Polishing question

Nonprophet

Nonprophet

Joined
Dec 22, 2010
Messages
231
First let me say, I wanted to post this in the knifmakers forum but I wasn't sure if it was appropriate as I'm not a knifemaker and it seems such a simple question and I don't want to be the new guy rinning around asking stupid questions of the masters. Sort of overkill right?

Now, my question is when people say they have a scotchbrite satin finish on a blade, does that mean they actuall USED scotchbrite pads (little green guys I used to clean my sink) or is this just a definition of the specific grit of sandpaper they use that produces a similar finish? If so what is the grit equivalent of scotchbrite? Thanks guys I know, I know.... newbie question but I'm at the point where I'm finishing my first blade and don't want to use or buy the wrong stuff.
 
ScotchBrite pads can be found in a variety of 'grits' (different colors). A lot of folks DO use the green ones though (they are the most commonly available). If I were to guess, the satin finish produced by the green ones is something that looks comparable to what I've gotten using 400/600 grit wet/dry sandpaper.
 
so 400 or 600 grit would give you approx the same finish in your opinion? Anyone else? I'm going to have to try it.
 
400 would be a better satin finish, 600 would give you the start of a higher polished look.
 
Good to know as I have already gotten up to 400 grit sandpaper. That means I can start right away!
 
you can get some of these wheels and put them on a high speed drill or an air cutoff grinder. pn. 048011 gold wheel 05974 pn. 051144 red 80678. you can see what they look like here http://mysite.ncnetwork.net/ress6fq6/id22.html

if you want to see what kind of job the gold wheel does, here is a link to a knife finished on it. the red produces a similar finish also.
 
richard j said:
you can get some of these wheels and put them on a high speed drill or an air cutoff grinder. pn. 048011 gold wheel 05974 pn. 051144 red 80678. you can see what they look like here http://mysite.ncnetwork.net/ress6fq6/id22.html

if you want to see what kind of job the gold wheel does, here is a link to a knife finished on it. the red produces a similar finish also.
Click to expand...

You forgot the link to the knife Richard. BTW, how do you find those part numbers in that sea of links on the page? Thanks - :thumbup:
 
Richard what you are saying sounds like what I've been looking for but the part numbers and such don't make much sense to me (I'm somewhat short on understanding in general :() and while I see the link to your page the one that links to the knife finished that way isn't there. As for the wheels if you could give me a name brand and a type I could probably find them. This is SO helpful and I really appreciate it!
 
cziv, i have the part numbers on wordpad saved in a folder on my pc. the folder i keep all my knife stuff in is over 1.5 gigs. i saved a lot of stuff over the years :D.

http://mysite.ncnetwork.net/ress6fq6/id31.html here is the knife which shows the finish better. i put a patina on it since then as you can see in the above pictures.
 
Maybe a strange question but in that blade do you get the "grain" of sanding to run the length perfectly straight like that by using a big enough disk that it hits the entire blade at once or can that be achieved by verticle passes? Otherwise I would assume you would have to hand sand with full strokes in one direction if you couldn't use the wheel and run it down the blade that way. Does this question even make any sense?
 
Richard, that knife looks GREAT and that finish is pretty close to what I'm looking for.... oh man I can hardly wait to get started! I would run right out there now except that it's midnight and I should be in bed!:yawn:
 
When a company dose a satin finish they use 3m scotch brite on a 1200rpm. turnnig wheel. Starting out with brown green then white pads to finish(think Smith & Wesson stianless finish).You can do this by hand but it's a knuckle buster.Try from 400 grit thru 1500 on a flat level surface auto sand paper(black paper.
 
i can put some nice finishes on a knife just using my belt sander but it takes a "touch" to do it. (not to mentioin years of practice)
 
BUT! Sandpaper will leave a clear directional scratch pattern, and the scotchbrite will not, if you're careful. The scotchbrite is more of a 'satiny' satin IMO.
Is scotchbrite the same as artificial steel wool?
 
Scotchbrite is 3M Company's trademark for their synthetic steel wool pads, which I believe were the first ones sold, so it became a generic term, just like Kleenex did.
 
I use scotchbrite belts for satin finish after putting in work with lower grit abrasive belts.

satinbasic11.jpg


satinbasic.jpg


DM3.jpg


chop.jpg


sharrrrrrrrp.jpg


2-1.jpg


You have to put the work in early on to get a good "factory" looking brushed satin. It CAN be done by hand with just pads, but it's somewhat of a pain.
 
230, that is EXACTLY the finish I'm looking for. Richard suggested scotchbrite wheels and since I don't have a belt sander I think I'm going to try that. If it doesn't work then my next step will be to try by hand though the idea of it makes me wanna hit myself in the hands with a hammer :)
 
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