Thread: wavy edge after flap wheel?

good morning guys.

I got some flap wheels from widgetsupply. decided to develop my touch/technique on the 10 wapi. it was a blade I'd already played with. I started with the 220 or 240 wheels (not marked but I know it is one or the other).

on the edge of the blade, very edge, it made almost like little waves in spots. from the edge of the wheel I think, I was just using it on the dremel itself at that point and it was a bit canted. (now it is on the flex shaft, which of course is smaller dia. than the wheel and I can set it down more flush).

I don't have a razor hone more coarse than my swaty, but I do have my a 3 sided combo I used to use for knives. I took it there and hit coarse, medium. It seems to correct the problem without much trouble.

my question is: was this technique or is the steel on the wapi a bit softer? I subsequently used the wheels (even down to 120 on one blade) on two w&b without same effect. but their edges seem thicker.

Thanks

Red

You were probably seeing the marks left from applying the wheel unevenly. Instead of doing the whole blade at once you were moving the flapwheel from place to place leaving marks here and there.

gotcha. this poor blade is my experimenter, although right now I'm also playing with a very bad off w&b I was given. you guys ever just go to 400 grit and leave it?

Red

Instead of leaving it as is(negative waves man) step up on the higher grits and hand sand. Now that you have rid the razor of rust and pits(I hope) go to a 600. 1000.1500,2000 grit papers(wet and dry type) and then finish it up with Simichrome, Maas or something similar. You will lose the negative looking waves along the way and end up with a mirror finish.

I'm going to on this one, well actually on this one I'm going to try an etch. but I have a w&b I really like the patina one, was going to leave completely that way but tried a "polishing wheel" that was more agressive than I expected and ended up going with this 400 to smooth it out. I think I'll leave that one.

I have been workign on this redhead blade, it had just a few dark spots that were not coming out, so I took it to 100 by hand, and ended up with some real deep scratches that were taking forever to take out. took the wheels to it tonight. don't know what happened, soft metal, too thin or to heavy on my part all of a sudden the front of the blade looked like it was going for spanish style. since I don't know how to make a spanish point I now have a barbers notch redhead looks pretty good though. time to go to 600 and up and see what happens.

Red