Machine vs Hand Satin Finish

panch0

panch0

Joined
Jun 16, 2008
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Lets say I got two knives exactly the same. One with a 400 grit machine finish with a trizact belt the buffed with white compound and the other a 600 grit hand sanded satin finish. The hand sanding one is alot more work. How much more would you charge for the latter or do you charge the same for either finish. The 400 grit trizact gator belts leave a very nice finish and with a little buffing looks pretty good for a user knife. Thanks and looking forward to your opinions.

-frank
 
Frank the buffed shinny knife brings more money at least around my area ive sold 20 plus knives since I started and they all want shinny. To get a satin finish using the machine takes a few minutes if you have a machine why get blisters.
 
I usually charge the same. Machine finish is less work but a little more difficult for me. Hand sanding takes a little longer but it's less difficult. That's just me.
 
i guess that all depends on how experienced you are at hand rubbed finishes. Obviously one cannot charge thousands more for the hand rubbed finish because he is inexperienced and it took him that much longer compared to a expert who could do the job in 1 hour or less. I say if you're going to use the blade, forget the hand rubbed finish, it's gonna get messed up right away
 
In my opinion a machine finish is a machine finish and a satin finish is a satin finish. I picked up that distinction from a good friend and agree with it. What many of us are now calling "satin" finish is just a soft, decent looking machine finish. Nothing wrong with either, but I don't see them as interchangeable. I'm mostly with Ray, I think my pricing would stay similar. If I had to come up with two price points, I would figure it out from the hand sanded piece and then reduce for the machine finish.
 
Machine finishes usually run vertical on the blade generally making scratches less
visible. Hand finishes run lengthwise of the blade and show scratches easier. If DIY
finishing is important its much easier for the customer to use approximatley the same
grit and get the scratches out on a hand finished blade. Timewise? Providing the
grinding was done well and you've gone to 400 or so hand finishing on a slippie takes
only a few minutes. Deep scratch sins are hidden much easier with belt or machine
satin rather than hand finishing.
Ken.
 
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