Blade "polishing" ala the Dremel

H

Harikari

Joined
Sep 27, 1999
Messages
104
Is it okay to use a Dremel tool , felt wheel & polishing compound to produce a mirror finish on knife blades? Is this good or bad for the steel blades? Anybody polish their blades?
 
Good question. I've been wondering the same thing. Also, will a polishing/buffing wheel erase the etching on my blade?

Thanks,
Mitch
 
Hi!
I don't know what should be wrong with that, if you have got the years of time to polish your blade.
Really, it isn't very funny to polish hardened steel with a buffer THAT small. I polished mine for a long time on a 7" by 1" buffing wheel running at a rim speed of about 70 feet per second and found it to be ok, but still a little boring, as for a mirror finish on lets say a 5" blade i needed about 2 to 3 hours. Then some day i had the possibility to try the buffer of a french friend of mine, with a buffing wheel of 20" by 2" running at a rim speed of 350 feet per second and it opened my eyes. The same amount of work in 10 minutes with less heat building up and in a much better quality, too.

Get the machine with the biggest buffing wheel you can find.

Achim
 
I have tried it and it sucks with a dremel. I finally gave up. It was taking forever. It would take a long, long time with a dremel. I am also not sure how it effects heat treat. I would be careful not to let the blade get too hot.

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-Dennis


 
To get around the problem of too much heat buildup, which can effect the heat treat in some steels, is easy. Just work barehanded when polishing. If it gets too hot for you to handle it, just cool it in water. Normally you can hold it in your hands up to a maximum of about 100 degrees celsius, which will not affect the heat treating at all. Above that temperature you won't handle anything for long with bare hands.

Achim
 
I've done it, although not to a mirror shine. I got bored before I got there, and also got it to the point where it is really shiny, but not to that mirror point where it will show every little scratch. It took me about 45 minutes, and within about another 30, I think I'd have the mirror. Or pretty close. It will not remove the etching/laser engraving on Benchmades, because I've done two; one with the old butterfly with "Bali-Song" in the middle, the other with the "BENCHMADE" in the middle of the b-fly. Can't vouch for any other brands.
I was running my dremel on about 3 out of 5 clicks. I made sure, as mentioned above, that the blade did not get so hot that I couldn't handle it (and I mean, grab it tightly). So, based on the tempering tempteratures that I have read, I can't imagine that it hurt the hardness. If so, oh well. BM ATS-34 could probably stand to come down a notch. Either way, I can't tell the difference in edge-holding.
I used the larger dremel polishing wheel, and their standard red polishing compound.

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It's just a ****ing staple!
Outlaw_Dogboy, Pax River NAS, Republik of Marilundt

 
If you stay in one area with the Dremel wheel it is possible to cut a shallow dimple into the steel. While it won't be visible looking straight down at the blade, if you hold the blade at certain angles it will show up.
I personnally would not try this. It, to me, is easier to finish a blade by hand.

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If a man can keep alert and imaginative, an error is a possibility, a chance at something new; to him, wandering and wondering are a part of the same process. He is most mistaken, most in error, whenever he quits exploring.

William Least Heat Moon
 
Good point, although I haven't observed anything like that with mine. I did move the dremel a lot while doing the polishing, kind of a "Wax on, was off" :-) motion.

I should mention that the one that I have done this the most with is a BM Ascent (as opposed to something like a Sebenza), and also have done my Axis a bit.

------------------
It's just a ****ing staple!
Outlaw_Dogboy, Pax River NAS, Republik of Marilundt

 
Hello,

Uhhmm, a Dremel tool?

Im sure it would work to a certain extent,but
im not sure it would look all that great.

Also remember the Surface coverage provided
by that little wheel will more than likely produce an uneven finish.

I am sure glad i dont Polish anything.

A polished blade is Great for the collector,but take one out in the woods for a bit and let it get all marred up, ewwwww!!
a scratched mirror polished blade is as Ugly as Janet Reno in a Thong!!!

Allen Blade
 
Thanks Allen, now I'm going to have nightmares tonight.

------------------
Pete
"Mishaps are like knives, that either serve us or cut us, as we grasp them by the blade or the handle."

