How do I get that mirror

C

'cacci

Joined
Jul 24, 2008
Messages
51
I am a novice maker. I'm using ATS34 and can't get the mirror finish I'm looking for. I'm grinding and hand rubbing to 1200. Then I use the green rouge on a loose muslin 6" wheel. I am clearly missing a step. Can anyone fill the gaps for me?

Thanks.
Jerry Marcacci
 
I haven't worked with any stainless steels yet, but for my carbon steels I have been going all the way to 2500 to get mirror finishes.
 
Yep 1200 won't give you a good mirror,I go to atleast 2000,and use a 1" sewn muslin buff,it's a little stiffer.
Make sure all scratches are out at lower grits or it will drive you crazy,400 grit and above will not remove scratches.
Stan
 
Results depend on quality of the steel also. At one time ATS-34 had a fair amount of inclusions which tend to get picked out by the buffer. This leaves small pits in the steel. A free machining grade of steel such as 416 can have the same problem.
Larger carbides can cause problems ,that's why a CPM steel polishes better than a standard grade [ 154CM vs CPM 154 ]. Very hard carbides such as vanadium carbides can cause problems also , that's why you rarely see a S30V blade with high polish.
 
Yes, in conjunction with the buffing compound. It won't hurt to give the buffing wheel a squirt, too. Apply compound to wheel, squirt with WD 40 while running. Spray blade, then polish. Messy, but it helps.
 
Hi Jerry: Mirror finishing can be challenging, until you finally master the process, then it becomes easier.

For ATS34, belt down to 9 micron, using 3M's film back belts (60, 40, 30, 15, 9 micron). The finer belts 930 and down) should be run fast and with Wd-40 sprayed on them. Use a smooth contact wheel. You need to vary the orientation of the blade on the wheel so that successive belts produce a scratch pattern that is angled relative to the previous grit. Just a few degrees will clearly show you any scratches that you have missed. It may take 4-6 clean, good passes on each side of the blade per grit to get rid of the scratches from the previous belt. This isn't easy to do, but, practice makes perfect.

Once you get to a 9 micron finish that has no left-over scratches, you will be able to see yourself in the blade-it will be reflective.

From here, you need to buff. Most people don't understand that buffing actually moves the metal. (That's moves, not re-moves!)

To do this, you need lots of pressure and heat. You get that from speed!

A 1" wide, 10" diameter wheel at 3600 RPM works well. You also need enough HP driving the wheel so that you can apply pressure to the blade as you buff it. A sewn muslim wheel, LOADED with a high quality Green Chrome rouge will do the job. Buff at about a 5 degree angle to the 9 micron scratch pattern, and you will achieve a good mirror finish.

Then, you can switch to a loose wheel, again LOADED with compound, and use lighter pressure to really bring up the finish and get rid of cloudiness..

As has been pointed out, ATS is not the cleanest steel, so you may see minor defects in the finish that are actually in the steel (not going away!)

Also, buffing is VERY dangerous, especially with large wheels and high RPM's. You need strong hands, good concentration and good technique.
 
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