Thread: Knifemaking photo-essay (9) Finishing and sharpening

The last post in this series was: https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....-guard-105396/

Finishing the knife.

I sand the handle and guard with 320 grit abrasive cloth, then I smear the timber with a paste made from beeswax and turps, and let it dry for an hour.

1) The beeswax-covered handle is protected by a leather strip and clamped to a horizontal surface. I now sand the blade flats with 320 grit abrasive cloth.

2) The handle bordering the guard, and the blade, are protected with masking tape. (Note: the blade is blunt!). I then polish the guard.

3) Sanding the bevels and evening up the grind lines with a 320 grit belt.

4) Finishing the bevels. The belt I’m using is made of a material (similar to Scotch-Brite) which is impregnated with fine abrasive particles.

Finally, I use a soft cloth (e.g a piece of old flannel sheet) to rub away excess beeswax on the handle.