Polishing Tip

B

Brian C

Joined
Jan 22, 1999
Messages
2,414
Since there have been quite a few questions about removing scratches, I thought I'd pass along a polishing tip that Sal Glesser first posted on the Spyderco Forum. I forget whether the question pertained to removing scratches on blades or metal handles, but Sal mentioned that Spyderco uses Scotch-Brite so I decided to give it a try.

Since I don't have a bench-type belt sander, I went in search of hand pads and found two types in the local Home Depot. Although specific grits are not stated, Scotch-Brite 7447 (maroon) is marked as "very fine" and Scotch-Brite 7448 (gray) is marked as "ultra fine".

My first test subject was an old Puma Bowie that was also my first quality knife. It had been badly scratched from both years of hard use and some less than careful sharpening. In addition, I had it bead blasted about 15 years ago in my first attempt to improve its appearance. [I know, I know.
frown.gif
Please don't yell. I still feel badly about it.]

Anyway, rather than using the pads by hand, I used double-sided tape to attach them to an old cutting board to both protect my fingers and ensure more even pressure on the blade. The contraption was then held stationary while I moved the blade.

I started with a maroon Scotch-Brite pad and, after a few hours of on again/off again effort, wound up with a very nice satin finish. I then moved on to a gray Scotch-Brite pad and eventually achieved a near mirror finish. The remnants of a couple of the deeper scratches are still visible, but you really have to look for them.

The next knife to get this treatment was an aluminum-handled Spyderco Police that I had bought used. The blade was pristine but the handle was badly scratched from bouncing around in the previous owner's glove compartment. After a minimal amount of effort, the maroon pad had removed all of the surface and most of the deeper scratches, leaving a nice brushed aluminum appearance. I moved on to a gray pad and soon had the satin finish of a new knife. (Like the Puma, the remnants of a few deeper scratches are visible, but you really have to look for them.)

I haven't tried it on a khukuri yet, but I'm sure I'll like the results when I do.

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Cheers,

--+Brian+--

 
Brian,

Can you describe the angles of stroke and techniques you used to do the polishing?

Thanks much,

The Other Brian.
 
Brian,

The pads are roughly 6" x 9" x 3/8" thick and I mounted them flush with a corner of the cutting board. For the Puma (c. 6" blade), I taped the guard to protect it from the Scotch-Brite, placed the blade flat on the pad, held the knife by its handle, and made fairly light, very rapid strokes -- back and forth -- vertical to the long axis of the knife.

Since the pad compresses, the beveled portion was making some contact as well and it wasn't initially necessary to angle the blade. Once I had the desired finish on the flats, I did angle the blade so that better contact was made with the beveled area. When working this area, however, I stroked only from the spine toward the edge (as in stroping) to avoid cutting into the pad.

For the Spyderco, I removed the clip and, using only enough finger pressure to hold the knife, worked it back and forth along the long axis of the handle.

I like this method because it is relatively fast and doesn't require a high degree of concentration to both stay safe and get good results. In fact, most of the work was done with the board across my lap while watching TV. By keeping the edge away from me, there was no danger of being cut even if -- and when
smile.gif
-- the blade slipped off the pad since it would simply hit the cutting board.

If I were to use it with my 18" WWII, I would attach 4 pads, making a 12" by 18" working surface. In this way, most or all of the blade could be in contact with the Scotch-Brite at all times, reducing the amount of time needed for the job. Also, by not holding the pad, you are not putting your fingers in the way of the edge if your attention should stray.

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Cheers,

--+Brian+--

 
Thanks, Brian!

Brian.

(We're starting to sound like the Department of Redundancy Department!)
 
And think of the confusion! If I had three more Mikes and three more Brians I would never get the khukuris to the rightful owners!

Spare me.

Uncle Bill
 
I work for a small shop that custom fabricates kitchen and bathroom countertops. We do a lot of work with solid surface products. The final finish is applied with these pads. I never thought of using them to polish a knife blade. One you might want to try is to put the "Scotch Brite" pad on a orbatol sander that has a velcro pad on it. Keep the pressure even don't push down on the sander(let the sander do the work).finish off with the grey pad.

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Bill P
 
Thanks for the suggestion, Bill P. I'll have to give it a try.

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Cheers,

--+Brian+--

 
Has anybody tried attaching Scotch Brite to one of the Dremel attachments?

Off he goes to figure this one out...

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Knowledge without understanding is knowledge wasted.
Understanding without knowledge is a rare gift - but not an impossibility.
For the impossible is always possible through faith.
- Bathroom graffiti, gas station, Grey, TN, Dec, 1988
 
Has anybody tried attaching Scotch Brite to one of the Dremel attachments?
Click to expand...
I haven't but you do have me thinking, Codeman. What about sandwiching a 1" or so round piece between two small washers, on a cutoff wheel mandrel? Hmmm... guess I'm packing my Dremel along on next week's vacation.
wink.gif


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Cheers,

--+Brian+--

 
I found some fine and extra fine scotchbrite pads while I was packing some things. Tried them on my villager and my AK. Works as advertised! Beautiful satin finish. I'll have to look for some ultra fine and go for the mirror look!

Mike
 
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