After the 60 grit it goes fast with the other grits. Using the Norax 22 after the 400 grit belt has made a huge difference in hand sanding. Be sure all previous grind scratches are out before going on to the next grit.
“I made a sanding stick out of 1/4” O1 stock that I realized would never make a good knife. Lastly, if you have spots that you are not happy with, then that means you either drop down a grit and make sure to remove them or stick with what you have and keep sanding until they go away. What I finally realized is that hand sanding is a very time consuming process and it takes patience and dedication.
The knife you wish to restore Sandpaper of various grits Patience Wood finish Sharpening stone Damp Rag or paper towel Dry Rag or paper towels……. If you don’t already have a knife you want to donate to the project, let me offer up some suggestions and advice for what to look for. Look for knives where you can see that the steel extends across the entire length of the knife handle. Cracks are a deal breaker, a broken knife is an unsafe knife!…. For his particular project the tasks will be the same for both the handle and the blade.
Steel: The “Welding steel” at Tractor Supply/ Lowes/ Home Depot is mild steel and useless for knives Buy new, known, annealed blade steel. Files, railroad spikes, lawnmower blades and other unknown steels can definitely be used for practice forging but will not perform for a knife. Use commercial quench oil & match oil speed to the steel type Here is a good post by Kevin Cashen with the Explanation and classification of oil speeds.
how to sand knife blade Related Question:
What grit sandpaper do you need for knife making?
A normal progression in grit in knifemaking is 50 or 60 grit for rough grinding, then 100 or 120 grit for final grind. Normally people who forge blades like to use an aggressive 36 grit belt to remove hammer marks and some people prefer to start with a 60 grit belt.
Can knives be sharpened with sandpaper?
It’s simple in theory, but sharpening a knife is all about the technique. We’ll show you how to master that technique, so you can chop and dice with ease. All you’ll need is your knife, a piece of fine and super fine sandpaper, a chopping block, and your honing steel (which usually comes with a set of knifes).
What is mirror polishing?
Mechanical mirror polishing is a polishing process (rough grinding, fine grinding) on metal material to achieve a smooth, shiny mirror-like surface. The chemical solution mirror polishing is performed by using a chemical solution to remove the surface oxide scale to achieve a brightening effect.
How do you sharpen and polish a knife?
Always finish on a fine grit stone, which will polish your edge and get your knife closer to being razor sharp. After polishing your edge on a fine grit stone, finish the process by honing your knife on a leather strop, which will help achieve the finest edge possible. Polish and strop your knives frequently.