Greg
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Post by Greg on Jan 1, 2014 14:24:29 GMT
So, while examining my long neglected sword collection, I had noticed some light pitting on one of my blades. (I will not mention which one as the embarrassment is to great) I'll probably go with an 80 grit paper to remove the metal with, but I wanted to ask SBG if anyone has a better technique for dealing with this problem. (On a side note, all the other blades that were stored in the same fashion for over a year are flawless. I think the problem with this one blade was that it was being kept in a temporary scabbard, which allowed moisture in. )
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Post by Lukas MG (chenessfan) on Jan 1, 2014 14:50:47 GMT
80 grit is way rough, I'd start with 200. Otherwise, yeah, don't store swords in scabbards. Very often they don't like that.
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Greg
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Post by Greg on Jan 1, 2014 22:10:27 GMT
200? Hrm, I suppose slow and steady is better for this particular blade.
And in this case, the scabbards had protected the other blades, but not this one. My water pipe broke in my workshop and made the place substaintially more humid than it usual was. All the other swords in scabbards weren't phased by the increase in humidity, but since this particular scabbard was essentially a wooden tube, all the moisture was let in near the tip, which is the only area that is pitted. Ah well, live and learn.
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Post by frankthebunny on Jan 2, 2014 5:21:27 GMT
Yes, I agree that you should start with 220-400 depending on the severity of the pitting. 80 grit is like pebbles and could lead to a lot more work later on.
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Post by aussie-rabbit on Jan 3, 2014 10:13:25 GMT
I rarely go below 320, work slowly for a good finish, fast power tools will ruin the temper of your blade.
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Greg
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Post by Greg on Jan 3, 2014 13:46:34 GMT
Oh, absolutely. All of this I plan on doing with sand paper and elbow grease.
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Post by Lord Cobol on Jan 3, 2014 20:21:02 GMT
Might want to try the aluminum-foil + water trick first.
Not sure if it will reach into pits, but it is good for surface rust, and it doesn't scratch the surface so it can save lots of time on polishing up after the rust is gone.
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Post by Lukas MG (chenessfan) on Jan 3, 2014 21:02:28 GMT
People keep saying that as if it's the absolute truth. If you are careful, using power tools on already ht blades is no problem and many makers (myself included) do so. The key is to go slow and cool the blade every pass (or every few passes, depends on the power tool and grit used).
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Greg
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Posts: 1,800
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Post by Greg on Jan 3, 2014 23:41:09 GMT
Cheness: Yeah, I use fast power tools to sharpen my blades. The blade never gets warmer than skin temperature. I work a different edge each pass and keep a source of water close to cool with. The moment it starts to feel "warm" I douse.
Cobol: The pitting is likely to deep for aluminum foil. I'm sure that if I worked it long enough, I'd eventually wear it down, but this will call for more rapid material removal. I'd been working on it with 400 grit for a while, but have gone through a whole pack of papers without much to show for it. I'll try 200 and see what happens.
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Post by aussie-rabbit on Jan 6, 2014 14:26:43 GMT
Power tools are unforgiving, a moments inattention and your edge is blue, by then it is too late and ooops! is a word you don't want to say :lol:
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Post by Lukas MG (chenessfan) on Jan 6, 2014 15:29:28 GMT
That's true. Sandpaper and files are certainly harder to mess stuff up with. I just don't want people to believe it impossible to work ht-ed steel with power tools as it's regularly done by makers.
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