Edge Finishing: No-Buff, High Polish Part 3

Now that you’re done with the RT (Rotary Tool) treatment, it is time to move on to the Elbow Grease application.  The goal of this entire process is to reduce the “tool marks” in the material to zero over many steps.  Get your rat-tail files out and go over all of the edges and contours you just hit with the RT.  The action of this process should resemble someone playing scales on a violin.  Your cut and draw stroke should slide along the edge of the piece and then your angle of attack should adjust slightly as you repeat.  Start will a little pressure and increase as you feel comfortable.  If you add too much pressure and pause for a moment you can notch the edge and have to go back to the RT to smooth it out.

You should see the small “lines” or tool marks that the RT left start to blend out.  Pay careful attention to the acute inside corners of your project and use a smaller file if needed.

Next up, we’ll get to work with those foam sanding blocks and maybe start to unlock the mystery of the Nomex Glove.

Edge Finishing: No-Buff, High Polish Part 2

If you want to go pro, you’ll need a bunch of power tools.  If you just want a professional finish, you only need one power tool and that is a Dremel or other brand of rotary tool, henceforth “RT”.  You can find RT at almost any big-box store for anywhere between $40 and up.  We’d recommend the Dremel brand or spend at least $60-100 on your RT.  These tools are useful for many, many tasks, but for the Kydex enthusiasts, the most important is the “sanding drum” type head.  Get the highest grit drum you can find.

Crank your RT up on high and run it around the edges of your project.  Wear your eye and filter mask   protection for this job.  Smooth your edges out and bevel the edge corners. Your goal is to minimize the “tool marks” of the trimming process and smooth/straiten the edges as much as possible.  If you’re working on a “pancake” type project, RT the “single” edges at the top and/or bottom and then assemble and shape your project before RT’ing the “common” edges.

Hold the item with your non-dominant hand and try to lock it in against your chest.  “Fly” the tool with your dominant hand.  If you’re right handed, pull the RT in towards you.  If you’re left handed, push the RT away from you (or just stop being wrong handed, seriously, they kill you folks in other countries.  Why?  So we don’t have to be bothered with making RT that run clockwise). 

We won’t lie, this is one of the hardest skills to learn in the DIY Holster realm.  When we say “fly” the tool we mean it.  The end result of practice is worth it.  However, if you cannot get it or want to bypass it with more elbow grease, stay tuned for part 3 (and make sure you have that Elbow Grease).