Polishing a carbon fiber frag scale? (UPDATED WITH PICTURES)

Jensen81

Jensen81

Joined
Oct 3, 2012
Messages
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I received my new carbon fiber frag scale in the mail today from monkey edge. It's a nice scale but I'm thinking about polishing the surface to give it a little shine. Has anyone tried polishing a cf frag or any other carbon fiber scales? If so do you have any suggestions and can you post pics? Thank you.

(SEE BELOW FOR UPDATE AND PICTURES)
 
Last edited:
Thank you for the great video. Im going to try it out tonight. Ill post some before and after pics when I finish.
 
Ok I am happy to say that I successfully polished my carbon fiber xm-24 frag scale. It may be difficult to tell in the pictures but it made a significant difference in the shine and depth of the carbon fiber. Here is the procedure I followed.
1-Wet sand with 1500 (rinsed)
2-Buffed with polishing compound (rinsed)
3-Cleaned with collonite no.920 fiberglass boat cleaner (rinsed)
4-Waxed with collonite no.925 fiberglass boat wax
5-Polished wax
6-Waxed with Zaino professional auto wax
7-Polished wax
8-Coated with Zaino Gloss enhancer
9-Polished Gloss enhancer

Unfinished Pic

hcfunfinished by Jensen13304, on Flickr

Finished Pic

hcfpolish by Jensen13304, on Flickr

hcfcross by Jensen13304, on Flickr

hcfopen by Jensen13304, on Flickr

hcfstandoff by Jensen13304, on Flickr
 
It looks good Jensen, I have a carbon frag scale too but never really liked it much, I may give it the same treatment.

Nice touch with the crusader cross.
 
To be honest I'm not crazy about it either. I really want a smooth carbon fiber scale but I can't find one.
 
Jensen81 said:
Ok I am happy to say that I successfully polished my carbon fiber xm-24 frag scale. It may be difficult to tell in the pictures but it made a significant difference in the shine and depth of the carbon fiber. Here is the procedure I followed.
1-Wet sand with 1500 (rinsed)
2-Buffed with polishing compound (rinsed)
3-Cleaned with collonite no.920 fiberglass boat cleaner (rinsed)
4-Waxed with collonite no.925 fiberglass boat wax
5-Polished wax
6-Waxed with Zaino professional auto wax
7-Polished wax
8-Coated with Zaino Gloss enhancer
9-Polished Gloss enhancer
Click to expand...

It looks like you did a great job. It's like having the best of both worlds, smooth carbon fiber for looks & textured for grip. I might try what you did next time & start out with sandpaper & go up to 2500 grit then polish & wax.
 
Thanks man. I am pretty happy with it. Ill hang onto it until I can find a smooth CF scale. Ill definately polish up the smooth one using the same procedure once I finally aquire one.
 
The carbon fiber frag is lighter than the G10 scale that I had. The thickness is about the same for the frag. I can't speak for the smooth carbon fiber scale because I don't own one. I'm sure it is lighter than g10 and about the same thickness if I were to guess.
 
This is a smooth CF scale, obviously not a Hinderer. But I use Ren wax on it periodically.

Advantages: doesn't show in the photo, but deep dimensional glow. And I put it in my Levi's watch/coin pocket every single day (it was a gift). No scratches or mars. Impervious, apparently.

Disadvantage: it has not much grip. For this small critter, no problem, but for hard use on an XM-18/24, might want more texture. My next XM-18 scale will probably be Ti, but I'd consider CF depending on the look.

Apologize for the non-Hinderer photo.

IMG_0208_zpsd79da9a0.jpg
 
That is a beautiful knife. I love the look of smooth carbon fiber. Although it may not be the most functional choice for a knife scale the appearance of CF makes up for what it may lack in grip in my opinion. I only carry my XM-24 on special occasions so grip is not a huge factor for me on that knife. If it was my EDC I would probably stick with something with a more aggressive grip. I currently use my ZT-0560 as my EDC. I love the grip of the G-10 scale and the machined titanium lockside. I prefer the deep carry clip on the 0560 as well. I wish hinderer would come out with a deep carry clip.
 
This was very helpful. I forgot about this and used renn wax on my new CF scale, but it did not look too good, so I removed it and ordered a chemical Guys wax and that special micro-filament paper. It looks good out of the box, but I like that deep wet look. I used mineral oil to remove the wax, but if anyone know of something better to remove wax - say, if it starts looking uneven though contact with your pockets - I'd appreciate any tips. Thanx to both Jay and Modifiedz; big help to newbies.
 
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