Ok, got my butt in the garage 2 days in a row. .....gotta be 95° & 85% humidity. By 1:00pm it was unbearable. But since no one is donating homeless knives or loose women......I gotta keep busy somehow.
I had put a nice edge on it, didnt try phone book paper ( cause she cought me last time), so naturally it needed some sanding and polishing......because thats the order my Dad "three finger McGee" taught me. The handle was too short for me to hold it comfortably, I rode up the heel something fierce. And because I broke my razor, then chipped my razor, then the vinegar made it sooo weak, chunks started falling off. So it went into the trash and I searched for another reason to get out of the house.
I didnt want a smooth shiny finish, I think the forging pits retaining black give it a great look, but I did want to polish it. Make the hammer marks stand out and give it a little rust protection. Plus I wet sanded by hand to keep the temp down, even polished very large areas at a time and kept a bucket of water next to me to keep temps low. Then came the handle, I removed the wood ridge that goes between your fingers. Sanded in a new on 1/4" - 1/2" closer to the middle....i think there was already a line cut into the handle and I got out files and sand paper. I had already moved the apex of the butt to the right, making it lefty friendly, so I used this time to smooth out the work and blend.
Wiped it down and hit it with a little wiping varnish (tung oil finish), real tung oil or blo would've been nice, but as long as I dont put 4 coats on it, it should be good. The wood sanded dangerously fast.
I had put a nice edge on it, didnt try phone book paper ( cause she cought me last time), so naturally it needed some sanding and polishing......because thats the order my Dad "three finger McGee" taught me. The handle was too short for me to hold it comfortably, I rode up the heel something fierce. And because I broke my razor, then chipped my razor, then the vinegar made it sooo weak, chunks started falling off. So it went into the trash and I searched for another reason to get out of the house.
I didnt want a smooth shiny finish, I think the forging pits retaining black give it a great look, but I did want to polish it. Make the hammer marks stand out and give it a little rust protection. Plus I wet sanded by hand to keep the temp down, even polished very large areas at a time and kept a bucket of water next to me to keep temps low. Then came the handle, I removed the wood ridge that goes between your fingers. Sanded in a new on 1/4" - 1/2" closer to the middle....i think there was already a line cut into the handle and I got out files and sand paper. I had already moved the apex of the butt to the right, making it lefty friendly, so I used this time to smooth out the work and blend.
Wiped it down and hit it with a little wiping varnish (tung oil finish), real tung oil or blo would've been nice, but as long as I dont put 4 coats on it, it should be good. The wood sanded dangerously fast.
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