Finger Tip & Belt Sanders

[Jeffinn]

For some reason I've been unable to keep my fingertips off of the belt sander this week! And when a fingertip hits a high speed sanding belt there's gonna be bloodshed.
Luckily we have plenty of band aids in our medicine cabinet and I heal very fast!

[americanedgetech]

The moment I read the title, and whom had posted it... I knew there was trouble.

This might be tough to get used to but, No Cry Kevlar work gloves.
They are 10 bucks on The big River site. I go thru around 3 pair a year 'cause I wear them almost all day. It's always the seam at the thumb that gives out on mine.

https://www.amazon.com/NoCry-Cut-Resist ... 4DGRSFPZWB

[Jeffinn]

Hmmm, I like that idea! I may have to give those a try.
Thanks!
Jeff

[Pablo]

Mmmmm... might want to give that thought another go? I'm a machinist and what they teach and what I have seen... not really a good idea to wear gloves or any loose clothing around hi-speed machinery like wheel grinders, belt sanders, lathes, mills and such. You can't "feel" what you're doing and one of those gloves gets snagged in the moving part of the machine it'll pull you in. Small or thin things like cloth materials are more likely to snag than your fingers are. Depending on what you are doing and how you are doing it... maybe you could try using push sticks and/or channel locks pliers? Sorry, I have no other solution to your problem other than try to be more careful. That's just my two cents worth. Take what I am saying however you want and do whatever you feel is best for you.

[rea1eye]

[quote="Pablo"]Mmmmm... might want to give that thought another go? I'm a machinist and what they teach and what I have seen... not really a good idea to wear gloves or any loose clothing around hi-speed machinery like wheel grinders, belt sanders, lathes, mills and such. You can't "feel" what h


I have to agree. Not because of experience, but what my dad always told me. He worked with machinery and sometimes came home
with nicked fingers. Paying attention is the key here and using adjunct equipment,

Bob

[Brian Battaglia]

Something I learned from a knife maker and now use is horse wrap or vet wrap. This is a self adhesive tape similar to what the doctor wraps around your arm after taking blood. I wrap it around my thumb and finger tips and grind away It's inexpensive and a 1.75 roll last a long time.

[Jeffinn]

Something I learned from a knife maker and now use is horse wrap or vet wrap. This is a self adhesive tape similar to what the doctor wraps around your arm after taking blood. I wrap it around my thumb and finger tips and grind away It's inexpensive and a 1.75 roll last a long time.

I like it!
I'm not necessarily bitching about a few minor abrasions on my fingertips, I view that as a lesson learned! For knife scales that are around 1/8" thick I may just make a block of wood with a 1/8" channel in it that's wide enough to fit the scale. Secure the scale with double sided tape and the sand away.
Or I could just learn to keep my fingertips out of the way!
Thanks!
Jeff

[#goldpan]

You could always use that blue painters tape to cover your fingers tips! Cheap, easy and effective!

[muskrat man]

It's not knifmeaking if you still have fingerprints....or tips

My body is probably going to hate me in another 25 years. Some parts of me already do

[americanedgetech]

Agreed that ANYTHING that is not part of your body (excluding hair) is prone to wrap you up like a sausage in machinery.

Everything from a gold chain worn around your neck to a long sleeve shirt or a shop rag used to hold a hot piece of metal that you are wire wheeling. I have the emergency room visits to prove you are 100% correct!

IF you are a spasmodic fool, and you are working with 10hp or better power tools, you are in the wrong place to begin with. A suit of Armor will not help.

Jeff is talking about a bench grinder, belt sander, drill press, battery operated drill, belt sander... the glove itself WILL stop the tool well before the glove fails. Better than a bare hand, and a Harbor friggit 1/2hp drill press.
I do NOT have ER bills to prove that as well.

All good advice. No doubting the words or the intent but for simple household power tools the Kevlar gloves WILL prevent more harm than they could ever induce.
I am typing with one thumb, and my pinkey toe... that's all that I have left...

[muskrat man]

How well can you detect heat through the gloves? A lot of what i do that usually ends up in raw fingertips it working on metals that are heat sensitive, I HAVE to know when that metal is warming up on the sander. That is what has precluded me from using any kind of fingertip protection thus far.

[americanedgetech]

How well can you detect heat through the gloves? A lot of what i do that usually ends up in raw fingertips it working on metals that are heat sensitive, I HAVE to know when that metal is warming up on the sander. That is what has precluded me from using any kind of fingertip protection thus far.

