Minor surface scratches

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KenHash

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Sep 11, 2014
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Sorry for this basic question. What is the easiest/best way to remove minor surface scratches on a mirror/near mirror polish blade? Does one have to use sandpaper up to high grits? Or can this be done with polishing wheel and compounds? I mean those kind of scratches that normally you don't notice but notice alot at the right light angle.
Thanks.
 
Some Flitz with a fine cloth might help a little bit, however the deeper scratches will remain. Mirror finishes are tough to keep nice if it's a user knife, even simply cutting cardboard will cause minor scratching everywhere.
 
I would send it back to the manufacturer or custom maker to be re-polished. Using sandpaper will mess up the crispness of the blade grinds and wreck the appearance of your knife in general. I would also not recommend metal polish either as you run the risk of ending up with a small area on your blade that is a brighter color than the rest, with the deeper scratches still there. Re polishing can cost hundreds of dollars and is dangerous for the maker if they use a buffing wheel, so keep that in consideration.
 
You could try a dremel tool with the polishing // buffing attachment along with a dab of semi chrome or similar compound.
 
KenHash said:
Sorry for this basic question. What is the easiest/best way to remove minor surface scratches on a mirror/near mirror polish blade? Does one have to use sandpaper up to high grits? Or can this be done with polishing wheel and compounds? I mean those kind of scratches that normally you don't notice but notice alot at the right light angle.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

Without seeing the scratch in question its impossible to tell just what it would take to remove it. But generally speaking it almost always includes elbow grease and time. If this is a user it would be best to wait until the knife is really ugly. If this is a show piece just for looking I can understand the frustration. But sometimes you have to ask yourself is the risk worth the possible reward. You could have it polished out and grab the wrong rag with piece of grit stuck in the fibers and wipe a new scratch into the blade when trying to polish off fingerprints to check if the old scratch was removed. EIther way I dont know of a compound that will give the same results as hand sanding will. I have seen blades that the polishing was completely done on a wheel and the results are never as nice as a blade that has progressively sanded with finer grits. Sometimes you need to know when to leave well enough alone.
 
I would use Flitz or similar polishing compound myself which is just a very fine metal polish and electric drill or dremel with paper wheel and be gentle. If it is not working, you can always stop. Deep scratches will not go away.
 
Thanks everyone. I'm not talking about any "user" knife, I consider scratches to be normal in that case. I'm talking
about old knives that are collectible/display grade stuff bought second hand, in very good shape except for
very minor scratches on the blade. The kind you would get from cutting cardboard or even rubbing against a sheath.
I've tried Flitz, by hand, by dremmel and polishing wheel but no go. Even went as far as black compound.
Blade ends up ridicuously shiny, but at the right light angle you can still see those minor scratches.
Basically I think that in order to actually "remove" these minor scratches, I'd have to redo the surface (scratch it up to the level of those scratces) and that would destroy the mirror finish on it that's like 99% perfectly fine.
Professional mirror polishing is an option but not sure if it's worth such an effort, just because these minor scratches
bug the hell out of me.
 
KenHash said:
Basically I think that in order to actually "remove" these minor scratches, I'd have to redo the surface (scratch it up to the level of those scratces) and that would destroy the mirror finish on it that's like 99% perfectly fine.
Click to expand...

Yep. That's exactly what knifemakers do when hand finishing a blade, except in reverse. All the previous grit scratches have to be removed or you get to 600 and everything is super clean and then you see that one 120 grit scratch you missed! Yep, you guessed it. Only one way to fix it; drop back to 120 and work up through the grits again. True mirror polish with no tiny scratches by hand is going to suck.
 
Micro mesh is good at removing scratches but it's still down to getting below the scratch to remove it. 1500, 1800, 2400, 3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000 & 12000 grits.
Only way is by hand if you haven't got the tools that a maker has.
 
8steve88 said:
Micro mesh is good at removing scratches but it's still down to getting below the scratch to remove it. 1500, 1800, 2400, 3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000 & 12000 grits.
Only way is by hand if you haven't got the tools that a maker has.
Click to expand...

+ one on this,I have had good results given time and patience.
 
Thank you for this timeless advice. 10 years later it still solves much of this particular problem. Minor scratches do not vanish completely at first, but fade and blend neatly with the blade. What once looked ugly now appears to have been made on purpose to achieve a rawer finish.
 
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