More on flap discs?

[matthewhoffman]

Kuraki started an interesting thread about tips for belt-finished knives. There were a few mentions of flap discs, but not a lot of detail. Do a lot of makers use them, particularly in the higher grits? More details would be welcome: how to use them, at what stage of finishing, which/where to buy, etc.

They're a bit pricey, so I'd love to get some opinions before I buy. I'll be mounting them on a Baldor. I'm currently finishing blades through 600 grit on a KMG, followed by 400 grit hand-sanding. The progression works, but it's tedious ... and perhaps overkill for functional--but still attractive--kitchen blades.

Thoughts?

 

[HSC ///]

I don't think they are expensive...that's one of the points of using them, is they are not costly and remove scratches efficiently.
You have to be willing to accept some leftover scratch pattern, if you like a high grade finish then a flap disc won't be acceptable

supergrit-
Item Number: 18800-240
Item Name: UNMOUNTED 8" X 1" X 1" WHEEL
Description: 240 grit
Price: $24.00

It works well on laminated steel where the cladding is softer.

After 120 grit on a belt, try 240 and then 320 with the flap sander.

 

[Ken H>]

You're right Matthew, The topic of flap disks interested me also. I found this one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FAPZDSO/ on Amazon for $18 shipped in 180 grit, and I think they had one finer grit. I'm not sure how well it will work for me, but for $18 I decided to try it. Currently I finish a blade by lengthwise grinding as shown in this video:

and it works really good. Then just a few minutes at each grit from 400 to.... well, depending on how high grit you wish puts a really nice finish on a blade. I'll be interested on other folks comments.