Sand Paper Problem

M

melotalk

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Mar 14, 2013
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Recently I learned that sand paper is a huge expense for knife maker, is it true? How much sand paper do you guys need to finish a blade?
 
Sand paper, not so much. Sanding belts, quite a cost. Per normal hunting sized blade, I use maybe 1/4 sheet of 400 grit. Per normal blade, I use part of the life of 3 or 4 different belts, plus a couple for the handle.
 
This will be very good info if the regular maker chime in. I'd be interested in knowing what type of belts, ao/zirc/ ceramic, how much of the belt roughly and how much paper for those using redline. thanks in advance for the contributions.
 
I have tried keeping track of various shop costs to make sure I recover them on the price of the blade, I typically charge one belt per knife (there may be several grits used but it adds up to about one belt total) and 2 sheets of sanding paper, like fry said about 1/4 sheet per grit. On a smaller blade these will be a little less and a little more on a larger blade. I do charge and additional belt for a large chopper to compensate for the need for a coarse belt to remove a lot of material.
 
There's really no way for one guy to answer that... but especially not to answer it for someone else. Every knife is different. There are so many variables that will affect the answer--- type of steel, how it's ground, the desired finish, the maker's skills/experience (I think this is the most important).

I don't want this to sound mean... but if a guy is turned off from knife making because of the cost of sand paper... then IMHO that's a really good sign that knife making is not for him. The costs you will face with almost every thing else will make sand paper seem pretty insignificant in the big picture.
 
NickWheeler said:
The costs you will face with almost every thing else will make sand paper seem pretty insignificant in the big picture.
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Sandpaper and belts................ Use them like they were free. Dull stuff just "Don't Cut It".

P.S. ............... Time is money, so charge accordingly.

Robert
 
NickWheeler said:
There's really no way for one guy to answer that... but especially not to answer it for someone else. Every knife is different. There are so many variables that will affect the answer--- type of steel, how it's ground, the desired finish, the maker's skills/experience (I think this is the most important).

I don't want this to sound mean... but if a guy is turned off from knife making because of the cost of sand paper... then IMHO that's a really good sign that knife making is not for him. The costs you will face with almost every thing else will make sand paper seem pretty insignificant in the big picture.
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That's the gospel truth right there!
 
I never seem to get the mileage I here a lot of reputable makers say they do. I now figure for a folder the sandpaper costs for me are $20 or more. I also don't care if that other maker who does the most beautiful work only spends $1.49 but gets $1500 for his knife. I use the more popular and more expensive brands but only because that's what work for me. I will sometimes try another if only because one of the forum guys says he is getting good results not because it was cheaper to buy. I do know that on all power driven equipment what will work for one maker does not work for another with the exact same set up. I also believe that what I read to be a good place to work from is to consider all the sandpaper to be free, but I would add but save it for a just a roughing job of some sort before you throw it out.
Simply said I recommend going with top of the line brands to start and enough of them for a reasonable time trial. Make a small change and see how that works for you if the results are not as you wanted. Come back to the forum with some testing background that you know works or doesn't for you and ask for advice then. No I don't have money to burn. I'm not a smith, but getting the right results means that the way you do it as an individual will certainly decide if they are the good ones. Frank
 
buy good quality sandpaper.
Nothing is more frustrating then saving a few pennies and spend ages longer sanding with poor result
 
The Best Advice
Robert Dark said:
Sandpaper and belts................ Use them like they were free. Dull stuff just "Don't Cut It".
Click to expand...

Aside from wasting the most valuable thing you have, your time. just starting, out you are going to be trying to acquire the feel of it and you will miss it with dull paper because you will be fighting it, thinking "why cant I get this"?
 
The way I look at this is: my real job pays me $50.00/ h. I could use up 3 $11.00 ceramic belts and still be ahead. On the other hand I could use one dull belt for three hours, and use $150.00 of my time to save $22.00 or so.
 
Willie71 said:
The way I look at this is: my real job pays me $50.00/ h. I could use up 3 $11.00 ceramic belts and still be ahead. On the other hand I could use one dull belt for three hours, and use $150.00 of my time to save $22.00 or so.
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I've been able to use the same 3 blaze 50 grit belts to profile over 20 knives. Some of them have more then 1/4 inch around the profile. When I first started, I took the advice and used a new belt once they started getting dull, but found it to be quicker by only a few mins. I can still cut in the handles and finger choils with those used belts no problem.

Grinding the actual plunges are a different matter though. However, I do like to use a slightly worn 120 blaze since my grinder is only one speed, really fast.
 
It was just an example. I don't use several belts per knife. Trying to work with a worn belt doesn't make sense when you consider the value of time.
 
Good opinions above :)

Let me add another - it depends on what you're making, and what finish you are trying to achieve - to get a decent mirror finish, I start sanding at 220 or 400 grit (depending on what type and grit of belts I used for the grinding...), then go to 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500 and 2000 grit, using about half a sheet of each grit per knife, on "normal" knife steels. I'm currently finishing four hunters in M390, and have used up more than one sheet of 220 and 400 grit per knife...
 
Willie71 said:
It was just an example. I don't use several belts per knife. Trying to work with a worn belt doesn't make sense when you consider the value of time.
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I know that, sorry if I wasn't clear. I was just trying to express my own experiences, as far as profiling goes.

The time difference for me, is very minimal using a worn blaze, compared to a new one. This only applies to roughing the shape though, since the finish isn't nearly as sharp. When I say minimal time, I am speaking of less then 2 minutes usually.

Others I am sure have different experiences.

This topic is about sand paper though, and I agree with everyone else. Once it stops cutting, time for a new piece.
 
Just remember - when you're sanding out scratches, you're not sanding scratches.
You're sanding everything that's NOT a scratch.
It's pretty simple, until you get to the very fine grits like 800+ (where you are basically just sanding out the previous grit marks), you're doing 'stock removal' to remove scratches.
If you find yourself trying to sand out scratches for hours and hours - you're not done grinding.
Just like a really good mirror polish is not the product of a lot of buffing, it's the product of really good sanding.
And so it goes that a really good job of sanding is not so much spending hours sanding, it's having a really nice grinding job as a 'foundation' that can make or break the deal.
 
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