just got my first disc sander for squaring up handle blocks though, about to hook it up.
 
I flatten my scales and the tang with a new 60 on my belt grinder. I hand sand the blade just past the front of my scales and leave the rest rough. I always remove the scale from the entire tang. If using slow cure epoxy I glue them up and wait 2 hours or so before cleaning the excess from the front of the scales. Remember to finish the front of the scales completely(including buffing)before you glue them.
 
Thank you for the replies everyone. I saw Nora knives posted today about how they sandblast their werstern handles to clean them/make epoxy stick better. That might be overkill for me now but always good to know
 
I always sandblast the metal and usually the side of the scales that sticks to the handle. ( Depends on the material). Highly recommend it if you have a blasting set up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top