polishing out scratches

Mr.BadExample

Mr.BadExample

Joined
Sep 11, 2002
Messages
3,548
Hey gang,
I just finished sharpening my UB (which is my current favorite khuk... a khukuri and a bowie in one) and due to my carelessness I put a few scratches across the blade.
I don't have a buffer or grinding wheel, but what could I use to hand polish these out?
I've gone over it with 2000 grit paper and then Simichrome polish, and it looks alright, but the scratches remain.
 
consider a matte finish, or etch the whole thing. Scratehces don't show up then. You coul localize the etch on just the lower chopping eedge..

Keith
 
You'll have to drop down to a coarser grit, then work your way back up to 2000. Depending on the depth of the scratches, you might try 800, 1000, 1500, 2000 grit, then the simichrome. If the 800 isn't coarse enough try 600. A lubricant will make the paper last longer. Some knifemakers use windex. I tried it once and it seems to do ok. Don't slice the tip of your finger off, like I usually do.:eek:
 
Yeah, if you start with the uber-fine grit, all you end up doing is making the scratches really shiny. Start with the lower grit (600 at the most), and rub at about a 45-degree angle from the direction of the scratch. Move up a grit, and rub at a 90-degree angle from the last time. You should have obscured the scratch with, well, a bunch of littler scratches. When you move up to the rest grits, rub lengthwise along the blade. You may discover that the scratch re-appears as you rub out the sanding marks, in which case you lather, rinse and repeat.

(A pair of Kevlar gloves makes the whole process less dangerous and keeps you from getting grit under your nails.)

Personally, a 600-grit finish suits me just fine for a working knife. A mirror polish is nice, but not very practical.
 
If the scratches originate from sloppy stonework (which we all do sometimes) then you need to go down to the grit of that stone and start with the next grit up sandpaper.

You can hand-sand as low as 220 - that's where I start for a handrubbed finish. Personaly, I actually only take it up to 600 or 1000 grit since I end up putting scratches on them again anyway.

Best-o-luck.

Dan
 
Thanks all! I'll have to get some 220 & 800 paper and maybe one of those sanding blocks that has some give to it. (I have 600, 1500, 2000 grit paper) I'll let yas know how well I fare with it.
 
Just one more word of advice, no matter how tempting, dont skip grits when polishing. Just ends up making more work.
 
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