Polishing Scratches Out of Stainless Steel Hilt?

I apologize if I’m posting this question in the wrong forum; the moderators should feel free to move it if they think it belongs elsewhere…

I recently purchased a small drop-point hunter made by a fairly well known maker. I’m extremely pleased with the knife…the construction and finish are excellent (or so they seem to my untrained eye). The only minor problem I have with this knife is the appearance of some small scratches on one side of the stainless steel hilt. These scratches are apparently caused by contact with the exposed stitching on the inside of the leather sheath; the stitches abrade the hilt whenever the knife is inserted or drawn. These are very minor scratches in a mirror-polished finish. I normally wouldn’t be concerned about them in a using knife, but the annoyance factor for this small “defect” seems to be exacerbated by the beautiful details on the rest of the knife (mirror-polished blade and beautiful Desert Ironwood scales). Would it be feasible for me to polish out these scratches myself? I’ve searched the forums and have found several postings regarding the use of ScotchBrite pads to buff scratches out of satin-finished steel, but I haven’t been able to uncover any mention of “scratch removal techniques” for high-polished surfaces. I’m afraid that I’m just going to have to learn to live with them, but I decided that I would feel better if I picked the brains of the more experienced forumites and got a definitive answer. Obviously I would want to smooth out the interior of the sheath first, but I’m not sure what the best technique would be for polishing the stainless steel. My options are probably going to be limited by the fact that I have no access to shop equipment (a Dremel tool is about the only piece of equipment I own) and the fact that I have little-to-no mechanical expertise. I’d hate to take a chance on ruining the knife, but I’d also hate to think that I passed on an opportunity to correct the problem due to my ignorance. Any suggestions will be appreciated…

Thinking that I just purchased a beautiful “user”…

Jim
 
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sevenedges

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With a highly polished surface like that, you will probably do more harm then good. If you use the scotch brite you will definetly do harm. It will dull the finish and leave more, larger, scratches. Dremel isnt a good choice either. I would either send it back for polishing or leave it alone. After a few uses she'll have scratches in her anyway. Jeff
 
Jim, DO NOT us scotchbrite. You will be very sorry if you do that. Use a polishing paste like Flitz or simichrome on a clean cloth. Green chromium oxide polish on leather will work very well. Even brasso will probably remove your scratches. You can get Flitz at www.knifeart.com in the knife care section.

The key is to use a very fine grade polish that produces very small (if any) scratches itself. Since this is something that happens in the sheath, I don't think sending the knife back is the answer. Try using parrafin wax to coat the threads that are causing problems. And get a good polish to keep things perfect.

This recent thread discusses the same issues:
removing stains

Paracelsus

[This message has been edited by Paracelsus (edited 08-14-2000).]
 
Thanks, guys…that pretty much jibes with what I was thinking. I knew better than to use ScotchBrite, but I wasn’t sure if there was a low-tech alternative for polishing this type of material. I’ve got both SimiChrome and Flitz on hand; I may give them a try. On the other hand, I may just decide to ignore the scratches and use the blade the way it was intended to be used…I’ll probably get more satisfaction out of using the knife than I would by trying (in vain) to keep it in pristine condition. Maybe one of these days I’ll be able to overcome this “collector’s obsession” with immaculate knives…
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Jim
 
Jim, I've got several small buffing wheels for my Dremel that I use with polishing compounds like tripoli and rouge. These compounds are more for brass and silver, different stuff is needed for stainless steel. Just be careful you don't slip and hit the knife with the mandrel.

[This message has been edited by richard rosvall (edited 08-14-2000).]
 
Thanks again for all of the help and suggestions...I knew I could count on you guys to clarify my options. Now I just need to work up the courage to actually try one on these techniques (before complacency sets in). I'll probably try polishing out the scratches by hand first and reserve the Dremel and polishing compound as a last resort. Hopefully I won't botch up up the knife too much...
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Jim
 
How about trying some of these things on another (not so dear and expensive) knife first?

Hugo.
 
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