Thinning tip? How not to?

[PaMtnBkr]

Hi folks,
I am having an issue w/hand sanding? I ground in my bevels on a 8" OAL Wharncliff that I am making and I am in the hand sanding phase after grinding the bevels in and taking out the scratches. My problem is, how do I keep from thinning the tip out so much when I am doing my pre heat treat sanding? Should I have started by oversizing the blade so that when I am don,e I am closer to the size I wanted? I keep having to re-profile the spine a bit to keep the tip from being too thin? I sand the entire length of the blade when I sand. Do I just need to lighten up my pressure as I get to the tip? I sand the entire length in order to keep from getting dips and valleys and I use a 10x1x.625 thick Alum Bar as my backing for my paper. Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[Fred.Rowe]

Focus on getting the pre heat treat edge even from plunge to tip. The bevels themselves should be developed starting at the plunge line but leaving off the area at the tip and rearward. This area is best thinned after heat treat. The extra thickness helps to resist warp during quench as well.
The way to achieve this is to lessen the pressure as you grind towards the tip. As long as the grinds are even and the edge is the same thickness along its length the rest of the grind is best achieved after heat treat.
As in most things in knife making practice is the only cure.

 

[PaMtnBkr]

Thanks Fred! Practice, practice, practice! This is such a diciplined hobby (for me) that it has really helped w/my ADD! Funny thing to learn at 52! When I am in the garage I can actually focus on one thing at a time, so this is good info! Thanks for the info! Don

 

[Broomhead]

This is such a diciplined hobby (for me) that it has really helped w/my ADD! Funny thing to learn at 52! When I am in the garage I can actually focus on one thing at a time, so this is good info! Thanks for the info! Don

Helps me with my ADD also. I can focus on knife making better than anything else.

 

[P. McKinley]

Helps me with my ADD also. I can focus on knife making better than anything else.

Well, I guess three of us makes this a club! I find I get so engrossed in the teenie tiny details of the process that I completely blot out everything else around me.

I think Fred's advice is spot on. Its the technique I've learned to use and it has worked well for me.

 

[fast14riot]

Are you getting the tip rounded down when hand sanding? I had that problem when usin a sanding bar like you, holding it like draw filing. I switched to a 1.25"x2"x0.5" sanding block, laying it flat on the blade and sanding length wise. A sanding bar will have a tendency to roll off the tip and slightly rock back and forth as you sand. I find the smaller block is easier for me to feel if it isn't laying flat.


-Xander

 

[PaMtnBkr]

Thanks Xander, I'll try that idea! I'm pretty good at not rolling over the tip but I suspect because I am using the same pressure on the bar draw filing style, that as I get closer to the tip there is more force being exerted on a Lbs/Sq" basis. Maybe if I use a block I won't get as many blisters on my finger tips too!

 

[Brian.Evans]

Well, I guess three of us makes this a club! I find I get so engrossed in the teenie tiny details of the process that I completely blot out everything else around me.

I think Fred's advice is spot on. Its the technique I've learned to use and it has worked well for me.

Make it four! I think the word your looking for is mindfulness. Instead of trying to keep all the balls in the air at once, only spending time with the ball in your hand and then moving on to another ball when it's time. It's an amazingly powerful concept. Seriously. It's not new-age mumbo jumbo.