A question for knifemakers.

gajinoz

gajinoz

Joined
Sep 2, 2003
Messages
11,650
I should probably ask this over in the knifemakers forum but I'm not a knifemaker so I'd feel a little out of place over there. :)

What's the best way to get a mirror finish (if possible) on a knife I have. I realise that different steels, etc., might polish up differently, but how do you get that really shiny mirror finish?

Yeah, I know, why would I want to, it's just something I feel like doing for my own amusement on a cheap knife.
 
If you want a shiny finnish put on a cheep knife - Try clear nail pollish.
Seriously, they put that mirror finnish by working down the grades of sandpaper to about 2000 grit or less, then hit it with a buffing wheel with compound.
 
Depending on what the current condition of the blade is EG satin finished you start with W&D at about 400 to 600 grit using a lubricant (kero is okay) and start sanding (I use a leather backing) along the length of the blade and then when I go to the next grit I sand across the blade (this will show up and deep scratches that you missed) at about 800 grit plus you do not need to swap directions. I normally quit at 1200 and move to very fine steel wool charged with a polishing compound otherwise use a buffing wheel but care is needed as this is where many knifemaking accidents happen and I wouldn't do it unless you have experience or at least have had some instruction by a knifemaker who knows what he/she is doing.
 
gajinoz said:
Yeah, I know, why would I want to, ...
Click to expand...

All else being equal, a mirror polished blade will resist rust better, not having the surface imperfections that trap moisture.

Also, when you're lost in the trackless wastes of the Great Australian Desert, you can use it to signal to the aircraft searching for you.
 
Basic steps are to sand the blade smooth to remove any scratches then buff with a polishing compound designed for steel.

Buffing is very dangerous.
 
underaged! said:
So if you have some Covert Deanimation knife and you're stranded, you're screwed? :confused: :D
Click to expand...

Yeah, but if an airplane DOES land, you can use your covert deanimator to go through it's aluminum skin AND any comm-bloc body armor. :D
 
Just sanding with progressively finer grits of sandpaper will give some very nice results. Go to the highest grit that you can find, and make sure to remove all of the scratches from the previous grit before moving on. It might not be a true mirror polish but you will be able to see yourself in the blade easily and you won't be risking life and limb at the buffer.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Also, when you're lost in the trackless wastes of the Great Australian Desert, you can use it to signal to the aircraft searching for you.
Click to expand...
Ahh yes, thank you Esav, I knew I could depend upon you to provide some meaning to my aimless wanderings. :)


BTW, not that many planes fly over the great deserts. Well, there may be plenty way up there but none that are going to see any mirrors. I've flown over parts of them in light aircraft and even at 6000 feet there is nothing to see anywhere. It's a lonely place.
 
Thanks for the pointers guys. I'll give it a go soon when I get hold of the stuff needed.

I think I'll leave the buffing wheels alone! :)
 
Flitz puts a decent mirror finish on steel, Simi-Chrome can too, but, for a true mirror finish, there are some extremely high grit diamond pastes that the pros use, don't recall the name though.

Personally, I might consider emailing a well known maker who does mirror finishes, like John Young, SR. Johnson, D'alton Holder, and a guy from South Africa, my memory isn't great, but I think his name is Rob Brown. These guys all put top notch mirror finishes on their knives, and I have a feeling more than one of them wouldnt mind giving you some advice.
 
There was a reply to the question made by one of the best at polishing steel.
George Tichbourne of Tichbourne Knives.
 
gajinoz said:
I should probably ask this over in the knifemakers forum but I'm not a knifemaker so I'd feel a little out of place over there. :)

What's the best way to get a mirror finish (if possible) on a knife I have. I realise that different steels, etc., might polish up differently, but how do you get that really shiny mirror finish?

Yeah, I know, why would I want to, it's just something I feel like doing for my own amusement on a cheap knife.
Click to expand...


If I recall the Bob Loveless video correctly. Bob polished his blades to 400 grit belt at slow speed and then went to a green chrome buffing compound.

From my own expierence. Stiched or loose muslin buffing wheels are dangerous and are the the wheels most people get hurt using. Hard felt buffing wheels have drastically less tendency to grab an item from your hand. People tend not to use hard felt because tool stores don't sell the large ones and you can't load up as much compound in the wheel.

If you have access to a hand held die grinder with a 1/4" collet you can buy mounted felt buffing wheels in the 2" diameter size range an width. You can clamp your blade to a bench or in a vise and remove all danger. Use a less agressive compound like the white or rouge and keep the tool moving and you can get a nice mirror finish, providing you don't have any huge flats. These felt buffs can also be reshaped to get into tight spaces like the plunge grind at the base of the edge.

There are also some nice diamond based buffing compounds that come in a syringe applicator. They can be found at industrial tool shops.
 
Ilovetoolsteel said:
Hard felt buffing wheels have drastically less tendency to grab an item from your hand. People tend not to use hard felt because tool stores don't sell the large ones and you can't load up as much compound in the wheel.
Click to expand...

Does anyone online sell large felt buffing wheels? I have a stiched one and I loaded it with 0.5 micron buffing compound and got a pretty good mirror finish on a Gerber EZ-OUT I was messing with. I was very careful and kept a firm grip on the knife. Although since then I've read a lot of posts about how dangerous buffers are (and I knew they were) but since reading some things here I may shy away from trying to polish a knife with my buffer again. :) My buffer is pretty fast too, I'd like to get one that I could vary the power and run it at a lower RPM.

I got some 0.25 micron Diamond paste from, I believe, www.classicshaving.com, to use to strop my straight razors with after honing them.
 
If its not a huge blade I suggest doing by hand. Get 600, 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit wet and dry paper and some WD40. If you have a vice or workmate type bench then get a 4x2 and a mouse pad. Wrap the mouse pad over one side of the 4x2 and put the paper on that. With everything trying to wrap around the wood trap it in the vice or workmate so its snug against the wood and you now have a great place to work. Use the WD40 to flush the crap as you work. Finish off with an automotive paint rubbing compound to polish if you cant get the real stuff.
 
WadeF said:
Does anyone online sell large felt buffing wheels? I have a stiched one and I loaded it with 0.5 micron buffing compound and got a pretty good mirror finish on a Gerber EZ-OUT I was messing with. I was very careful and kept a firm grip on the knife. Although since then I've read a lot of posts about how dangerous buffers are (and I knew they were) but since reading some things here I may shy away from trying to polish a knife with my buffer again. :) My buffer is pretty fast too, I'd like to get one that I could vary the power and run it at a lower RPM.

I got some 0.25 micron Diamond paste from, I believe, www.classicshaving.com, to use to strop my straight razors with after honing them.
Click to expand...


I buy the large felt buffing wheels locally from a shop that supplies tools and materials to jewelers. You can also get rubber buffing wheels. Those will never grab your blade.

Some safety tips, Never work the item being buffed higher than the shaft on the motor. Don't tighten the bolt that holds the buff on completely tight. This will allow the buff to slip on the shaft if it grabs something.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top