Polishing bolsters, removing scratches

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n8swag

Joined
Feb 4, 2012
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Bolsters on this knife I have are a little scratched and need to be polished. Best method?
 
Cheap and fast way is with Mother's Mag wheel polish (Walmart, Target, Auto Zone, etc.) and a rag. Or use Flitz if you are one of those upper crust guys.
 
powernoodle said:
Cheap and fast way is with Mother's Mag wheel polish (Walmart, Target, Auto Zone, etc.) and a rag. Or use Flitz if you are one of those upper crust guys.
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Mothers is the bomb
Haha. I'm pretty average... If I could I would polish it with castrol gtx lol
 
Depending on how deep the scratches are, metal polish alone may or may not remove them. If they're too deep, polishing will just make them stand out more brightly. If it doesn't remove the scratches, a sanding sequence with wet/dry sandpaper will prep it for the polish. I wouldn't go below 400 grit to start (for very heavy, deep scratches/dents in nickel or brass bolsters). Might start instead with something around 600/800 grit; if the scratches are too deep for that, then fall back to 400 and go from there through 600/800/1000/1200/1500/2000. Always a good idea to sand in a linear direction, and alternate direction for each grit by 90°. The 2000 grit should produce a near-mirror shine on brass/nickel, and following with the metal polish (Mother's/Flitz/Simichrome/etc) should finish it off.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
Always a good idea to sand in a linear direction, and alternate direction for each grit by 90°.
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David, I also am in the process of polishing up some scratched bolsters, so let me ask about that. Is it less effective to do both directions while at each grit level, and then repeat at the next grit level, and so on? What I mean is to do a complete series in one direction, and then while staying with the same grit, alternate by 90 degrees and do a like series?

I've also had pretty good luck doing this kind of polishing with the Micro Mesh pads.

Andrew
 
AFAustin said:
David, I also am in the process of polishing up some scratched bolsters, so let me ask about that. Is it less effective to do both directions while at each grit level, and then repeat at the next grit level, and so on? What I mean is to do a complete series in one direction, and then while staying with the same grit, alternate by 90 degrees and do a like series?

I've also had pretty good luck doing this kind of polishing with the Micro Mesh pads.

Andrew
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My meaning was to imply one direction per grit, which is how I've done it. But, there's certainly no harm in doing passes in both directions with each grit, in the name of thoroughness. I think I'd still make a 90° switch in direction, in transitioning from the last pass of the previous grit, to the first pass of the next grit, to ensure the previous grit's scratch pattern is completely cleaned up. That's the bottom line, and if whatever you're doing is accomplishing that, then I see no worries. :)
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
My meaning was to imply one direction per grit, which is how I've done it. But, there's certainly no harm in doing passes in both directions with each grit, in the name of thoroughness. I think I'd still make a 90° switch in direction, in transitioning from the last pass of the previous grit, to the first pass of the next grit, to ensure the previous grit's scratch pattern is completely cleaned up. That's the bottom line, and if whatever you're doing is accomplishing that, then I see no worries. :)
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Thanks man! Haha, thorough explanation. I figured sandpaper with fine grit but I figured I would ask so I didn't destroy something unnecessarily.
 
n8swag said:
Thanks man! Haha, thorough explanation. I figured sandpaper with fine grit but I figured I would ask so I didn't destroy something unnecessarily.
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Even then, try the polish first. No need to sand if you don't need to. If the scratches are still there after polishing, then go to the fine sandpaper. Good luck! :)
 
Thanks, David. It is nice to see some dull and scratched bolsters after they're all shined up and pretty. Good pay off for not that much work.

Andrew
 
I use nail buffer sticks. I used to work for a precious metal company that made parts for pacemakers and other items for the health care and aerospace industry. The parts required a very fine surface finish and they polished them on a speed lathe with nail buffers. The most useful is a two sided 3 grit stick. They mount the grit on to a pad on either side. This makes them much better at polishing. The middle is a thin plastic strip that is great for mixing and applying epoxy. The super fine side gives a super finish after using the other grits. I don't usually have to use the coarse side.
 
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