How to eliminate "J" hooks from final sanding?

Motor City Mike

Motor City Mike

Well-Known Member
Ugh! Hand sanding. Looks great but what a colossal pain!

I usually take my knives down to 600 and I get good results with one exception. I get tiny "J" hooks where I initially press the sandpaper onto the blade for the final finish.

The rest looks great with nice smooth parallel lines down the blade except for where I start the sandpaper. Those "J's" are driving nuts and I can't figure out how to eliminate them.

I do hollow grinds and they're at the plunge line because that's where I start the sandpaper for the final finish.

I've tried starting at the point and going towards the plunge but I still get them at the point.

Frustrating.

Anyone have some tips or tricks they'd like to share?
 
There are a couple of techniques that I use, which can help eliminate those "J" hooks.

1. When hand finishing, take the finish down to 1200-1500 grit, then go back over that finish with whatever grit you choose for the finish (people generally use 400-800 for the final finish)

2. This is my "secret weapon" for satin finishes...... Hand Blocks from Klingspor

handblock.jpg


These may look like the typical "sanding sponge" that you find at they hardware store, but they ARE NOT. They are much harder/denser, with "grit" all the way through. I would say they are the consistency of a hard eraser. They come in fine, med, and coarse. They have the ability to "blend" out the majority of "J" hooks in a blades finish, unless of course the "J" hooks are there from heavier grit paper. It's not a short cut by any means, but it does lessen the frustration when trying for that "just right" satin finish. They are one of those things that as you use them, they go away, but they are inexpensive.... About $4 each from Tru-Grit. I've not seen them on the Tru-grit website, but then again I've not looked too hard there either. I generally just order one or two with each belt order from Tru-grit (I always email my belt orders in), just so I have them when needed. I also find the invaluable when putting the final finish on the front of hidden tang guards before assembly..... I sand to 1200, then go over it with one of the fine grade blocks, and get that "satin sheen" that really looks nice.
 
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Awesome thanks Ed (as usual)

I just put an order in with Tru-grit yesterday. I'll call and see if I can add some to my order.

-Mike
 
J-hooks are usually a problem for me when I'm doing some final touchup or a repair of some kind on a finished knife where I have to get the paper up against the shoulders of the guard or handle to begin the sanding pass. In your case it would be the same thing because you are trying to set the paper down into the plunge without sanding the flat.

I find that j-hooks have a lot to do with how I set the sandpaper down on the blade to begin my pass, and how much surface area of sanpaper hits the blade. My go-to sanding stick is a 1 inch wide piece of bar stock with a strip of leather between it and the paper. If I set it down so that the whole 1 inch of paper sets down on the blade, then begin my pass, I will have j-hooks. No matter what I do, I find it nearly impossible to set the paper down and then begin my drag stroke without some tiny wiggle as I begin the pass.

My solution is to jut the leather strip forward of the sanding stick so that the paper is being pulled around a tighter radius. Then I only set down that corner edge radius, and I set it down into that crack with firm intent so that it "sticks the landing" and stays there. Then I begin my drag and make the pass with only that corner edge.

Ed's sanding sticks that he sells work great for this because you have several angle options for that corner, and you can always hold a strip of leather in there just like I do with my bar stock. I don't glue the leather down like most people do. I find that the leather deforms with use and loses that rigid corner that I want, so I usually make a new little leather strip about every month or so. I just sandwich it between my paper and whatever sanding stick I'm using.

If I don't care about the j-hooks (such as during normal scratch removal) I lay the whole width of sanding stick/paper down and just go to town scrubbing back and forth. It's only on my last passes of each grit where I want those perfect clean symmetrical scratch lines that I rock up my sanding stick onto the corner edge and jut the leather out with my thumbs to get that squeegie edge.
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
There are a couple of techniques that I use, which can help eliminate those "J" hooks.

1. When hand finishing, take the finish down to 1200-1500 grit, then go back over that finish with whatever grit you choose for the finish (people generally use 400-800 for the final finish)

2. This is my "secret weapon" for satin finishes...... Hand Blocks from Klingspor

handblock.jpg


These may look like the typical "sanding sponge" that you find at they hardware store, but they ARE NOT. They are much harder/denser, with "grit" all the way through. I would say they are the consistency of a hard eraser. They come in fine, med, and coarse. They have the ability to "blend" out the majority of "J" hooks in a blades finish, unless of course the "J" hooks are there from heavier grit paper. It's not a short cut by any means, but it does lessen the frustration when trying for that "just right" satin finish. They are one of those things that as you use them, they go away, but they are inexpensive.... About $4 each from Tru-Grit. I've not seen them on the Tru-grit website, but then again I've not looked too hard there either. I generally just order one or two with each belt order from Tru-grit (I always email my belt orders in), just so I have them when needed. I also find the invaluable when putting the final finish on the front of hidden tang guards before assembly..... I sand to 1200, then go over it with one of the fine grade blocks, and get that "satin sheen" that really looks nice.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting this Ed! I used to get Craftsman brand "polishing blocks" (which I've heard referred to as "rust erasers"), from the local Sears hardware stores, and IIRC, they came in Fine, Medium and Coarse as well. I'd mostly use them for cleaning the tops of table saws and other similar machinery, but I think they stopped making them a while a go. I'd been looking for an alternative for a while, and didn't know these existed. Looks like Amazon has a 3 pack for abou $16, shipped prime. Not bad!
 
I've never used those sanding blocks so I did a quick google search and found Woodcraft carries them, and I have a Woodcraft a few miles from me... and they have them in stock. I'm going to be picking me up some of those tomorrow and give them a try.
Thanks for the tip Ed.
 
I’ve had great luck with the Klingspore blocks that Ed shared and I use them on every knife but..... I’ve found another method that seems to be working before I go to the blocks that is kinda fun. Keep in mind that I’m a hand sanding nerd. Most of the time I’ll work my way through the grits up to 1200. Next, I go back to 600 and get a “running start” above the Ricasso on a hidden tang, or the above front pin hole on a hidden tang and pull it gently off of the tip of the blade. Slowly letting off pressure as I near the tip. Just a thought in case you don’t have a block available.
 
Matt Kirby said:
. Next, I go back to 600 and get a “running start” above the Ricasso on a hidden tang, or the above front pin hole on a hidden tang and pull it gently off of the tip of the blade. Slowly letting off pressure as I near the tip. Just a thought in case you don’t have a block available.
Click to expand...
That is how I stop the hooks as well Matt.
 
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