Taking polishing to the next level

[res1cue]

So I have a few knives that I have either stripped the black coating off or removed the bead blast. I start out with normal sandpaper, and then I finish with some 600 grit sandpaper I got.

This leaves me with a satin finish with some visible scratches. Like this eskabar:

My question is, how do I get that mirror polish? I have seen some threads advocating for Flitz.. is this what people usually recommend? Or is there an inbetween step I need to do?

 

[Renegade90]

I really like the cord wrap on the handle. I am curious to know the answer as well. I am hoping to mod some knives in the near future and plan on putting a patina on them but I would like to polish one of them up for my wife.

 

[camoninja]

Go up in finer grit sandpaper. Most stop at 2000. Then you can use your flitz etc.

 

[res1cue]

I really like the cord wrap on the handle. I am curious to know the answer as well. I am hoping to mod some knives in the near future and plan on putting a patina on them but I would like to polish one of them up for my wife.

Thanks! It is actually really easy, just the most basic cord wrap I found on youtube

Go up in finer grit sandpaper. Most stop at 2000. Then you can use your flitz etc.

Thanks for the info... I couldn't find any at local stores, I guess this is a specialty item that you find online?

 

[MJF]

Try automotive stores. They tend to have higher grit wet/dry sandpaper available for sale.

 

[Chris "Anagarika"]

Try car painting/polishing supplier. I was told they might have it. Haven't tried that route yet, found 1000 & 1500 from local ACE hardware, painting section. They should have 2000 but out of stock

 

[res1cue]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll keep you guys posted.

So to achieve what I did in the pictures, I spent about an hour on 120 grit, and about 2 hrs on 600 grit.

How long do you think it will take on 2000 and the Flitz? (just ballpark... so I know how many movies to pick up on the way back from the automotive store )

 

[eccvets]

keep going with the sand paper and finish on a buffer.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

A tight sequence of grit, like 800/1000/1200/1500/2000 will always be better. If the gaps from one grit to the next are too wide, it'll be very difficult to remove coarser scratches. Go as far beyond 2000 as you like; 2000 is where the 'mirror' will really begin to pop, assuming each grit has done a good job removing the scratches from previous grits. Be patient with each step, to make sure all scratches from the previous step are gone. The deep, ugly scratches, if not completely removed, really begin to stand out at around 1000 grit. Past 2000, polishing paste, like Flitz or Simichrome, works well.

If you have a woodworking supply shop nearby, that's a good place to look for the wet/dry sandpaper in full-size sheets (9" x 12" or so). Woodcraft carries the Norton brand in the full range of grits, through 2000. It's where I got mine.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

You can't go from 120 (which is too coarse,) to 600 grit. Start with 320 wet/dry sandpaper, then use 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 grits.
You may not be able to find all the grits, and it's OK to skip one or two.

 

[unit]

You can't go from 120 (which is too coarse,) to 600 grit. Start with 320 wet/dry sandpaper, then use 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 grits.
You may not be able to find all the grits, and it's OK to skip one or two.

:thumbup:

And get ready to spend some serious time. Also prepare to either do it again, or not actually use the blade for fear of scratching it. I am sure you have thought of this, but just wanted to throw that out there.

More tips I will offer for polishing, and these are perhaps the hardest to abide. Use the SAME pressure on each step in the grit progression, and clean your media often. What you want to avoid is anything that will gouge your surface and cause you to take multiple steps backward in the progression. This can be difficult and frustrating (ask me how I know)

 

[powernoodle]

Dremel + felt bob + Flitz (or Mother's) + time will do the trick.

 

[TEFL0N_D0N_81]

I'm experimenting with 6000 grit sandpaper. It's not a mirror polish yet (reflections are a bit blurry). I've read about people using 8000 grit (sand paper or japanese waterstones) to get this done. It takes hand skill too which I clearly do not possess.

So I have a few knives that I have either stripped the black coating off or removed the bead blast. I start out with normal sandpaper, and then I finish with some 600 grit sandpaper I got.

This leaves me with a satin finish with some visible scratches. Like this eskabar:

My question is, how do I get that mirror polish? I have seen some threads advocating for Flitz.. is this what people usually recommend? Or is there an inbetween step I need to do?

 

[res1cue]

Thanks so much guys for all the responses. Here is where my project is at currently with the 600 grit. I will be picking up some sandpaper on friday and I will keep you guys updated!

 

[parbajtor]

Ever heard of micromesh? Starts at 1500 and goes up to 12,000. It's fabric backed and specially bonded. You can wash it in a washing machine if it gets clogged.
Absolutely amazing stuff (although pricey over here). They also do an MX range that goes 400, 800 1200MX. The grit sizes don't correspond to the usual grits but those babies work really well on brass etc. I also use the micromesh by soaking it in a glass of water for a bit and then slapping it on a sheet of glass. Makes a fantastic "stone" for sharpening. I've actually stop buying polish except for stropping. I'd post a link but I've still got an infringement hanging over me for the last time I showed you guys something that not many had heard about. I don't know what I was thinking by posting a link to an unusual knife on an English website, with English prices, who don't ordinarily ship outside the EU and where you'd have to pay import duty and taxes to get it into the country. Obviously "deal spotting", what was I thinking? Must be a translation thing.
Anyway look Micromesh up for yourself and keep the Flitz for stropping.
I will give some advice based on my own experience, though. Don't mirror polish carbon steel. You'll spend the rest of your life obsessing about every watermark and spot and you'll end up never using the knife until you accept that it WILL patinate and users are expected to look used.