S35vn mirror finishing

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outdrlvr

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Does anyone have any experience or knowledge on how to get a mirror finish on S35VN? I am going through great pains in trying to bridge the gap between 1200 belts and the buffer. On the buffer I have tried black, green, pink and even a scotch brite wheel but that sent me backwards. It was medium. I thought I'd try fine or extra fine but it rounds out the edges so don't think that is an option. I can't get out 1200 sand lines. Haven't tried the grey(black magic) yet. Anyone? John.
 
Welcome to Bladeforums! :)

Custom & Handmade is for discussion of finished knives.
Your question fits better in Shop Talk, so I moved it there.
 
outdrlvr said:
Does anyone have any experience or knowledge on how to get a mirror finish on S35VN? I am going through great pains in trying to bridge the gap between 1200 belts and the buffer. On the buffer I have tried black, green, pink and even a scotch brite wheel but that sent me backwards. It was medium. I thought I'd try fine or extra fine but it rounds out the edges so don't think that is an option. I can't get out 1200 sand lines. Haven't tried the grey(black magic) yet. Anyone? John.
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If your knife has flat, planar surfaces, you can use stones to get a surface as shiny as a puddle of mercury. On a couple smaller knives I've made, I've gone all the way up to 8,000 grit and had an absolutely mirror-bright finish with no visible scratches whatsoever, but those were small blades with Scandi grinds.

Short of that, you might go to some place that sells supplies for auto body repair work. If I recall correctly, I seem to remember seeing sandpaper as high as 2,000 grit.

Best of luck.
 
I use Norton Black Ice paper up to 2,000. There are 3M polishing papers available down to 1 micron. That's VERY fine.

The problem isn't really the techniques you're using; you're dealing with steel that has a fairly large amount of vanadium in it. That's an important part of what gives it its wonderful wear-resistance... great for edge-holding, not so great for polishing or buffing. There's a reason you see very few S30V or S35VN blades with a high polish, it's simply a lot of work.

You didn't mention, but it sounds like the blade is already hardened? That certainly won't make things any easier. I try to get very close to finished dimensions and polish before HT on all the steels I use; especially stainless and especially high-vanadium grades.

You may consider CPM-154 for the next blade; it's very close to S35VN in performance but easier to get a liquid-looking polish on. I still recommend doing most of the finish work before HT, though.
 
I had the idea that one reason for changing from S30V to S35VN was to get a steel that was easier to mirror polish . For those who have used both , is that correct ?
 
james terrio said:
I use Norton Black Ice paper up to 2,000. There are 3M polishing papers available down to 1 micron. That's VERY fine.

The problem isn't really the techniques you're using; you're dealing with steel that has a fairly large amount of vanadium in it. That's an important part of what gives it its wonderful wear-resistance... great for edge-holding, not so great for polishing or buffing. There's a reason you see very few S30V or S35VN blades with a high polish, it's simply a lot of work.

You didn't mention, but it sounds like the blade is already hardened? That certainly won't make things any easier. I try to get very close to finished dimensions and polish before HT on all the steels I use; especially stainless and especially high-vanadium grades.

You may consider CPM-154 for the next blade; it's very close to S35VN in performance but easier to get a liquid-looking polish on. I still recommend doing most of the finish work before HT, though.
Click to expand...
Just FYI, I literally mirrored my CRK Sebenza INSINGO Blade with a mirror finish in what seemed to take no less tha 3.5 total minutes. Totaled mirrored at the highest level and its sharper than any Rex-45( (which i love) I own. And quite frankly, I fuckin hate s35vn....it’s so damn soft. If you have the right tools (in this case simple “LAPPING FILMS”) it’s faster thank any other steel I’ve tried... and I’ve tried them all ....
 
outdrlvr said:
Does anyone have any experience or knowledge on how to get a mirror finish on S35VN? I am going through great pains in trying to bridge the gap between 1200 belts and the buffer. On the buffer I have tried black, green, pink and even a scotch brite wheel but that sent me backwards. It was medium. I thought I'd try fine or extra fine but it rounds out the edges so don't think that is an option. I can't get out 1200 sand lines. Haven't tried the grey(black magic) yet. Anyone? John.
Click to expand...
TO ALL, let me save you time. S35VN is the EASIEST OF ALL STEELS IVE EVER WORKED WITH TO OBTAIN A MIRROR FINISH. WHAT YOU NEED:
  1. KME SHARPENING SYSTEM (or any other guided system...except for lansky-don’t use that garbage on your knives)
  2. 1” X 4” KME GLASS BLANKS
  3. LAPPING FILMS -DIAMOND - a progression from 3 Micron down to 0.5 micron (3,2,1 &0.5)

...it will take you no less than 5 MINUTES. S35vn and s45VN seriously are super simple to shine and stay polished. Man they stay polished well. Good luck. Ask any questions guys! Hope that helps!
 
This thread is almost 10 years old.

Is the OP talking about the blade or the edge here?

Hoss
 
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