 
Please, please never use that analogy again. It's possibly the most frightening thing I've ever read, and I own 12 Steven King novels.
 
Be careful with that dremel, more guns and knives have been damaged by dremels than by anything else. Damage usually results from:
1) Excessive temperatures damaging the heat
treatment.
2) Removal of excessive surface (especially
a problem with surfaced hardened gun
parts)
3) Removing original finish and or markings
(especially a bid deal with antiques
collectables)
4) The urge to modify and improve product
performance. (sometimes drops triggers
and locking mechanisim below safe design
parameters)
 
Best corrosion resistance you can get on a bare blade, Allen. And none of the hassles of coatings. I'd think a truly "tactical" user would cherish the look of a slightly scratched blade
wink.gif


-Drew
 
A while back I nominated a guy who used a Dremel to remove the teflon paint from a blade for the coveted Most Incredibly Stupid Use of a Dremel for something that could be done easier, faster, and better with hand tools award, but polishing a blade with a Dremel ... you've got that guy beat for sure ... this could be a winner, not only in the regular biweekly competition, but even for the annual!
smile.gif


-Cougar Allen :{)

P.S. There is something about a Dremel.... That little thing spins around and around and reduces normally intelligent people to the evolutionary level of a jellyfish ... it's mind control! Excuse me -- gotta run and warn The Wholly Brotherhood and Cisternity of Voracious Truth....

-Cougar :{)
 
Ah, the Dremel tool. Responsible for more primal screams than anything I have had the sorry experience to deal with. As for polishing a blade, get a wire brush and have at it (for that lovely "brushed finish"), for oh, about 10 years or so...
 
Hello,

Yep a mirror polished blade is a good
corrosion inhibiter if properly applied.

I didnt mean to infer that a polished blade is not worthy of field use, it is.

But from my stand point as a maker, and the fact that i offer a Free Refinishing
service on all my Knives if they become " Beat Up" the Bead Blast, Laquer Hard coat finish i apply to almost all my Field and combat knives is Much more time effeciant
to Redo.

My customers seem to appreciate the Fact that they can take my Blades out in the field, Beat the Heck out of them, and if they get scuffed up , bring them to my shop and in 5 minutes have there blade looking the same when it was delivered.

For me and my Knives, A subbdued , Easy to Redo, Tough Field Combat Grade finish is the way to go.

Allen Blade

[This message has been edited by Allen Blade (edited 11 November 1999).]
 
Once I tried to polish my BM975 blade to mirror. First I took sand paper to start with, got totally tired after hours of work. Just then I found my dremel looking like calling me.

30 minutes later, I was very eagerly polishing the blade by hand again.

A few days later, I heard all my friends saw my GENUINE BM975 as made in Taiwan.

You cannot take too much care.

------------------
\(^o^)/ Mizutani Satoshi \(^o^)/
 
A while back I nominated a guy who used a Dremel to remove the teflon paint from a blade for the coveted Most Incredibly Stupid Use of a Dremel for something that could be done easier, faster, and better with hand tools award, but polishing a blade with a Dremel ... you've got that guy beat for sure ... this could be a winner, not only in the regular biweekly competition, but even for the annual!
Click to expand...
Huh? Are you actually saying it would be easier via a different method? Or are you saying that the simple act of polishing a satin finished blade is stupid? Or a black blade, for that matter? (although I haven't done that... yet
biggrin.gif
) Anyway, I'd like to hear of an easier way, because I'm actually getting a little tired of using my dremel.

And I wouldn't worry about getting the blade too hot? If you use a dremel with a polishing wheel (the cloth wheel), take it from a guy who's done the polishing several times... your dremel is gonna burn out before you get the blade anywhere NEAR a temperature that is going to cause a problem. Well, unless you've got some kind of industrial strength dremel. My dremel was getting hot enough it was uncomfortable to hold, while the blade was still barely warm.

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It's just a ****ing staple!
Outlaw_Dogboy, Pax River NAS, Republik of Marilundt



[This message has been edited by Outlaw_Dogboy (edited 16 November 1999).]
 
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