Rounding/finishing off a knife so it looks professional

[plcustom]

Hi...I am somewhat of a newbie when it comes to putting on knife scales and then grinding the scales flush to the tang and then making it look like it was made by a professional blade smith. How do i go about making the blade that has been profiled and then with scales epoxied on/ground flush to scales with tang so you don't see the grind lines if i use a vertical belt sander setup? basically with my vertical belt sander you will end up seeing sanding/grind lines that are going up and down to the tang instead of flowing horiztonal with the entire knife. Sorry I am not very good at describing what I mean, but i'm sure someone out there knows what I mean. Any advice would be very appreciated! Thanks!

 

[T.A.DAVISON]

Hi...I am somewhat of a newbie flowing horiztonal with the entire knife. Sorry I am not very good at describing what I mean, but i'm sure someone out there knows what I mean. Any advice would be very appreciated! Thanks![/QUOTE]


TAKE A BREATHER.......


WELCOME TO BLADE FORUMS. :thumbup:

T.A.Davison

 

[A. Brett Schaller]

If I understand correctly, you want the fine scratches you get from sanding the scales flush with the tang to flow one way, but you can't hold the knife to the sander so they end up that way - the guard is in the way, perhaps?

The solution: Use the finest grit belt you can on your sander to remove any deep scratches on the tang. Clamp the knife in a vise by the blade securely. Be sure to use tape on the blade and padding on the vise jaws so as not to scratch the blade. Use a hard sanding block and the same grit (or one finer grit) paper as the last belt you used to hand sand the tang with the scratches going in the direction you want. When you have removed all the coarse scratches, switch to the next finer grit paper and repeat. Keep using finer and finer grits until you are satisfied with the finish. Silicon carbide wet-or-dry paper, available at auto shops, seems to work best. I like to keep it lubricated with water (or mineral oil, if the scales are wood.) Have fun!

 

[Bufford]

As mentioned work with finer sand papers. I have also found the wet/dry fine finishing sandpapers are great for getting fine scratches out. Immerse the handle and paper in water and sand, as the paper loads up with material being sanded wet it down to clear the material away and keep sanding. Work down to 600 grit or even finer. Take your time and don't rush it.

 

[mlovett]

You can use what we call bench roll.(sanding cloth) It is available in one inch. Mostly I buy it in aluminum Oxide from Norton. I have grits here in the shop of 280-220-320-400-and 600. Secure the knife in the vise like described above. I use folded 8-9 oz. leather for this. Use your bench roll in a shoe shining motion. This will blend your scales and tang. Getting your contours of the grip area blended at the same time. You should be able to hand satin with wet dry si-sheets from here, or is more advanced, go t the buffer with black then white compound. Pick up a copy of how to make knives by Bob Loveless, and Richard Barney. Bench roll available at any machine tool, or wood workers supply house. Mike

 

[plcustom]

Thanks for the information guys! It is truly appreciated!

 

[jdm61]

and remember.......those naughty, ugly scratches on the handle like to hide down right toward the butt end just like scratches on the blade like to hide in the plunge cuts and right at the tip:thumbup:

 

[plcustom]

how the heck do you attach a photo to a post?

 

[madcap_magician]

Check my signature.

 

[plcustom]

Alright, let me try this out.

did it work? This is what I mean by my stupid question.