Are there any knife makers left that do a high polish?

i4Marc said:
My comments come from the perspective of a relatively new maker who hasn't "lived it" they way many of you have. My personal opinion is that a high polish is evidence of skill and a beautiful finishing touch. But it is a matter of taste. There was a time when almost every blade you saw was polished and that got old for me. And like anything else, it depends upon the level of skill with which it was done. Just to put a shiny finish on while leaving tiny scratches behind or washing out contour lines and corners doesn't do anything for me. When done properly though, a mirror finish with crisp details is a beautiful thing indeed. But it is a bit like soldered guards. Those who can do it and are in the habit of doing it will argue that it is the best way to go and that if you can't do it you are not a real knifemaker. Well, I don't see how that kind of opinion helps anyone. Soldered guards and mirror polishes might be seen as a vestige of a time when craftsmen went the extra mile. It's kind of like the older pinned and recessed Smith & Wessons. But If you think about it, no less work goes into a well done hand satin finish or epoxied guard. You can fill a not so perfect guard joint with solder. You can take a blade finish to 400X or 600X and start buffing. A well epoxied guard can't hide flaws. The fit of the seam must be perfect or it will show. A good hand finish requires a lot of time sanding through the grits and scrutinizing the surface under magnification, using tools and techniques that keep contour lines straight and crisp. That is also a sign of craftsmanship. So I wouldn't consider that inferior.

To answer the OP's question, I think TK Steingass does high polish finishes.
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If the guard is fitted tightly enough then no solder is required. Larry
 
kuraki said:
This is something I'll never understand. If you're able to do something few others are willing or able to do, and there is demand for it, why would you try to convince everyone else to do it too?

It's really simple for me. I hate doing it, and while I can appreciate the labor and skill that went into a well done mirror polish, I can't find any personal satisfaction in doing it because the result was never worth the cost to me. I make knives more for personal satisfaction than profit, and I don't think there is a huge under supplied customer base screaming for polished knives throwing money around anyway. So if someone comes to me begging for a high polish knife, I'll just send him to you guys, and we'll all be happy.
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This x2. I can and have done mirror finishes, but I have never had anyone ask for one. The only time I do them is if I get an urge to do a lot of hand sanding. That only happens if i had a really stressful day and need to do something mindless for a few hours.
 
Some would tell you that there is a difference between a TRUE mirror polish and what they might call a traditional very shiny MACHINE polish.
 
"They sit in their cases never to be used". Yes just like you don't use folding knives on hunting trips. YUKKKA!!! Frank
 
jdm61 said:
Some would tell you that there is a difference between a TRUE mirror polish and what they might call a traditional very shiny MACHINE polish.
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I was just wondering when is a finnish considered mirror polished?
I never took a blade higher then 2500grit because I never got sandpaper any finer.
2500 is very shiny, but not as as shiny as say my bathroom mirror.
 
I've done mirrored flats on 2 folders, needless to say - never again. I'm too much of a perfectionist and even one little cross contamination scratch rubs me the wrong way. A true mirror polish doesn't start to happen until 1 micron, but I wouldn't be happy until about .25 micron which is where the haze really goes away.
 
kuraki said:
Or fake hammer marks and scale.

I don't own a suit either.
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You Might rethink that last statement....Like the Rest of US you showed up DAY 1 wearing the one you get up with everyday:p:D:eek:
 
Hengelo_77 said:
I was just wondering when is a finnish considered mirror polished?
I never took a blade higher then 2500grit because I never got sandpaper any finer.
2500 is very shiny, but not as as shiny as say my bathroom mirror.
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Apparently you can get higher specialty grit sandpaper easily from stores that supply auto repairers.
 
You can do a mirror polish with absolutely no hand sanding.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
You can do a mirror polish with absolutely no hand sanding.
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Yep. When I do a mirror finish (not that I have done a perfect one) I sand on the grinder to 400 and then 600 and 800 cork belts. I then move to the buffing wheel using three progressive compounds
 
I have a hard enough time convincing people that that a knife doesn't have to have a obtuse, chunky convex hatchet edge to be tough:(
 
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