Q: for you folder guys??????????????

[Mace]

After doing fixed blades the last three years I started to make some folder. The problem that I'm having is in doing a hand rubbed finnish on the blades. There must be a better way than what I'm doing. I would love to hear what some of you do and maybe see some pics of your set up(they always help).
Thanks for the help
Mace

[Chris_Crawford]

Hello Mace, I do not have any pictures, but I'll be glad to tell you my method. This method works great for flat ground blades.

I grind my folder blades at 120 grit before heat treating them. Once I'm ready to finish them out, I sand it down with a 1/4 sheet palm sander using 180 grit paper. I then move to 400 grit paper on the sander, and then up to 800 grit. Once of the most important things to remember here is to get all of the scratches out before moving up to the next grit.

The palm sander will leave small circles and fish hooks in the blade. It's at this point that I'm ready to move to the hand finishing. I then take a thick piece of leather and wrap 800 grit sand paper around it and start sanding the blade from the tange area to the tip. (The tip is facing me.) The paper around the leather works well for your final finish because it will give a little. I usually end my hand finishes at 800 grit. This gives me a nice matt finish.

A note about the palm sander:
This is the type of sander that I use, but it's not this brand. This is just the first one I found online. I believe I got mine from WalMart: http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=1513
When you get the sander, you will want to remove the rubber pad and replace it with a piece of micarta held on with epoxy or something. The micarta gives the sander a good flat surface which keeps it from rounding over the edges of your blade. I use spray glue to attach the rubber back to the micarta so I can use the sander to finish scales and bolsters, but I then remove it again when working on blades and springs.

This methods works well, but it did take a little practice to get use to using the palm sander. Once you learn to "feel" the blade, you will be amazed at how much time it saves you.

Hope this helps. -chris

[Mace]

Chris,
Thanks for the reply. Those are some great tips, but I should have been more specific.
I'm used to fixed blades....It's just the small folder blade....How do you hold that little bugger still while you work on it?
Thanks
Mace

[Bill Vining]

I use a couple of different methods depending on the sanding job:

The tang in a small Panavice, it can be positioned all different ways for sanding. I also use a granite surface plate. A little spray adhesive on the back of a sheet of sandpaper and stick it on the plate. I then hold the tang in a piece of leather with a pair of vice grips and sand flat grinds over the edge of the plate. If I am sanding the flats, I have a small block of wood with double sticky tape on it. Drop the blade onto the granite plate, slap the sticky block on top and sand away.

Hope this helps.

Bill

[Chris_Crawford]

My method for holding folder blades in place is to clamp up a small board such as a 12" piece of 1"x2" in my vice. I then lay the blade on the board and use a c-clamp to hold in in place. The clamp holds the blade down at the tang, and I have a small piece of leather between the clamp and the blade to keep from scratching it. If I need to sand the tang area, I just turn the blade around and do the same thing. I do all of my blades with the palm sander, even my small folder blades. It just took a little getting use to. If you are needing to do some final hand sanding once the knife is finished, you will not be able to clamp it to the board because if it's shape. A good method for holding a finished knife in place is to put the knife on the board, take some long rubber strips made from an old bicycle tire tube, and wrap the rubber around the knife several times and tuck it under itself. If you get the rubber good and tight, you will be amazed at how well it holds the knife into place. Hope this helps -chris

[Dave Kelly]

I use basically the same methods as Bill, sand the flats on a granite surface plate. When I sand the bevels I rest the blade on a micarta block put a small piece of leather between the blade and the panavice jaw, when I'm sanding I get aggressive at times and the block adds stability. Shown below is a mock up with a scrap blade and no leather.

[Mace]

Thanks for all the great tips guys.
Any one got some more?????
Mace

[DaveL]

There are many ways to do one job in finishing the blade. I was glad to see Chris mention the palm sander which I will have to try. I use a method for flat ground blades shown to me by Jimmy Lile many years ago. It is an old Sears 6X48 grinder which began with a reduced speed motor but now has a Baldor 1hp, 1725 RPM. It is slowed by a very larrg pulley on the sander and a very small one on the motor. I have a platen of hardened D2 steel for the blade to ride on. The speed is slow and you can get belts in many grits. It does a fine job of cleaning the blades and you can hold the blades since the grinder is moving so slow. It is a simple job to go to 1200 or higher by hand if you desire.