Taping Up Blades

Rick Marchand

Rick Marchand

Donkey on the Edge
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The truth is out! I just got these puppies ready for a "green screen" photo shoot where I superimpose Nick Wheeler's blades onto my handles. :cool::thumbup:

:p

I just wanted to remind everyone of a practice I first learned from my friend and fellow maker Peter McKinley(aka, P. McKinley:rolleyes:). I'm sure some of you are doing this but for those who aren't... YOU SHOULD.

After you get the finish where you want it(but BEFORE sharpening) you cover the blade in masking tape. Lay it down flat on the face of the blade and run a razor around the edge to trim the overhang. This gives you form-it protection that allows you to sand handles, fit sheaths, etc... without fear of scratching the surface. If I remember correctly, Peter even puts his final bevel on with the tape still in place. Great tip... Thanks, Peter!

Note: I've made it a norm to NEVER work on a sharpened blade... whether you tape the edge or not. Sharpen LAST(after you have a sheath made).:thumbup:
 

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Rick, it seems that every time I do this I always seem to get moisture caught in the tape and get a bit of rust so I stopped doing it. has this happened to anyone else?
 
I clean the blades with acetone and a dry shop towel. It has never happened to me. The longest a blade has sat with the tape on it is one week. I don't know what to tell you... maybe stop breathing so heavy.... Ha!
 
Rick Marchand said:
The truth is out! I just got these puppies ready for a "green screen" photo shoot where I superimpose Nick Wheeler's blades onto my handles. :cool::thumbup:
Click to expand...

This made me laugh and then I thought about how good of an idea it actually is :) I really like the shape of the middle taped knife is it a chopper or more of a cleaver/kitchen knife?
 
If a blade's going to sit for more than a couple days, I clean/dry it then wipe down with oil and wrap it up in paper. The only tape-blade contact is a single turn holding the wrap to the ricasso. One reason for this is the rust issue but also, the fact that I have yet to find a tape that truly doesn't leave any residue on the steel after it's peeled off... especially if it sits around for a week or six months.

It takes a few more seconds than just taping, but cleanup is easier later, and if anything it's a tad safer... a layer or two of tape on the sides won't do squat to protect your fingers from a thin (unsharpened) edge or point, nor will it protect the blade itself from scratches if you knock it off the bench. (don't ask me how I know :grumpy:)

This is too bulky for proper sheath fitting purposes, so when that time comes, I clean/dry/oil and wrap the blade in Saran wrap, shrinking it tight with a heatgun. That's just to protect the blade from the wet leather. I ship knives the same way.

Definitely sharpen last.
 
What kind of tape are you using? I've had horrible luck with 3M blue tearing not coming off cleanly.
 
I like WD-40/Gun oil and half a paper towel covered in electrical tape. I learned recently to scale down the paper towel bulk so you can still maintain a visual on the center line. This has helped me a lot. Cool looking blades Rick. I love seeing your work even if it is still dressed up for St. Patrick's day.
 
Tape is alright for stainless knives, but it is not good for Carbon steels.

It took less than 5 minutes last week for me to get black patina spots on a CV case that was taped while I was wet sanding the bolsters. I was careful not to let any water get on the tape, but it apparently a few drops did and now I have a worse problem getting the patina off the blades. I could have used oil to wet sand with, but it's always easier to come up with the best idea after you do a couple bad ideas.
 
I oil the blades, wrap in plastic wrap, then tape... I do this when wet-forming a sheath mostly.
 
I like a little vaseline rub on stuff that I'm afraid will rust.

You can always try taping running your tape inside out.

It will stick to itself on the wrap around, then do the second layer as normal.
 
I use "Gorilla Tape" it is tough, clean tight to the blade and helps keep moisture out and comes off easy.

Great to use while fitting to a sheath...kydex or otherwise
 
Never had much luck with masking tape or 3m but Josh Mason turned me on to Gorilla Tape. Never looked back. The only problem is, for me at least, it's too thick for a good kydex fit so I just pull off one side.
 
Rick Marchand said:
The truth is out! I just got these puppies ready for a "green screen" photo shoot where I superimpose Nick Wheeler's blades onto my handles. :cool::thumbup:

:p

:
Click to expand...

Late again to the party Rick, some of us have been doing this for a while ;).

I use just standard 2" blue painters tape and it has made a huge difference in the finishing process. I don't know where these rust issues are coming from unless somehow the tape some guys are using are absorbing moisture somewhere, or the blades were not completely dry when they were taped.
 
I got myself some 2" wide vinyl electrician's tape. Much tougher than masking tape.
Better protection from shop abuse.
Easier to remove.
Leaves no residue.
Also protects from moisture.
(But the best idea is to make knives that come apart so you can clean them up later! ;) )
 
I've had some bad experiences putting tape on blades. Now keep in mind Murphy likes to sit on my shoulder in the shop, and his evil brother Frederico sits on the other side...

I had a blade that was hand sanded to 2000X on one side. I taped it up with 3M blue painters tape and trimmed it to the profile. Went to town on side #2, and when I went to take the tape off side 1, there had been some kind of funky reaction (I was using Windex, which I wouldn't think should hurt anything) something with the adhesive had etched/eaten into the blade!!! Bad enough I ended up taking it back to the disc sander!!! :grumpy:

I've tried the green Frog tape after seeing it recommended on another forum. I didn't get any weird etching or anything, but it didn't stick very well for me.



I save old phonebooks.... Rip a page out, wrap it around the oiled blade, throw a few wraps of el-cheap-O HF electrical tape around it, and I'm good to go. It protects the blade really well, doesn't make it hard to sight down the blade (checking symmetry), and comes off clean as a whistle.

It's a derivative of Wayne Goddard's recommendation in his video of using tp and masking tape. But even cheap tp and cheap masking tape, aren't cheap these days.
 
On carbon knives, i apply thick a coat of magic marker before taping. I use the refillable magnum sized ones. The ink is water reppelent and the tape sticks to the ink for easier removal. I keep the ink there until I'm done with post sharpening test cuts and then i will remove it with acetone. Works every time.
 
NickWheeler said:
I've had some bad experiences putting tape on blades. Now keep in mind Murphy likes to sit on my shoulder in the shop, and his evil brother Frederico sits on the other side...

I had a blade that was hand sanded to 2000X on one side. I taped it up with 3M blue painters tape and trimmed it to the profile. Went to town on side #2, and when I went to take the tape off side 1, there had been some kind of funky reaction (I was using Windex, which I wouldn't think should hurt anything) something with the adhesive had etched/eaten into the blade!!! Bad enough I ended up taking it back to the disc sander!!! :grumpy:

I've tried the green Frog tape after seeing it recommended on another forum. I didn't get any weird etching or anything, but it didn't stick very well for me.



I save old phonebooks.... Rip a page out, wrap it around the oiled blade, throw a few wraps of el-cheap-O HF electrical tape around it, and I'm good to go. It protects the blade really well, doesn't make it hard to sight down the blade (checking symmetry), and comes off clean as a whistle.

It's a derivative of Wayne Goddard's recommendation in his video of using tp and masking tape. But even cheap tp and cheap masking tape, aren't cheap these days.
Click to expand...

I've had this happen a few times with CS blades using blue painters tape and HF brand electrical tape.
 
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