Tips and tricks thread.

I cut sandpaper with a cheap scisors. The abrasive may eat the edge but it is cheap and small.

I store my sandpaper in a block with 12 drawers. (got it at a 2nd-hand store, it looks office like)
I just take out the drawer with the gritt size I need. I have all small bits and cut offs in there as well. They are handy for guards, handles etc. I save pieces as small as ~1/4"x1/4".

I store the coarse sandpaper at the bottem and the finest on top.
Gravity may let some sanding gritt drop down.
Last thing you want is coarse sanding gritt on finer sandpaper!

Also buy GOOD sandpaper. No point in saving pennies and spending extra hours sanding.

And I always have a toilet roll handy at my workplace. It tightly fits over a piece of round wood so I can pull of a piece with just one hand
 
Here us a tip to reduce hand sanding time and reduce sand paper usage. EDM stones work much better, for me, for grits up to about 400. They are cheap, last longer and allow more control for scrubbing out that last scratch. Also using a 40 durometer rubber contact wheel on your grinder, erases the vast majority of vertical grind marks before the edm stone and sand paper even come out. Just be carefull not to round the tip or mess up the plunge area.
 
Ive got a block of black rubber (looks like tire rubber) about 4"X4"X8" ,perfectly flat, that I use for stropping.I just rub a little buffing compound on it an strop.I like the firmness as it wont convex the edge too much.
 
eric brinkerhoff said:
Ive got a block of black rubber (looks like tire rubber) about 4"X4"X8" ,perfectly flat, that I use for stropping.I just rub a little buffing compound on it an strop.I like the firmness as it wont convex the edge too much.
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I have a large rubber pad (used to be a practice pad for percussion.. I'm a drummer) that I put under my leather while tooling. I have a tendency to strike tol hard, and this evens out the blows significantly. It is very stiff high density rubber mind you...
 
Oh,you play drums,huh?Well I can motor along on the guitar pretty well.Too bad we couldnt jam....Maybe write a song about knives...
 
Salem Straub said:
All this talk about epoxy mixing- I'll share my favorite way, that I got from another one of these threads here a while back. I just keep an old phone book on a corner of the bench, tear the top cover off, and use the pages as a series of rip-off mixing trays. The epoxy rarely soaks through and sticks to the next page, and the phone book lasts forever.
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Do you have a problem with the ink on the pages discoloring the epoxy? I tried using newspaper once and the black ink discolored my epoxy enough to leave a noticeable line between the scale and tang.
 
I mix epoxy in the snack size zip locks close it and knead it til its mixed good cut off a corner and squeeze out what I need like a piping bag bakers use. gives control and cuts down on the air bubbles.
 
I read this on this forum, but if you want to stone wash something but don't own a tumbler, put it in a sturdy plastic container with rocks, add some WD-40, and throw it in the dryer with a load of towels (I wrap the container in a towel and tape it up too).
Personally I make some modification to that. I add vinegar to the mix and use dawn instead of WD-40. I really like the finish that produces. It does take a long time though.

Also something I picked up on someones youtube knife making video... I use the hardened edge sharp edge of my calipers to scribe the edge. I've been using my cheap crappy calipers that stopped working (electronic), but it doesn't seem to be damaging them so far. Also since I don't have any dykem I've been using high temp white paint :D


Oh, a computer tip for those not computer for those who doodle on the PC then print their templates. If you are having trouble getting something to print to scale. Save it as a pdf, then open that pdf and print it. There are other ways, but that is the easiest and most universal.
 
Tired of replacing very expensive ceramic media in your vibratory tumbler? Stainless media too expensive? Use Home Depot patio pebbles! 25lbs for $5! You get true beautiful stonewashed surfaces. Works great on hardened steel and Ti just add a bit of dawn soap.
 
When trying out homemade tumbling set-ups, stick with the plain soap. DO NOT use dish-soap with a lot of citric acid in it. It will cause faint rust even on D2 and Elmax. Don't ask me how I know. :o
 
If you still use a typical toaster oven for post-quench tempering like I do, here are a couple of things that can improve the outcome.

