Thread: A testament to this site's wealth of knowledge

At 240 I change my sanding method. From then onwards I will do 1 grit from edge to spine until all the previous scratch lines are gone. Then I go to the next grit and go from heel to toe until all previous scratch lines are gone.

I read this site at LEAST once a day and hardly post because I am usually trying to go back in time and soak up old knowledge. Today, I decided to re-read the hand sanding guide. Even if I re-read old posts or wiki entries, it never fails that I realize something that I missed before.

I always end up with a pretty finish, but upon inspection, it looks like a very scratchy mirror. I ALWAYS miss stray lines caused by earlier grits. Then, I just caught this little gem of advice. I can't wait to get home to start on my next project: a massively heavy 6/8ths Frederick Reynolds wedge. I think that advice will really turn polishing around for me.

Originally Posted by Timedwards

I read this site at LEAST once a day and hardly post because I am usually trying to go back in time and soak up old knowledge. Today, I decided to re-read the hand sanding guide. Even if I re-read old posts or wiki entries, it never fails that I realize something that I missed before.

I always end up with a pretty finish, but upon inspection, it looks like a very scratchy mirror. I ALWAYS miss stray lines caused by earlier grits. Then, I just caught this little gem of advice. I can't wait to get home to start on my next project: a massively heavy 6/8ths Frederick Reynolds wedge. I think that advice will really turn polishing around for me.

That does make a huge difference. Also, are you sanding dry or wet? I was shocked the first time I sanded with a couple of drops of 3 in 1 oil. That also ended up being a revelation.

Keep reading!
There's good stuff back there!

Originally Posted by Utopian

That does make a huge difference. Also, are you sanding dry or wet? I was shocked the first time I sanded with a couple of drops of 3 in 1 oil. That also ended up being a revelation.

Keep reading!
There's good stuff back there!

I have been sanding with water, but it doesn't take much to convince me to buy things for this hobby. 3 in 1 oil you say? Consider it done!

3 n 1 or any other "light" machine oil. 3 n 1 is so cheap and readily available that you can't pass it up...good stuff. It's what I use to oil my razors. Of course I wipe them down before stropping or shaving with them. The oil seems to help with consistency & lessens the "gouges" the sandpaper sometimes leaves.

Would cutting/threading oil work the same?

I would assume that any light weight oil would work just fine. It only takes a couple of small drops on each side of the blade and it makes the job go much better than dry sanding.