Polish that steel

[gg5]

Would anyone care to tell me how to polish ats 34 steel? I have seen knives that I am sure are ats 34 but can not seem to find the makers to talk too. Any help would be great.

 

[HermanKnives]

i finish mine with 1500 wet or dry 3m paper.
nice finish.

tim

 

[tom mayo]

tims finish is about as close to a mirror as you can get without buffing...but you need to buff with green chrome rouge after that to get a true mirror finish....the knifemakers all stopped doing that (most of them) for a whole bunch of very good reasons. but if you want mirror....get the scratch pattern very fine, like tim says, and then buff, lightly and evenly.

------------------
http://www.mayoknives.com

 

[Glenn]

Tom,
I have also noticed that most makers have gone away from a mirror finish. I am not aware of why. Can you or somebody else share the reasons why?

Regards,
Glenn

 

[george tichbourne]

Mirror finishes are not too much work if you sand carefully first. I sand to 240 grit then belt the surface with a 400 grit belt coated with green stainless steel buffing compound then I buff the surface lightly on a circular sewn buff with green stainless steel buffing compound. If scratches or pit marks show up go back and resand.

Buffing is dangerous if you do not do it properly, get and experienced person to show you how if possible.

The advantages of a mirror finish are appearance, improved corrosion resistance, and ease of cleanup. They tend not to show wear as much as satin finishes.

------------------
george
www.tichbourneknives.com
sales@tichbourneknives.com

 

[tom mayo]

mirror polishes are harder to maintain, the smallest little scratch shows up...they take a lot of time and you have to charge for it, for a lot of art types this doesnt pertain, but to guys who solder their guards on the flux etches the ricasso and a satin finish takes it off a lot easier than mirror. actually the mirror makes it show up more. some knife steels polish a lot better than others...the list goes on...mirror polish was a big 70s thing...i stopped doing it primarily for economic reasons....i could make my knives faster and sell them for a little less....and make more money...a very good mirror finish is very time consumming. lots of guys just buff the crap out of the knife and make it shiney...i have seen several TOP named knifemakers, leaders in the gild (pun intended) with rad scratches and two inch lines just buffed over big time. this guy charges 400+ for his knives. but his name sells them...like a certain maker in riverside.

------------------
http://www.mayoknives.com