To remove rust and bring the original look to your sword, you can rely on sandpaper. There are different grit sandpapers, which you need to rub on the sword blade for better results. It will remove the rust, scratch and also ensure a shiny condition of the sword.
The whole article covers everything regarding the use of sandpaper on a sword. You can easily remove the rust from the blade surface and use the sword with a medieval helmet on. You will also find some recommendations for sandpapers, which will go well on almost every sword.
What is a sandpaper
Sandpaper is an abrasive sheet of paper, which is used to make any surface smoother and remove any extra, unwanted layer from it.
It works on plastic, metal, or any other materials as well. In some rare cases, sandpaper comes in handy to make any surface rough as well.
Most sandpaper contains aluminum oxide or silicon carbide as the abrasive material. There are some other less common materials used as the abrasive end of sandpaper. This includes alumina-zirconia, which are aluminum oxide and zirconium oxide alloy, chromium oxide, ceramic aluminum oxide, and diamond.
According to the abrasiveness of the paper, there are different grit sizes available for sandpaper. The sandpaper with the lowest grit size offers the highest abrasive surface. Again, with the increasing number of the grit size, the abrasiveness fades, and the sandpaper becomes finer.
Is sandpaper used as rust removal?
Yes, one can use sandpaper as a rust removal to remove the rust and make the metal sword shiny again.
The main purpose of using sandpaper is to remove unwanted stains, marks, or rust from any materials. As it can work on metal alongside plastic, wood, and glass, it can also remove the rust from the metallic sword.
To remove the rust from a sword, there are different grit sizes available for sandpaper. This shows how coarse or finer the paper is. By rubbing the abrasive end of the paper on the rusty surface, you can easily remove it. Then use a finer paper at the end to bring back the original look on the sword.
How to remove rust from sword using sandpaper
As you have already known that, sandpaper will go one perfectly to remove rust from your sword. But the difficulty rises regarding the choice of grit sizes while choosing sandpaper. You need both coarse and finer sandpapers for the whole process.
- Before beginning the procedure, one needs to collect 220 grit, 600 grit, 1000 grit, 1500 grit and if possible, 2000 grit and 3000 grit sandpapers.
- As you know, the lowest grit number refers to the coarse one. So you have to start with 220 grit sandpaper and rub it on the rusty surface.
- Continuous rubbing of the paper will remove the rust but drop many scratches. So take 600 grit sandpaper to eliminate the scratches.
- To finish the rust removal chapter, you need to rub the surface with 1000 grit sandpaper for a while.
- Now it's time to bring back the original look of the sword, and for this, 1500 grit sandpaper is the ideal option.
- You can also make the sword shiny and polished by using the 2000 grit and 3000 grit sandpaper. However, it’s an optional process.
Sharpening a sword using sandpaper
Sharpening a sword means sharpening the blade. And the procedure becomes a lot easier when you use sandpaper for this. You have already gone through the steps of removing rust from the sword. By removing rust from the sword, one ultimately sharpens the blade of the sword as well.
Rust is the only obstacle to having a sharpened sword. And when one removes the rust completely, that person needs to use finer sandpaper to make the blade sharp.
Continuous but soft rubbing on the blade will create a shiny and sharpened structure on the blade.
But first, you need to make the edge of the blade wet using a little bit of water.
Then rub the paper on the edge of the blade gently. And thus you will have a sharpened sword.
Benefits of using sandpaper
With both coarser structure and finer structure, sandpaper comes in handy to finish off your task by smoothening the metal, plastic, wooden, or other applicable surfaces.
1. Due to different grit sizes, it becomes easier for the user to remove several scratches after rust removal and also ensure a better look on the surface.
2. The least numbered grit provides the highest coarse performance with rough sanding.
3. The finer sandpaper brings back a shiny look on any metal conveniently.
4. It also gives a clear idea to the user that how much he needs to sand the applicable surface.
Different types of sandpaper
There are different types of sandpapers due to different grit size numbers. You will find as low as 40 grit sandpaper and also as high as 5000 grit sandpaper. According to the grit numbers, there are mainly two different types, coarse sandpaper and fine sandpaper.
Coarse sandpaper: The most common coarse sandpaper comes from 80 to 220 grit size. However, the list starts from 40 grit and goes up to 600 grit. In this category, you will get 60 grit, 80 grit, 100 grit, 150 grit, 180 grit, 220 grit, 320 grit, 400 grit, and 600 grit sandpapers.
Coarse sandpapers are used to remove rust or any unwanted things from the metal, plastic, or wooden surface.
Fine sandpaper: Finer sandpaper has the afterward job to ensure a shinier outlook on the surface. Even in the coarse category, some sandpaper can be used as fine sandpaper because of having a comparatively higher grit number. However, sandpapers with 1000 grit numbers or more are considered mostly finer sandpapers.
It includes 100 grit, 1500 grit, 2000 grit, 3000 grit, 4000 grit, and 5000 grit sandpapers for the finishing process.
A few sandpaper reviews
1. Miady 120 To 3000 Assorted Grit Sandpaper
- The manufacturer used waterproof silicon carbide with electrocoating, which is good for wet and dry sanding.
- The package includes 120 grit to 3000 grit sandpapers in total 36 sheets.
- It is usable in wood, automotive, metal, plastic, and craftworks.
- The papers measure 9 by 3.6 inches.
2. 3M Aluminum Oxide Sandpaper
- The manufacturer used high-durable aluminum oxide for the construction.
- It has one sheet very fine, and two sheets each for fine & medium sandpapers.
- These work on wood, metal, plastic, drywall, fiberglass, and paint.
- Each sandpaper measures 9 by 11 inches.
3. HSYMQ 24PCS Sand Paper Variety Pack Sandpaper
- The manufacturer used waterproof and tensile resistant technology for the construction.
- The package includes 120 to 3000 grit sandpapers, where each grit has 2 sheets.
- It is compatible with wood, furniture, toys, and handrails, and so on.
- Each of these papers measures 9 by 3.6 inches.
4. Keama 45PCS Sandpaper, Premium Wet Dry Waterproof Sand Paper
- The sandpaper comes with a silicon carbide with electrocoating construction.
- There are 120 to 5000 grit sandpapers included with 3 sheets for each of the grits.
- It works on metal, craftworks, wood, automotive, and plastic.
- The sandpaper measures 9 by 3.6 inches.