Bladesmithing 101 (Episode 7): Hand Sanding Basics

Welcome back to Sword Wolf Forge for Episode 7 of our Bladesmithing 101 series! Today, Andy takes you through the least glamorous but incredibly necessary phase of knife making: hand sanding. Hand sanding gives you the foundation for any final finish, whether that is a mirror polish, stonewash, or just a clean working blade. In this video, we start with a budget-friendly way to secure your blade using a 2x4 and a standard vise instead of an expensive knife maker's vise. Andy walks you through his tool setup, highlighting the importance of a hard sanding block for even pressure and his trick of using Windex to keep the sandpaper from clogging up. The tutorial covers the critical initial 220-grit phase to remove all those stubborn belt grinder scratches, paying special attention to the often-overlooked plunge lines. Between grit progressions, Andy also demonstrates his process for electro-etching his maker's mark using stencils and solution from IMG, followed by a touch of gun bluing to make the logo pop. We finish up the blade with a smooth 400-grit Rhino-Wet paper for a clean, satiny finish and protect the bare steel with George's Clubhouse wax before we move on to handles in the next episode. Product Links Brownell Formula 44/40 Instant Gun Blue: https://a.co/d/0fRvzAvj ABN Adhesive Sticky Back 320-Grit Sandpaper: https://a.co/d/0feXGoec Tonmp 15 Pack 6 x 9 Inch Hand Pads: https://a.co/d/00MibN2W Photographic stencils and stencil accessories: https://www.img-electromark.com/produ... Full Series Playlist:    • Bladesmithing 101: A Beginner's Guide to t...   Sword Wolf Forge Website: www.swfknives.com Video Production: www.vvebcraft.com #blacksmith #bladesmith #bladesmithing #forging #swordwolfforge ‪@vvebcraft‬