Blade cleaning

[wiseguy]

If this topic has been beat to death can i get a link

How do you folks sand the blades profiles without obliterating the grind lines ?

Thanks!

[Bill DeShivs]

Very carefully!
If hand sanding, I use cheap waterstones, diamond files, and wet/dry sandpaper. I use/make sanding blocks for the job at hand.
When polishing, I use hard felt wheels where necessary.

[Mumbleypeg]

There’s more here than just blade cleaning but here’s a link. viewtopic.php?t=54157

Ken

[Mumbleypeg]

Use fine grit sandpaper (120+ grit) to avoid removing too much material. Go up to even higher grits for final polishing.dinosaur game

Welcome to AAPK.

Sandpaper is overkill for many if not most blade cleaning jobs. As the OP says, this topic has been beat to death on this forum. Best to read the posts in the link provided above, which will give more comprehensive advice applicable to various situations. (Those posts include use of sandpaper, if necessary). In addition to cleaning the blade, as you said the objective should be to remove the least amount of metal possible to achieve the cleaning. There are less aggressive methods than sandpaper that may (or may not) be sufficient depending on the blade’s condition.

[Ivoryman]

If this topic has been beat to death can i get a link

How do you folks sand the blades profiles without obliterating the grind lines ?

Thanks!

Personally I avoid sand paper and ESPECIALLY grits like 120 as some have posted. Total overkill. Will scratch deep. 400-7000 grits should be all you need so you don't destroy the finish or take off too much metal. Try toothpaste, try pink erasers, try leather with stropping compounds, metal polish, and I made a tool out of a sharpened to a point copper wire with a wooden dowel handle. The copper is softer than steel, and only removes corrosion or rust, not the steel. A brass bristle brush works well since the brass is softer than steel and won't scratch too much, but only on extreme issues. Rubber erasers should do whatever you need and takes rust off but leaves the steel. Again check the links and other threads, it's all on here on another thread. Good luck and go easy, you can always take more off, you can't put it back on.

[OLDE CUTLER]

On rusty steel I have been using these 3M Radial Bristle Brushes. They are a 6 inch plastic wheel that has been mixed with an abrasive compound that somewhat resemble wire brushes, They are available in different grits, the green one shown is 50 and the yellow one is 80 grit. The green 50 grit works good for removing heavy rust but will leave scratches. Follow that up with the yellow one for a brushed look finish. The Kutmaster jack shown was covered in rust while residing in a flea market $1 apiece box. It is an all steel knife, liners, center divider, bolsters, and pins are steel. I took it apart and cleaned the rust off inside and out with the brushes shown and rehandled it with some burl wood. It was repinned with coat hanger wire. Its a beater, but is still a good old usable knife. Note, these brushes would be too aggressive to use on anything but real rusty metal. If I remember correctly these are available in finer grits down to about 400. I use them on mandrels that work with the drill chuck I have on my mini wood lathe.

[Reverand]

First off, I like that for very damaged blades. I have a few that I have messed up the grind lines while trying to clean them on a sander. This would be much better.
Secondly, WOW those handles look great!
You have definitely given that old warrior a second chance!

[btrwtr]

What I would use to clean depends on the amount of cleaning that needs to be done. I really don't much care for cleaned knives but sometimes I will clean a knife if the appearance of the knife is so bad I think it can be improved with some cleaning. If you are trying to maintain contours and grind lines I wouldn't recommend anything other than a hard surface that is correct for the grind of the blade being cleaned. Hollow grinds cleaned on a flat surface don't do much to keep the knife correct but some people just care about shiny so it doesn't matter in that case. Depending on how badly the blades might be pitted determines the grit of abrasive used. Trying to get pits out of a severely pitted blade with even 120 grit can take longer than I would ever want to spend. I do use a belt grinder with an 8" or 10" contact wheel powered and rotating with dry abrasive belts if the blades are heavily pitted. If not much pitting I might use the same wheel stationary sanding by hand with wet paper sanding against the wheel to keep from ruining the profile.

Flat ground blades are easier to clean as abrasives on a true flat surface can be used. Any cleaning with powered rotating equipment can do more damage than good if not careful.

I prefer to do any cleaning by hand if at all practical.