Lightly crumple some aluminum foil and roughly smooth back out again to flat. Lay your quenched blade parallel to one edge and fold over a time or two. Smash and smooth so you can clearly see the blade profile. Then lay your type-k thermocouple on your foil-covered blade so the TC's weld is near your future cutting edge and its lead is trailing off the tang/butt end. Continue to roll up the whole thing - loosely - for 5 or so layers and twist the ends tight with your TC lead hanging out of the tang end.

The goals are to shield the blade from the cycling element's radiant energy and to trap dead air around it during the temper cycle. Both help minimize temp fluctuations. A pan of sand can do the same thing, but think inswool vs cast refractory and you'll see why the foil jacket may be a better choice for tempering.

Plug in your TC and monitor your tempering cycle right where it counts - at the blade edge. Doing this, my setup will hold within two or three degrees for as long as I need it. Keep notes on alloys, times and temperatures, and then resulting performance, and this process will help dial in the appropriate temper for whatever with YOUR gear. Generating a predictable outcome is so much easier and you can set aside the squabbling herd of oven thermometers now clogging up you toaster…

Bonus Points:

Fire up the toaster before use and let soak. Many ovens have major venting ports on the face, if possible, run them where they are out of the wind or drafts. This one thing will help stabilize the chamber's temp more than anything else I've noticed. And don't try to cover the vents with whatever; it will likely make the interior temp less stable.

Bypass the oven's timer switch (I’ve never have seen a need to temper for <1 hr/cycle).

Before tempering, take a minute with a scrub pad and detergent to remove the quench residue/baked on clay/schmegmatis. Otherwise your shop lizard starts giving you funny looks from the growing stench. (No wait – he always has that exact same expression…weird :eek:...).

Since I started getting things more right in my forging and normalizing, I rarely get warp or twist on quench of anything < 6” long, but for when that does happen, I keep a pair of ¼” X 1 ½” bars of 1080 and a handful of cheapo 2” c-clamps at the ready. I will clamp up usually on the second cycle and can still embed the TC to know what is happening in there. Over-shim with foil or coins if needed. There are a few good threads on this for those who seek.

Being a full-time amateur, I usually have the luxury of being able to concentrate on a single blade per heat treat. The fun is in trying to make the most out of what I have to work with and I just want to express my appreciation for all the great folks here that have helped me do just that. Thanks guys! :thumbup:
 
Just gave this thread another read over (I bookmarked this page), and I felt it worthy of a bump and see if anyone else had some info to add.
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Want a quick and solid way to get any shape or size sanding block that won't wear that quickly or slightly wrap around the object being sanded (a problem I found when using paint stirrers when starting out)?
- Call a local Corian counter top shop and ask if you get some of their scraps. They cut, sand and file very easily, so they can be readily shaped. Most pieces will be very close to, if not level across the faces by design.
On top of that, most places won't charge you for taking scrap.

Just be sure to wear your PPE, the dust is horrendous.
 
I use my carbide file guide and belt sander to square the faces of bolsters to scales. Use a drop of CA glue to glue the bolsters/scales together and clamp them in the file guide with a tiny bit poking out. Grind down to the carbide face ( I do a little hand lapping as well on the granite surface plate too - probably not necessary) for both and as long as the thicknesses are parallel you will have good fit up.
 
You don t need to have SEM to see inside knife you just HT .When you make hidden tang knive /or any other knife/ don t cut all shape .Leave some steel like on this blank on picture /+ help against bending/wrapping when quench / and after you finished with HT process cut that steel and break to see inside what you get ;) For beginners /like me/ and when you're not sure what you just did ....

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For mixing epoxy, the best containers I have found are the small one ounce or two ounce take-out sauce cups (AKA - jello shooter cups :) ). You can buy a sleeve of 100 for a few bucks, or a case that will last five knifemakers a lifetime for around $30. If you know someone who has a restaurant or burger joint, they will gladly give you a couple dozen. My buddy who has the BBQ joint just hands me a sleeve of 100 whenever I need more.

They are also great for storing small parts, tiny folder screws/pivots/pins, pre-cut rivet pins, Corby bolts, etc.
 
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