Buffing Smuffing lets start a debate!

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I have been working on getting a really good mirror polish finish technique down.
YEA Right
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Every time I finish a blade and think Man thats a good polish I notice the imperfections at different levels. In different light situations I can see scratches appear from nowhere. What looked perfect during the day is now showing those microfine buffer pad scratches under the kitchen lights at night. YIKES
This is after taking it to a complete 1200 grit using 3M Trizact belts.
I was told by D'Holder to use a loose Muslin buff with K&G Green Chrome and get the metal hot, for it to work correctly. I have been told by others to use the same compound with a sewn buff.
Which one?
Loose Muslin & Green chrome?
Sewn & Green Chrome?
 
yes...be careful with that loose buff...if you push to hard you will have a new hole in your body....I am sure D' loves his polishing technique...but that doesnt mean you have to do it the same way....the MOST important thing about a mirror polish is NOT the buffing...but everything you do before the buff....so that your buffing is minimal and light.....that means being VERY thorough in getting out the scratches as you move from grit to grit down to a very dull 600 or 800 grit belt.

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Yea your right Tom, I was getting these nasty little 60 grit scratches coming to the surface even after I thought they were gone. Thats where it pays to leave a little extra steel on the blade from the begining
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From what I am seeing as you progress thru the grits you have to know when to STOP!!!
This is where the learning curve IE: Practice, Practice and more Practice comes into play. If you only grind on weekends or maybe a day or two a week it is easy to forget a step. Or go to far with one grit ETC. I am starting to take more time and actually write some of this stuff down as I go. Then when I restart a new batch of blades I take a minute to look over my notes.
I just keep a scratch pad on the workbench.
I have found my pens ink has a much better memory than I do. Of course I don't remember much of the 60's either
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I use a hard buff at 3600rpm with green chrome. Works great. I never found the green chrome to work especially well at 1800rpm, and usually used white compound to get a decent polish at that speed.

If you look at the polished blade reflecting a dark background you will see all kinds of ugliness that isn't visible in normal lighting. The show in Mesquite had that kind of lighting (halogen lights under a black ceiling), and it showed every scratch!

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Jerry Hossom
www.hossom.com
The Tom & Jerry Show
 
after a belt i polish by hand using emery cloth thats allready worn down. then i use brasso with the emery cloth , and to finish i use a buffing wheel with jewelers rouge (and plenty of water!).
 
What kind of set up do you use with water?

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Ive found the most important place to concentrate is at the 120 grit and 220 grit stages...because thats where youre going to get out all your 50 0r 60 grit scratches and then the 120s with the finer grit....so if you go from a fairly fresh 220 to a dull one you should be able to distinquish all the deeper ones at this stage.....the rest is all polishing really, and you dont have to worry about 320 and up scratches nearly as much as the coarse ones.......(all this from a guy who hasnt mirror polished a blade in over a decade.....
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