vibrating sander dangerous shortcut?

hey guys, still working at 220 on this f*#(&^ red head, I really hope the difficulty of getting out the 100 grit scratches is evidence of really great steel. I have not ordered from widget supply yet so don't have any tiny flap wheels.

was sitting here thinking and said to myself, hey, the vibrating sander (little 3 or 4" square hand held thingy) takes any paper and has a corner that might work.

would that be a dangerous shortcut? am I liable to do more damage than good? should I just set it aside and wait for flap wheels, which then leaves lots of work from 600-2000.

I only went so coarse initially as there were a few dark spots I didn't like, they're gone and only two tiny areas I can see with now minor pits, but it's costing me now. in retrospect I could have lived with it. :)

Red

It's a novel idea you got there. Sounds like somtin I mite think up. Only 2 issues to watch out for. 1.All that vibration is gonna make it hard to hold steady probably dangerous for anything other than tang or spine. 2. Heat build up also a problem. Good only on the thicker parts. You might wanna jump down to 180grit before you go back to the 220. Hope it helps.

I've used one on metal in the past & you'll get swirls. They'll be even worse to get out than what you've got now! It might work for you, but i think it'll cause problems. I know it's frustrating, but either try another source for the flap wheels or stick with it mate!

Chances are that you'll make very deep scratches and it will take ages to remove them.
Of course, the best way to find out is to just do it and then report back here :)

If you want a shortcut that works, take some scotchbrite pads and a nut and bolt that will fit into your rotary tool and cut out 2" discs of scotchbrite and layer a few together to make yourself a 2" resurfacing tool that will remove rust and light pitting. You can buy the "mineral" or "scotchbrite" wheels already made up but they're way too expensive for what they are and the ones you buy ready-made wear out very quickly.

Some of the guys on the knifemaking forums use a palm sander to cut down on hand sanding their blades. They generally mount the sander upside down in a vise and place the blade on top. It would probably work for the flats on your razors, but you'd have to make up some kind of curved bottom for the sander to make it fit the hollow grind of a razor.

I tried my palm sander on some of my knife blades but didn't have a lot of success. I put the sander on top of the blade instead of clamping the sander. That may have been part of the problem...

Porter Cable has a orbital profile sander model number 444. One of the profiles is rounded, seems like one of them would be just peachy to snuggle in the curve of a hollow ground razor. I’ve been wondering if the swirling would be a problem, if one could attach sand paper in that 2000 mesh range, if orbital would be as good for metal as it is on wood, yada, yada, yada. Someone here needs to get one and tell us if it the answer to all our restoration problems. Wish it could be me but I got too much clutter in my life as it is.

well I am ordering from widgetsupply wednesday (pay day), in frustration I looked around and had these 3m foam sanding pads I'd bought to play with. five grits medium, fine, superfine, ultrafine and microfine (I think that's the order. the medium felt smoother than the 100 grit paper, as smooth as the 220, but it cuts a lot better. took over with that and it is working, couple small hair scratches left on the one side, finish it up then move other side and then try fine grit. play with this stuff and then try the flap wheels on the next set.

I decided not to risk the sander, not that I don't have plenty of blades to play with, but the time investment so far isn't worth screwing it up.thanks for the words of discouragement guys, I would have been super ****ed if I had made more work for myself.

Red

A while back I cut a few inches off the end of a foam swim 'noodle' and cut a piece out about an inch wide. Used double-sided tape to wrap a piece of sandpaper around it, then another piece to attach that to my sander. Put it upside down in my vise and used it on a razor I was working on - it worked OK but didn't seem to be as fast as doing it by hand so I gave it up.

I have tried a festool RTS 400 sander, placed upside down in a vice and equipped with a custom made curved pad. It was no use. Those vibrating sanders all use an orbital motion, and while that presents no problems on wood, it leaves very ovious swirl marks on the razors.

I too use rotary mesh wheels mounted on a drill, in the fashion of a small grinding wheel. That works great, as long as you remember to work with a rotation direction away from the edge of the razor.

Bart.