Recommendation? Tips on removing scratches from blade and titanium scales?

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Will1217

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Aug 31, 2023
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Hey all, just picked up a used Chaves redencion and it is a sweet knife. But like I said it is USED, not complaining I got what I paid for but I am looking for tips on how to clean it up. Lots of scratches on the titanium scales aswell as the blade. Wondering if anyone has any tips to give the titanium scales the smooth clean finish they once had when new. As well as trying to polish up some of the scratches off the blade. I think it’s such a cool knife and in hindsight I should have bought it new, didn’t know that I would like it this much and now it’s driving me crazy that it’s all banged up. Any tips or tricks would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
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Reach out to the maker and see if they will offer a spa treatment, or I'm sure there is a lot of talent on this forum over in one of the technical sections.
 
norcalAF said:
Reach out to the maker and see if they will offer a spa treatment, or I'm sure there is a lot of talent on this forum over in one of the technical sections.
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Unfortunately Chaves does not offer any spa treatment, im quite new to this forum where do I find one of these technical sections you mentioned
 
Lol, just realized the mods moved it exactly where I recommended!
 
Welcome to Bladeforums Will1217.

If the handle scales and blade were originally bead-blasted or stone-washed the only way to get such a finish back is to have them bead-blasted or stone-washed again.

As far as scratches, aside from what I already said, all you can do is create a new finish with finer scratches by sanding and/or using a green Scotchbrite pad. That would produce a satin finish. From there you could then create a semi-polished finish (handles), or polished finish (blade) if desired.

If I were going to try and sand away scratches in titanium or steel, the severity of the scratches would determine what grit of sandpaper I would start with, and how fine a satin I wanted to create would determine what grit I finished with.
 
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killgar said:
As far as scratches, aside from what I already said, all you can do is create a new finish with finer scratches by sanding and/or using a green Scotchbrite pad. That would produce a satin finish.
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There are also dark purple Scotch Brite ADVANCED EXTREME SCRUB scouring pads, which are quite a bit coarser than the green ones. The dark purple ones are excellent for removing burned-on food from cooking utensils, but they will definitely scratch. I know this because we have a stove that likes to turn itself up to the hottest setting from time to time. I don't know how well the purple pads work on knives.
 
killgar said:
Welcome to Bladeforums Will1217.

If the handle scales and blade were originally bead-blasted or stone-washed the only way to get such a finish back is to have them bead-blasted or stone-washed again.

As far as scratches, aside from what I already said, all you can do is create a new finish with finer scratches by sanding and/or using a green Scotchbrite pad. That would produce a satin finish. From there you could then create a semi-polished finish (handles), or polished finish (blade) if desired.

If I were going to try and sand away scratches in titanium or steel, the severity of the scratches would determine what grit of sandpaper I would start with, and how fine a satin I wanted to create would determine what grit I finished with.
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Thank you for your feedback!

I may give the sanding a try but I fear I will mess up the finish on the blade as there is some kind of design so to speak with lines(or scratches) running vertical and perpendicular depending on the section of the blade.

Do you have any recommendations for businesses/people who would be able to reblast it if that is the necessary fix? The scales are definitely stonewashed but I do not think the same for the blade.
 
killgar said:
Welcome to Bladeforums Will1217.

If the handle scales and blade were originally bead-blasted or stone-washed the only way to get such a finish back is to have them bead-blasted or stone-washed again.

As far as scratches, aside from what I already said, all you can do is create a new finish with finer scratches by sanding and/or using a green Scotchbrite pad. That would produce a satin finish. From there you could then create a semi-polished finish (handles), or polished finish (blade) if desired.

If I were going to try and sand away scratches in titanium or steel, the severity of the scratches would determine what grit of sandpaper I would start with, and how fine a satin I wanted to create would determine what grit I finished wit
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Also, the scratches on the blade are very light/not deep, nothing I can feel with my finger nail. What grit sandpaper do you recommend I start with and do you recommend any type of solvent/polish to apply after I sand?
 
If you're going to use the knife, it's going to get scratched up. Keys, random things in a pocket, etc. If you bought a user, that's probably how it came to be before it became yours.
 
I wouldn't get too deep into a refinish if it will be a daily carry. The purple scotchbrite is the easiest way to freshen up the finish but you will need to take it all apart so you don't mess up the hardware. The blade is best left alone so you don't mess up the edge.
 
Will1217 said:
Also, the scratches on the blade are very light/not deep, nothing I can feel with my finger nail. What grit sandpaper do you recommend I start with and do you recommend any type of solvent/polish to apply after I sand?
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I don't know of anyone who does bead-blasting or stone-washing, but you might ask here- https://www.bladeforums.com/forums/wanted-knifemaker-craftsman-related-services.871/

As far as sanding, I might start with 600 grit sandpaper. I'd wrap a small square of sandpaper around a small block of wood or hard rubber, like a large rectangular pencil eraser. It's always possible to go up or down with the grit depending on how effective a grit is at blending the scratch away, or depending on the result you want. I wouldn't use a polish on the scales because you're only going to get a semi-polished finish on titanium. If I wanted a semi-polished finish I would work my way up to 2500 grit paper (available in auto care stores).

As others have said, if the knife is going to be carried and used regularly it will inevitably get scratched, but I can understand wanting ones knife to look a certain way, even a "user". Sometimes scratches or other cosmetic flaws on a knife can just bother a person, particularly if they were put there by someone else.
 
killgar said:
I don't know of anyone who does bead-blasting or stone-washing, but you might ask here- https://www.bladeforums.com/forums/wanted-knifemaker-craftsman-related-services.871/

As far as sanding, I might start with 600 grit sandpaper. I'd wrap a small square of sandpaper around a small block of wood or hard rubber, like a large rectangular pencil eraser. It's always possible to go up or down with the grit depending on how effective a grit is at blending the scratch away, or depending on the result you want. I wouldn't use a polish on the scales because you're only going to get a semi-polished finish on titanium. If I wanted a semi-polished finish I would work my way up to 2500 grit paper (available in auto care stores).

As others have said, if the knife is going to be carried and used regularly it will inevitably get scratched, but I can understand wanting ones knife to look a certain way, even a "user". Sometimes scratches or other cosmetic flaws on a knife can just bother a person, particularly if they were put there by someone else.
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Thanks for all the advice I’m definitely going to give the sanding a go, and I totally understand it’s a “user” that’s why I bought it but like you said, some scratches and flaws can definitely bug you especially since I didn’t do it so I figured I may as well give a go at cleaning them up. Thanks again! Very much appreciated
 
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