Blade Finishes

I

Ian Fifelski

Joined
Oct 4, 2017
Messages
528
Howdy all,

I've been happy with what I'm doing until it comes to blade finishing. I currently have 5 blades that are "done" but I feel they need a nicer finish for that finished look.

For a matte finish is hand polishing the best way to go? How would I go about that? Can it be achieved with a buffing wheel or is it just not the same?
When it comes to a stonewashed finish is that tricky to do? I have always loved that look but I've never seen it done.

If you have any other finishing ideas I'd love to heard them.

A bit about myself: I started making knives when I was 13 and have been making knives for two years now and got my shop all set up this past summer. This is my first thread on here.
Thanks
 
Hand sanding to get all of your grinding marks out is a good start. It can leave you with a nice and even satin finish. There are some good videos out there on how to achieve a good hand sanded finish.

I have done a poor man's stone wash before and it turned out pretty well. I took a bunch of small, smooth river rocks, cleaned them off, and put them in a tool box. Spray it with a good dose of wd-40, then put your blade inside. Close the lid, then shake the box... You can check on the progress every now and then, and put the blade back in if you're not satisfied with the finish.

Other than that, a Scotch Brite belt gives a nice uniform finish as well.
 
Hand sanding is a must imho.
Finnish to a different grit for different looks, or even two tone.
Etch in FeCl3 and play around with simple stone washing as Alexander sugests.
 
I recently got a scotchbrite belt. It leaves a nice “machined” satin finish. I only have a medium right now, I’d like to try the fine next. It’s not quite the same as a hand finished satin, but boy is it a LOT faster.
 
I've used Scotchbrite belts for years. Belt finish to 220 and then hit it with the Scotchbrite. I hit the blade one more time after the handle is complete and polished.
 
I like cork belts for machine finish. If I'm hand sanding it's going to likely be 1000 grit. Just recently I've started buffing at 600 grit then hand sanding with 1000. Easier to see the scratches and I end up with a cleaner 1000 grit satin.
 
S.Alexander said:
Hand sanding to get all of your grinding marks out is a good start. It can leave you with a nice and even satin finish. There are some good videos out there on how to achieve a good hand sanded finish.

I have done a poor man's stone wash before and it turned out pretty well. I took a bunch of small, smooth river rocks, cleaned them off, and put them in a tool box. Spray it with a good dose of wd-40, then put your blade inside. Close the lid, then shake the box... You can check on the progress every now and then, and put the blade back in if you're not satisfied with the finish.

Other than that, a Scotch Brite belt gives a nice uniform finish as well.
Click to expand...
I will have to try that stone wash! What grit do you go down to before washing?
 
The problem with buffing and scotch brite belt finishes is that you will either wash out your grind lines or leave marks above the top of your grind on anything other than a full height grind
 
6nkXwH7.jpg
aiROY4Z.jpg

This is one that I did that way last night. It might look better but my arms got tired
 
razor-edge-knives said:
The problem with buffing and scotch brite belt finishes is that you will either wash out your grind lines or leave marks above the top of your grind on anything other than a full height grind
Click to expand...
That's what a cork belt's for. I usually use a scotchbrite as most of my knives are FFG. For those that aren't, I use a well worn cork belt loaded with green compound.
 
skillgannon said:
6nkXwH7.jpg
aiROY4Z.jpg

This is one that I did that way last night. It might look better but my arms got tired
Click to expand...

I just tried it out with a knife and I am pretty happy. A lot of shaking!:eek:lol

Right now I have what looks a bit similar to... I wanna say galvanized steel. If I keep going will it get that darker grey look of the one above?
 
The barefoot boy said:
I just tried it out with a knife and I am pretty happy. A lot of shaking!:eek:lol

Right now I have what looks a bit similar to... I wanna say galvanized steel. If I keep going will it get that darker grey look of the one above?
Click to expand...


You have to etch it first in ferric chloride before you tumble it.
 
Could I use some other acid? Would vinegar or lemon juice work for this? I just don't have any ferric chloride with me.
 
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