Polishing Brass Bolsters and Pins

J

Jeffinn

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jan 25, 2022
Messages
45
What polishing compound is everyone using to polish brass bolsters and pins? This has been an issue for me for the past few years. I can get a great looking finish using the buffer and either pink no scratch or white compound. But there’s always what I call micro scratches when I’m dome. I hand sand to 1000 grit before polishing. Maybe a new buffing wheel? Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Jeff
 
I use the pink stuff from Pferd for "hochpolitur" ("high polish" maybe, if that's a good translation), never had any issues, even under magnification.
The thing about brass (or anything that's comparably soft, really) is, that once you even think about touching it, especially with paper, it will start to show scratches

Edit: I should mention that the pink stuff is the last step, and I use 2 other compounds "vorpolitur"/brown (pre-polish?) and "politur"/green (polish) before going to pink. Each compound has its own wheel, and brass gets its own wheel as well, since it darkens the wheel, making it unsuitable for anything else
 
Last edited:
Tripoli first and then No-scratch pink. Wipe the knife clean before switching to the Pink polish.

Always use a buffing wheel for only one grade of compound. Store the compound and the wheel in a gallon Zip-lock bag together to keep out dust/grit and prevent accidental cross-contamination.
 
Thanks for the info. I’ll pick up some new buffing wheels and compound and give it a go. The other option is to just go with a brushed finish.
Jeff
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top