Wrist saver for Doing a Satin finish

R

RobertHankins

Joined
Jun 10, 2001
Messages
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I got tired of having my wrists get sore after doing Satin finishes so I broke down and made a tool. Looks sort of like a draw file with no teeth. I used a piece of scrap ATS34 and made the edges straight and square. It has a 1/2" tang going thru each handle all the way. A little JB Weld and some pins gives it a solid foundation.
This works for me.

I am finding that using re-cycled Trizac belts work great for doing the initial Satin finish. Good way to double there life span!

Issue I run into is how to keep the blade Rock steady while doing the Satin finish. I clamp a piece of steel in the vice and the clamp the blade supported by a piece of leather to that.

Anybody have a tip on keeping the blade from flexing while doing this:D

It would be nice to get the pressure you exert fully utilized on each stroke!
Pic gives me an excuse to show off the new bowie blade I am working on.
 

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Nice Blade!... you could try C clamping the tang to your work bench with a piece of wood under it to support "stiffen" the blade while you work it... just a thought...
 
Robert,I don't have a picture of it yet,so I will try to explain what I made.My sanding fixture is a piece of Aluminum T-bar 2" wide and 1" deep,1/8" thick and 15" long.I drilled and tapped a series of holes down both sides of the 2" side about an 1" apart.I then cut and drilled a piece of aluminum 3/8"x3/4"x2" to use as a clamp.Cut a piece of leather with a tang on it to fit under the clamp and between the bolts.Put the 1" side of the T- bar in the vise,put the tang of the knife thru the clamp and tighten.Add 2 more bolts from the bottom near the end of the blade to push the leather up tight against blade, and start sanding.Hope this helps,if not contact me.Dave:)
 
Take a 12" by 12" 3/4" plywood and glue and screw a 3" by 6" by 3/4" piece in the center of it. Just clamp it in the vice by grabbing the 3" wide piece between the jaws and you have an easy place to clamp blades up for sanding and it also gives you some extra table space when not using the vice for anything else. I use mine all the time for hand sanding or assembly work.
 
If you go over to the CKD, Terry Primos posted a thread on a sanding fixture that he got from Roger Green (Sheffield Bowie maker extraordinare :) ). It's basically the same thing Dave explained here, but he has pictures ;)

You can bet I will be making one soon...If I could just get myself to quit pounding out a new blade every time I walk by the forge...

Nick
 
That's a great tool Robert! How are you attaching the sandpaper to it though?

I made a couple of clamping fixtures by screwing two chunks of 1/8" 304 SS to a couple of scrap blocks of 2x4. One is screwed to the top of the block and the other is screwed to the side. I covered both metal pieces with thick leather. I then clamp the 2x4 in the vise and I have two different fixtures- one for flat sanding and the other for filework. Some old door shims make good temporary blade support.
 
I just use a piece of14" x 1 1/2" angle iron with a piece of leather glued to it so the blade doesn't get scratched when I turn it to sand the other side, just clamp the angle iron in you bench vise and c clamp the blade down with the edge inside the edges of angle iron, keeps your fingers from getting cut by the edge, then made a sanding block from a 1"x1"x12" piece of oak, glued another piece of leather on it so it relieves the sand paper a little and helps it get into those little nicks and crannies with out tearing, just grab with a hand on each end and hold the sand paper folded in place with your thumb you can apply all the pressure you want and change grits in a heart beat.
Very simple and cheap, just the way I like it.:D

Bill
 
Hey Nick, do you have a link to that thread where Primos has a pic of the sanding jig? Which forum at CKD is it in?
Thanks!
Derek Melton
Jackson, MS.
 
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