i have a blade i want polished to a mirror shine. my questionis this, i have the blade buffed to a mirror shine and the handle glued on and the tang sanded to 2000 grit. can i buff the tang edges with the buffer and green chrome or will the wax in the compound keep the tru-oil from sticking properly? and how do i clean all the green chrome from the wood? and if i cant use the buffer then how can i get the tang edges to a mirror shine? thanks,willy
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full tang handle polish?
- Thread starter willy m
- Start date
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2005
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- 1,464
I always finish the handle all the way out, including any protective finish to the handle material prior to buffing the handle
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2008
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- 10,188
Hi,
If the handles are just glued on you should be able to sharply tap the handle on a log or something, they may pop off. If not, don't get the green chrome on the handles when buffing, the green gets into the wood grain and is a pita to get off. One idea, you could tape the slabs with duct tape, leaving the tang edges exposed, and then buff.
Good luck
Dave
If the handles are just glued on you should be able to sharply tap the handle on a log or something, they may pop off. If not, don't get the green chrome on the handles when buffing, the green gets into the wood grain and is a pita to get off. One idea, you could tape the slabs with duct tape, leaving the tang edges exposed, and then buff.
Good luck
Dave
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2006
- Messages
- 814
For a situation like this, I use a small buffing wheel on a dremel. I carefully tape the scales with painter's tape so only the tang is exposed and then polish with the pink rouge and the dremel (about an 1/8" - 3/16" wide wheel). This must be done carefully so that you don't burn off the tape and ding the scales, but once you get the hang of it, it's child's play.
I then clean off the leftover residue from the tang with either WD-40 or parts cleaner (for a food service knife I buff it off with a rag - but it takes longer) BEFORE peeling off the tape.
Usually, I tape up the blade and clamp it in a vise so I can have both hands free when doing this (the steadier you are, the easier it will be). If you don't have a dremel, you can get a no name rotary tool pretty cheap at Wal-mart.
Oh, and I use painter's tape because it's low tack and won't leave a residue on the scales (low tack masking tape). Nothing is more aggravating that trying to get adhesive residue off of wood.
Hope it helps,
Nathan
I then clean off the leftover residue from the tang with either WD-40 or parts cleaner (for a food service knife I buff it off with a rag - but it takes longer) BEFORE peeling off the tape.
Usually, I tape up the blade and clamp it in a vise so I can have both hands free when doing this (the steadier you are, the easier it will be). If you don't have a dremel, you can get a no name rotary tool pretty cheap at Wal-mart.
Oh, and I use painter's tape because it's low tack and won't leave a residue on the scales (low tack masking tape). Nothing is more aggravating that trying to get adhesive residue off of wood.
Hope it helps,
Nathan
Last edited:
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2003
- Messages
- 1,072
White compound would work better, never use green around handle material. If you went through 2000 grit the tang should buff out at the drop of a hat.
Just the way I would do it.
Just the way I would do it.