Your pre/post HT hand sanding routine

[Fletch Helical]

I'm just curious on how everyone here goes about our beloved aspect of knife making. I've been experimenting a bit with both dry and wet sanding methods and wondering what you guys have found to be the best routine for you. My usual routine goes 120, 220, 320, 400, (all dry) then it's off to HT.

Post HT I follow the same steps but for whatever reason I wet sand at 400, and then work my way into whatever finishing grit I'm planning all wet sanding. My last knife I used Mobil 1 for a satin finish which I used the oil at 600 and then finished up with 800.

I'm wondering if there is any benefit to doing it all as a wet sand or wet sand past a certain grit.... So what's your routine?

 

[gixxer]

my normal routine is get the blade 90% there then HT. The last 10% will remove the HT coloration, and I think you use less sandpaper sanding soft steel compared to hardened steel. Now when I get spun up on my folder making, I am going to profile and drill holes and such, HT, then grind bevels and finish.

The folder guys say that cause the blades are so thin and small (relative term)it is not all that difficult to work with the hardened steel. I think even some of the fixed blade guys do the same. Guess too it might be easier to keep a flat piece of steel flat during the quench than a beveled blade (think slipjoints and such).

 

[hathegkla]

I've been heat treating 1075/1080 in my forge which produces quite a bit of firescale. it seems like there is no point in going above 120. I don't do any hand sanding before ht, just take off the marks from the 80grit belt with the 120, normalize 3 times and ht. Fletch, you said you go up to 400 before HT? do you use an electric kiln? and do you use stainless foil or something similar? I'm still waiting on my electric kiln so I don't have any experience with them yet, can you really go all the way up to 400 grit and have it come out looking pretty good?

also, for you guys who use buffing wheels. what grit would you recommend going up to before you hit the buffing wheel? and what kind of buffing compound do you use?

[bThe folder guys say that cause the blades are so thin and small (relative term)it is not all that difficult to work with the hardened steel. I think even some of the fixed blade guys do the same. Guess too it might be easier to keep a flat piece of steel flat during the quench than a beveled blade (think slipjoints and such).[/b]

I've been meaning to ask someone about this. I was thinking of getting some thinner stock to make paring knives. So it would probably be a good idea just to profile, drill etc then HT and do the bevels after?

 

[Los Angeles]

I hate to sound like such a snob, but hand sanding is my absolute least favorite thing in the world (outside of raising vessels) and I will do just about anything to avoid it.

Hence, the grinder, buffer, tumbler, and soon to be acquired bead blaster.

Sure, those things are valuable (expensive) but so is my time. Spending hours sanding steel is not my idea of a good time. And I did enough hand sanding in school to feel that I've earned my keep in that department.