Finishing.....how far

C L Wilkins

C L Wilkins

Joined
Mar 18, 1999
Messages
2,112
After the last thread (aka brushfire) I started, I am a little gun shy with starting any more.

I am finding that I am drawn to a more hand rubbed finish (to about 1200 grit) instead of everything being mirror finished. This is due to a number of reasons. The primary reason is that now, I want the knife to look the same a couple of years down the road as it does today. If a knife is "highly polished" then once it is used, it looks like, er, well, you know...

I know when I first started a number of years ago my buffer always got a heavy work out. It is now basically in semi-retirement.

C Wilkins
 
I agree Craig.

A mirror polish done well is pretty...but I don't think anything looks cleaner or more pristine than a well done hand-sanded finish.

I like it on the blade and handle fittings.

I can do a polish with mostly machine work and not too much hand-work...but that really clean hand-sanded finish takes some serious hand work (for me).

Nick
 
I have started going to a 2000 grit finish then burnishing it with notebook paper.This gives a nice shine with the hand rubbed finish and the only time the buffer hits the blade is when I sharpen the knife.I used to do allot of buffubg myself but am trying to get away from it more and more.Now if I could just get the guards hand rubbed after soldering them on I wouldn't buff them either.
Bruce
 
I do more hand rubbed finishes by far, but I also like a good ("good") mirror finish. The kind where the grinds lines stay sharp and the surface reflects uniformly without haze or light scratches. For me both take about as much time and both will need touch up after some hard use if you want to keep the looks.
 
To me, a mirror finish has no texture or rhythm. I much prefer a satin finish, I don't care if it's scotchbrite, or handrubbed.
If I buy a knife with a mirror finish, the first thing I do, is put a satin finish on it. :eek:
 
I agree, with everyone.I am in the middle of the road on which
type of finish I am going to put on my work,beging new, there
are alot of differnt things to think about.a proper hand finished
blade is a work of art.I agree a satin finish just has some apeal
to it.
 
Truth is, after taking it down to 1200 with the palm sander I usually put a mirror polish on - before the 1200 hand finish. :D It really puts a light under it. I like Bruce's paper burnishing too, going to have to take this a step further...

Dave
 
I have never acheieved a successful hand rubbed satin finish. I am just starting out making knives, and right now I take most of my knives to a pretty high grit finish on my grinder, and then buff them until they are shiny. I haven't acheived a mirror finish I am happy with yet, but I am getting closer. I think I am weird though, I prefer the look of a really rough grit machine finish, I beleive Bob Dozier finishes most of his knives this way, but I like the way knives look with a nice uniform 220 grit finish. I also like bead blasted blades though, so maybe I am weird. Most of my customers seem to prefer the higher polished blades.
Kyle Fuglesten
 
A really nice satin handrubbed finish is actually more difficult to do than a mirror polish according to some. I don't have any buffing equipment, so I have no choice. There is a zen-like concentration required when doing hand rubs, especially when you are getting up into the 1200 or 1500grit range and trying to avoid any "fish hooks" in the rub.

Many "non-knife" people look at a mirror polished blade and go "wow." But most discerning collectors and other makers seem to admire the nicely done satin finish more. Perhaps they understand the skill that goes into a nice satin hand rub ? or that satin finishes actually make some lines bolder and more crisp ?

I think the problem is not that mirror polish is ugly. Its that I think that a lot of under-experienced makers try to use the buffer excessively and do a bad job of it - cloudy finishes, didn't take out all the coarse gouges, washed out grind lines.

I think that a very well-done mirror polish that manages to "maintain" all the features on a knife without washing them out with excessive buffing, is as nice as a fine satin hand rub.

THE PRACTICAL SIDE - On my 600-800grit satin hand rubbed working blades, I teach customers to take gunk and staining off the bladw by doing their own hand rub. Use green 3M Scotchbrite scouring pad on a a flat edge eg.- of a table and placing the flat of the blade against it, pull the blade across the scourer. This runs with the direction of the hand rub and picks out dirt and grime from the blade.

Just thought I'd throw that one in.

Cheers.
 
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