That is a VERY good question, and something that I have just recently learned.
Before knives (6 months) I could care less about "temper". Now I know my flaws in sharpening tools for decades.

Here is what "I" learned... Hold a nail/screw/whatever on a grinding wheel. It gets hot, and looses temper. Color is everything. I never paid attention or knew what color meant.

So now that I know... I have a 1/2 gallon bucket of PB Blaster (4 aerosol cans) sitting next to my grinder. It's been there about 3 months. The moment I feel heat I dip the part. With the gloves I know by timing. It takes about 10 seconds to heat a drill bit to straw color... Dip it!
A chisel tip takes about 4-5 seconds... dip it.
Any piece of tapered steel... a couple of moments creates that straw color that indicates the "Temper" state. Dip IT!

So what I am saying is Dip IT!
Better to keep a piece cool than to "think" you have it correct. you all know what I mean...

Another benefit that I have found is, my wheels are lasting longer. I can switch between metals, and not need to "face" my wheels.

I PRAY that a real knife mechanic reads this, and confirms or denies my findings because I have been prone to the placebo effect before.

Until then MY advice is to use previous experience to know when a part got too hot, and head that time line off to Dip IT!
I find that PB is better than water solely because it prevents rust or oxidation on my tools. Lots of knife makers use water, and I would LOVE to hear why.

[ea42]

I've tried gloves, when flat sanding they're pretty much useless. Many times whatever is being sanded requires a very light touch, or is very thin and requires a finger tip hold, and gloves just don't cut it. They're slippery and more importantly you have zero sensitivity and wind up ruining more parts than is acceptable. There's a bit of a learning curve until you get the right touch, but once that's mastered and you get the feel for when somethings about to get away from you (let it go, don't press down harder to hang onto it!), the finger grinding becomes a LOT less frequent. Sometimes a wrap or two of green tape helps with heat, but that's about as far as I'll go. Believe me I've done it all; deburring liners, flattening blade blanks, sanding covers of all types, deburring bolsters and shields (the funnest) in the thousands on anything from 60 grit to 220, and after the first few days it became second nature. Yes those first few days were a bit bloody lol.

Eric

[muskrat man]

If its too hot to touch, its too hot. I never EVER let it get to the point where the steel starts changing color. (I'm speaking on tempered steel such as knife blades and backsprings.)

Water is easy, cheap, and doesn't generally discolor handle materials etc. blast it good with an air hose when you're done, and wipe it down with a rust preventive and you're good to go.

[americanedgetech]

So you are saying that water is better for certain handles... I get it!

I can see your not wanting to dip some handles into oil... I didn't really think of that as for grinding/sanding, and my previous post but it is a valid point.

I was posting more for raw metals.

I can't see grinding/sanding any handle material/"Hafting" to the point of "color". You are taking one material well past stability to finish another. Neophyte mistake...
Now I am not experienced with knives but I am no neophyte on materials. If I am blending wood/synthetics,bone,ect... to metal, the process is to shape the metal as close as practical, and then shape the softer material into it.
I do not see where heat could EVER enter the equation once you are finishing a piece. I agree with your point!

Gloves?
Same as wearing any sort of eye protection... I don't wear them to insulate me from heat. I wear them to prevent that weird accident from hurting me. Heat was never a question in this.

How to FEEL heat was. That comes with experience in the material you are working with. Prevent heat build up, and it becomes a non issue.
You won't need water or oil. Experience with the material, and your tools is my "Final Answer". $1,000,000.00 please/thank you!

[ea42]

A little video, sanding stag covers:

https://vault.myvzw.com/webcs/app/share ... 49ab5aaa8c

Eric

[americanedgetech]

I hear whistling... No respirator... ATGATT https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ATGATT

Sorry sir... Just poking fun

Time for bed!

[muskrat man]

The bolster/liner material never gets to the point where it turns color, obviously this would damage whatever handle material is on the knife (if any) not to mention heating up solder joints of bolsters etc. I was asking about heat in regards to cleaning, polishing, and regrinding blades that have already been heat treated. It is important to keep those blades cool. I thought if heat transmitted through the gloves well I would still be 100% certain the blade is remaining cool as I'm grinding it without inadvertently sanding the pad of my thumb as well. (I brace the blade flat to the platen with the thumb of my off hand to keep the blade flat and so I can feel the temperature of the steel.

Heat is generally a non issue for the most part on non ferrous metals and handle materials, but that isn't what I had in mind .

[muskrat man]

A little video, sanding stag covers:

https://vault.myvzw.com/webcs/app/share ... 49ab5aaa8c

Eric

Wish I had a dust collection set up like that