Mirror Polished Tangs

[William Schrade]

Need a little help here.

I made a Boot Knife by request with a mirror polish, full tang with walnut handles. The customer wants the handle to match the oiled grips on his pistol. What is the best method to sand the scales and maintain the polish on the tang and nickel silver bolsters? I've tried a final buff on the walnut but it looks like crapola.
Thanks

 

[Nathan the Machinist]

Take it easy with the buff. If wood needs more than a couple seconds on a buff to brighten up, it wasn't ready to buff yet.

Here's how I do it:

Once you have things to shape and taken to a relatively fine finish and you've done a good job of keeping the tang and the wood flush (left to its own devices the wood will erode faster) take the wood to at least 800 and leave it alone. Focus on sanding the tang and only the tang up to a near mirror polish with sandpaper and a firm backing. 2,000 grit is good. As you're getting over 800 grit blend a little with the wood. When you're done you'll have a 2,000 grit tang and wood mostly polished to 800 grit. These are both ready for buff. If it takes more than a few seconds, they weren't ready yet. Never try to use a buff to remove noticeable scratches, it's for final polish, otherwise your tang will stand proud.

Buffs like to throw things, be careful with it and take care not to get a corner stuck in it.

 

[William Schrade]

Thanks Nathan,

I ground to 16 Trizact but like you said the walnut wasn't ready yet. So I'm on it now doing the paper work.