Patina removal

Green on the strop works really nicely for burnishing all steel bolsters. My Lick Creek Farmer's Jack looks a treat after a good session.:thumbup:

A lot of my blade patinas do become very seedy looking if I don't use the knife regularly, knives thrive on exercise too:D
 
I've not used the Super Eraser, but have found their polishing paste good. Flitz is hard to get hold of here, but I recently had some shipped, and am impressed, slightly better than the Super paste I think. As has been noted, the eraser will satin finish the blade, but Flitz and the Super paste are less abrasive, allowing the mirror polish to be retained/restored to a large extent.
 
Several posts in this thread about using different techniques to satin finish a blade.. wondering if someone has gone through the trial and error and can recommend the best route to go?

Super eraser, scotch pads (green?), or a strop with green compound?
 
I think I explained it weakly. I've found the strop and compound great for polishing up bolsters and handles. I seem to recall Levine stating that crocus finish was obtained using Walrus hide polishing wheels in the c19th. I have no walrus hide (fortunately as they're endangered) but leather will shine stuff really well: a very dull matte horn handle really came back to life after a session. Not for matte anyway!
 
The super eraser is great for cleaning ceramic sharpening rods/blocks. Because of the diamond dust that's in the eraser is removes the metal build-up and makes the ceramic much more effective on the blade.
 
cbr1000 said:
Several posts in this thread about using different techniques to satin finish a blade.. wondering if someone has gone through the trial and error and can recommend the best route to go?

Super eraser, scotch pads (green?), or a strop with green compound?
Click to expand...

  • Strop with green compound will polish more than create a satin finish. On some very wear-resistant steels, it may not work very well at all to significantly change the finish. For satin finish, I'd avoid this completely.

  • Scotch-Brite pads can more easily satin-finish softer metals, like brass or nickel; I'd say they're best for these metals. They can still work on hardened knife steel, but the finish will tend to be finer than seen on brass/nickel. This is because the abrasive and it's substrate (the pad itself) work less agressively on harder materials, so the scratches produced won't be as deep or well-defined.

  • The 'super eraser' blocks will tend to behave a lot like the Scotch-Brite pads, due to the relatively soft (rubbery) binder used. So, a better result, i.e., more 'satin', will be seen with softer metals, and less-so with harder metals.

  • For a method that's guaranteed to leave a crisp, clean satin finish on hardened steel of most any type, I'd suggest using wet/dry sandpaper (SiC/AlOx) over a very firm or hard backing (wood, stone, etc). More often than not, something around 220-400 grit will closely emulate a lot of satin or brushed factory finishes on blades.


David
 
Last edited:
Obsessed with Edges said:
  • Strop with green compound will polish more than create a satin finish. On some very wear-resistant steels, it may not work very well at all to significantly change the finish. For satin finish, I'd avoid this completely.

  • Scotch-Brite pads can more easily satin-finish softer metals, like brass or nickel; I'd say they're best for these metals. They can still work on hardened knife steel, but the finish will tend to be finer than seen on brass/nickel. This is because the abrasive and it's substrate (the pad itself) work less agressively on harder materials, so the scratches produced won't be as deep or well-defined.

  • The 'super eraser' blocks will tend to behave a lot like the Scotch-Brite pads, due to the relatively soft (rubbery) binder used. So, a better result, i.e., more 'satin', will be seen with softer metals, and less-so with harder metals.

  • For a method that's guaranteed to leave a crisp, clean satin finish on hardened steel of most any type, I'd suggest using wet/dry sandpaper (SiC/AlOx) over a very firm or hard backing (wood, stone, etc). More often than not, something around 220-400 grit will closely emulate a lot of satin or brushed factory finishes on blades.


David
Click to expand...

Thank you, I've come across many of your posts in bladeforums and they always point me in the right direction ... much appreciated.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top