when it comes to hand sanding??

C

chad2

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Sep 2, 2011
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everyone does some hand sanding on there knives right?

well when i do sanding on my knives my sand paper does not last very long. is this something i just have to deal with and buy a lot of sand paper or is there better sand paper that will last longer? i know there are better sanding belts.

i guess my real question is, is it worth it to get the more expensive sand paper or to just go to lowes and get the cheaper kind?

what kind of sand paper do you guys use?
 
Nope not really.

50 grit to 120 to 220 to 400 trizact to scotchbrite belt :)
 
For hand sanding the rougher grits (80, 120, 220) I use cheap dry sand paper. I don't know if more expensive paper lasts longer or not. At 320, 400, 600, 1000, and 1500 grit I use a wet/dry sandpaper. I can't give any good reason why I do this, I just do.

The last three blades I wet sanded with soapy water in the kitchen sink. I think you get a better finish doing it this way.

- Paul Meske
 
Sandpaper doesn't last very long on steel. Better quality paper will probably last a little bit longer but maybe not. Quality of the backing, how fast it cuts, and uniformity of grit size are more important than how long it lasts or how much it costs.

Use the stuff as if the faster you go through the sandpaper the more you get paid because...well, because you do. Even if you don't sell your knives, there are still better ways to spend that time. To me it just doesn't make sense to spend an extra 20 minutes sanding to try to save two bucks on sandpaper. I would rather spend my twenty minutes working on the next knife.


Using a hard backing and lots of pressure will burn through paper faster but you'll get more scratch for your dollar that way. I only get a few strokes on a section of paper before it cuts noticeably slower. Lube helps a little bit too. You can use wd-40 or windex or even just plain water to get a little faster cut and more life from your paper.


I currently use the 3m wet-or-dry because I can get it from the hardware store down the road, but I'm planning on ordering some of the Rhynowet to try out soon based on Nick Wheeler's recommendation. I don't know that it will make much difference but it sure is cheaper.
 
The best lesson I learned here is "don't try to make your sandpaper last". People that haven't tried to make a nice knife and gone through the trials and tribulations look at me like I am crazy and wasting sandpaper. Thing is my time is more valuable than a $1 piece of sandpaper, once the sandpaper quits cutting its time to get a new piece, just doing that cut my sanding time in half without consuming that much more paper. Once Nick put up that sanding video I took the time to watch and rewatch and learn a few things. I started sanding out a blade tonight using some of Nicks tips and I would have finished it in about 3 hours and used 3/4 of the paper I did before:eek: The only reason I didn't finish sanding is I had company stop over and they just left, I will be finishing up the sanding tomorrow morning before I do anything else.
 
It takes alot of paper. I use the rhynowet AO wet/dry. Seems to work as well as the 3m "wetordry" paper. The rhynowet it a bit cheaper too.
 
Buying the sandpaper in bulk packs (50 sheets) really helps to cut down on the price. You can get the bulk packs for around 20 dollars.
You just need to accept the fact that the sandpaper will not last longer than a few strokes and you will go through a bunch of it. You will waste a lot of time and energy trying to sand with worn out sandpaper.
 
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