Sharpening question part II

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wnydel
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Posts: 313

Sharpening question part II Mar 11, 2011 14:47:52 GMT

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Post by wnydel on Mar 11, 2011 14:47:52 GMT

Hi All, sorry for somewhat of a repeat question, but I wanted to get some specifics about sharpening with sand paper.

I watched the video by Tom K and it was well explained and I am sure it is far easier than I think, but I could also see myself messing up somehow. Is there an easier/beginners method with sandpaper that can be used until you get more comfortable with that method? Something close to fool proof that will do the trick AND not damage the blade?

I do have some wall hangers i can practice on at first, if that helps.

What methods do you use? Please be as step-by-step specific as possible. Thanks very much for the help.

BTW, at the moment I have 400 and 800 grit wet/dry automotive paper from walmart. Near as I can tell, I have the right paper, just not the higher level grits. Are they needed for someone starting out?

Elheru Aran
Member

Posts: 2,632

Sharpening question part II Mar 11, 2011 16:45:19 GMT

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Post by Elheru Aran on Mar 11, 2011 16:45:19 GMT

Errr... not sure there's anything like you're asking for.

Basically this is something you do have to bite the bullet on and just go at it very carefully until you get the hang of it.

I would strongly recommend going to Home Depot and getting some lower grits if I were you-- it depends on how much sharpening your swords need. I start with a ~80 grit if a lot of material needs removing. My sandpaper goes 80-100-120-150-220.

And sure, go ahead and practice on your wall-hangers. Just remember to blunt off the edge after you're done testing it; don't want someone to wave them around and hurt themselves or someone else.

Jeff Faulk of Wooden Fang Blades
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ShooterMike
VIP Reviewer

Posts: 4,858

Sharpening question part II Mar 15, 2011 18:53:34 GMT

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Post by ShooterMike on Mar 15, 2011 18:53:34 GMT

Starting with the 400 grit, I learned how to sharpen with rectangular sanding block. Like this: www.alibaba.com/product-gs/25140 ... block.html

How to use it is pretty self-explanatory. You can sharpen by going perpendicular to the blade, away from the edge. Then clean up by using long strokes going parallel to the blade, to smooth the finish and make it uniform. It takes some experimenting to get the technique. But it's pretty intuitive.

Start with 400 until sharp, then switch to 800 to smooth things out. This assumes there it already some sort of edge to begin with. If not, I always put an initial edge on with a fine cut file.

chrisperoni
Member
Senior Forumite

Posts: 6,284

Sharpening question part II Mar 15, 2011 19:42:45 GMT

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Post by chrisperoni on Mar 15, 2011 19:42:45 GMT

Starting at 80 will really speed things up for the first part but I would say start with higher grits if you're worried about getting it right- higher grit = less taken off so less to fix if you goof up.

I started with 400 then 600, 800, 1000, 2000 to get a nice polish (not the most even finish though

- should've spent more time at the 600- getting the finish even then)

Remember that the next highest grit will only give as uniform a finish as the previous did- you have to use the lower grit to get rid of scratch lines before moving to the next grit.

I practiced on my wallhangers forst as well and found this was the best way to get a little more comfortable with the motions and idea of messing up the look of the blade. But Elheru is right about biting the bullet- to a certain extent you just have to resign yourself to the notion that you are gonna 'ugly' up the finish as you begin. Again, the real key is slow steady practice with uniform strokes.

(hee hee- strokes)

Begin. To begin is half the work, let half still remain; again begin this, and thou wilt have finished. -Marcus Aurelius
Never discourage anyone...who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.-Plato
This is gonna sound weird, but for a second, I think you took on the shape of a unicorn.-Dale Doback

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