Removing grind marks from old blades

lanceh17

lanceh17

Joined
Dec 11, 2011
Messages
59
So I have this old Case-xx knife and hatchet of my fathers and wanted to try to fix it up for him. He told me the marks on the blade were from his father taking it to the grinder back in the day. Any suggestions on how to remove the marks and restore the polish. The scratches don't seem all that deep and i am thinking of sanding and just working my way into higher grits. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

here are photos.
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I've had luck with sanding by hand, but those are just general use/sharpening mistake scratches. I'd imagine it'd take quite a bit of time to get grinder scratches out, although it's definitely possible.
 
Wet/dry sandpaper. You can probably do all that's needed by starting around ~400 grit, then progress up through 600 - 1000+. If the 400 grit still doesn't work fast enough, start with 220/320. Keep in mind, really deep scratches from the 220/320 will take time to remove.

Assuming your knife & hatchet are simple carbon steel, this sanding scheme should work pretty fast and polish up nice. Sand in a linear direction, such as spine to edge, and alternate direction between each grit (at 2nd grit, go to heel-to-tip, then back to spine-to-edge on the next grit, and so on). If you really want a mirror polish, keep the jumps in grit as narrow as possible. For example:

400/600/800/1000/1200/1500/2000

A simple way to post pictures is to sign up for a free photobucket account. Upload pics there, then copy & paste the IMG code from there, to your posts here.
 
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Pics look good, as do the blades. Scratches & scuffs don't look so bad that they'll need the 220/320 grit. I'd start at 400. The carbon steel used in Case's old blades is great stuff. It seems quite 'soft' on the hones (no super-hard carbides in the steel), which also holds true for sanding. But it takes and holds an excellent edge. I'd be very interested to see the tang stamps on these items, to see if the vintage can be narrowed down. :thumbup:

FYI, a rubber sanding block used with the sandpaper would help to even out the sanding scratches, and will be more comfortable to hold onto. Even a rubber drafting eraser works well (I've used a 'Magic Rub' eraser for this). Could also use a neoprene type drywall sanding block (material is similar to a mouse pad), which would give a much larger working surface area to speed the process.
 
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Well off to the store i go. Sounds like it might not be real easy to find the higher grit paper, but i will find it. Do you think i will be able to restore that mirror polish with a high grit paper(2000?) or will i need a buffer or something?
 
lanceh17 said:
Well off to the store i go. Sounds like it might not be real easy to find the higher grit paper, but i will find it. Do you think i will be able to restore that mirror polish with a high grit paper(2000?) or will i need a buffer or something?
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Try a woodworking store or automotive refinishing supplies. I know Woodcraft stores carry the Norton brand in a full grit range, thru 2000. You'll more likely find the 3M brand in automotive refinishing sources, also to at least 2000, I'd think.

Finishing through 2000 grit will put a nice mirror on most steels. As you progress upward in the grit chain, it also helps to lighten pressure as you go. The goal is to make the scratches as shallow as possible by the time you finish, which will make a mirror polish all-the-more likely. You could follow the sanding with some polishing paste like Simichrome or Flitz.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
Pics look good, as do the blades. Scratches & scuffs don't look so bad that they'll need the 220/320 grit. I'd start at 400. The carbon steel used in Case's old blades is great stuff. It seems quite 'soft' on the hones (no super-hard carbides in the steel), which also holds true for sanding. But it takes and holds an excellent edge. I'd be very interested to see the tang stamps on these items, to see if the vintage can be narrowed down. :thumbup:
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Here are pics of the stamp.
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Wow. That's a nice set. Case started putting the 'USA' mark on their blades in 1965, so this set won't be older than that. And I'm not seeing any indication in my guide that these were produced later than 1968. This set might be a '561 Deluxe Knif-Ax' set. The stag handle accounts for the '5' in the pattern name, and the flared back edge of the axe-head was a feature of the 'Deluxe' version. The regular version ('261 Knif-Ax') had a wood handle, I believe, and the back edge of the axe's head wasn't flared.

See the Google Books link below, it's where I'm finding some of my info (from the 'American Premium Guide to Knives & Razors: Identification and Value Guide, by Jim Sargent):

http://books.google.com/books?id=LL...EwAA#v=onepage&q=case xx 561 knife ax&f=false

At any rate, that's a great-looking combo you have there. :thumbup:
 
Thanks alot. In the reading there it says this is chrome plating. Do the same rules and ideas apply to the sanding and polishing of the grinder marks on chrome?
 
lanceh17 said:
Thanks alot. In the reading there it says this is chrome plating. Do the same rules and ideas apply to the sanding and polishing of the grinder marks on chrome?
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That's a good point. I'm not sure how the finish would compare after sanding, assuming the chrome plating is sanded away. I'm sure the underlying steel would polish up nicely, but there may be a difference in the brightness, as compared to the chrome plating.

You might test a narrow area near the edge, of either the knife or the axe, with the sanding process. Since the previous grinding/sharpening marks have already removed/scratched the chrome plating near the edge, there's not much to lose by sanding it to a more uniform appearance. In fact, you might even tape the blade areas that you don't want to touch, so you don't put any unwanted scratch marks on the untouched chrome. I think this is how I'd approach it (carefully).
 
Again thanks, it has been alot of help. I hope all goes well and i don't ruin it/ make it worse.
 
lanceh17 said:
Again thanks, it has been alot of help. I hope all goes well and i don't ruin it/ make it worse.
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Just take your time, don't try to rush or force anything. As I said, test a small area first. Maybe try one of the finer grits (600 or higher) to start, just to get an idea how the chrome/steel comes off. That should give you a clearer picture of what it'll take. Starting with a finer grit is always a good idea anyway, as you might find it less necessary to use a coarser grit. No need to go to the extra work of removing heavy sanding scratches from the coarse grits, if they're not really necessary to get the job done.
 
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