Thread: 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...