To shine or not to shine that is the question

R.c.s

R.c.s

Joined
Dec 23, 2013
Messages
1,530
I really don't like the look of brass when it gets a patina . I love a real shine on brass bolsters and fittings.I Polished 2 of my knives tonight a buck 110 and the Winchester copy of a 110. I was just wondering how many other people prefer shiny brass more than brass with a patina . or are you all about the patina ?
 
I'd keep a polish on it, may just be my Navy background, we had to polish everything on the ship :)

On nickel silver I sometimes do a brush finish as I find that easier to maintain than the mirror polish they come with.
G2
 
Lol that's probably where I get my OCD from as well. I was in the Grenadier Guards for 6 years I would have been jailed for having dirty brasses:D
 
For me, it's not a question of liking a patina on brass hardware - it's a matter of time. I have several knives with brass hardware and just don't take the time to keep them polished.

Your knives look very nice. Here is one of my Buck knives that I've had for years. I had it while still in the Navy. To my mind at least, it would lose it's character if I were to polish the brass bolsters.

L7qYOBa.jpg
 
I like the look of shiny brass too, but it'll never stay that way and I already have a hard enough time with trying to keep my 110 looking nice so I've learned to live with the patina ( plus it doesn't look too bad )

Now if the blade was a carbon steel, then I think that the patina on the brass might look much better
 
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I prefer bright brass, and that's one of the reasons I don't particularly like it on knife bolsters, it's hard to keep 'em that way.
But on this pair of Craftsman stockmen, the brass bolsters and shields look very good against the black sawcut delrin.

CraftsmenClosed_zps2a780fe9.jpg~original
 
I let my 055 carry its patina and wear. I love the look it has with the scratches and uneven coloring.

a3Hg0cZ.jpg
 
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I'd prefer shiny and new if it was something that sat on a shelf and never got used. If it's a knife I'm going to use a lot it's going to get scratched and dinged up. Patina helps hide that. So, it's not a matter of whether I prefer shiny or patina, but one of whether I prefer scratches or patina. I prefer patina. It's the same reason I prefer carbon steel blades over stainless.
 
I prefer shiny. Flitz and Ren Wax are my friends. Only takes a commercial break to keep em shiny.
 
I carried my old Buck 110 for years on my belt, but that was back in the late 70s - 80s. It sat in the leather sheath in a toolbox in the garage for probably 20 years after that. It had some verdigris going on with the brass but polished right up. I have now moved it into a place of honor, in the desk drawer, sitting on top of the sheath instead of inside it.

I generally prefer polished but it does bring out the dents I caused by using the brass bolsters as a hammer at some point in the past. I never use the thing so it's a moot point. But yeah, a little Simichrome will shine it right up whenever I want to, dents and all.
 
I like shiny if it's a dressy knife, but on users and everything else, especially with a carbon steel blade, I like patina. I LOVE a patina on brass on tools, much more than on knives. A very good polish for brass is cymbal cleaning products. I have a sort of giant cotton ball in a can that is loaded with abrasives made for cymbals, which works.great on brass, a lot better than brasso which I find much too aggressive. I like a brushed and more dark brass but not a blackish brass color.


Connor
 
I've probably polished the brass a time or two over the last 30 years, but tend to just let it be. The new 110 with 5160 carbon steel will get used at some point. Will be interesting to see how brass/steel/oak will look down the road.
Buck110112a_zpswhjfbeej.jpg


One of my favorites...
SchradeCaveBear001_zpsd2p8jjyz.jpg
 
MerryMadMonk said:
I've probably polished the brass a time or two over the last 30 years, but tend to just let it be. The new 110 with 5160 carbon steel will get used at some point. Will be interesting to see how brass/steel/oak will look down the road.
Buck110112a_zpswhjfbeej.jpg


One of my favorites...
SchradeCaveBear001_zpsd2p8jjyz.jpg
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Is it me or is the old timer plate upside down ?:confused:
 
I only have a couple of knives with brass bolsters, and I don't take them time to polish them. I like way the patina adds character to the knife.
 
I received a beat up old timer from a friend last year and took the time to polish it. It looks wonderful! I wouldn't make a habit of cleaning it, but I am not a patina fanboy..... I don't like fingerprints on n brass either
 
Gary W. Graley said:
I'd keep a polish on it, may just be my Navy background, we had to polish everything on the ship :)

On nickel silver I sometimes do a brush finish as I find that easier to maintain than the mirror polish they come with.
G2
Click to expand...

Yep.
after 30 years as a fireman NSWFB there is brasso brass polish in my fingerprints.
"I do not like green brass and spam ,I do not like them Sam I am."
whenever I hear the term "old gold" I think of tunic button inspections and the withering look of disgust on the face of the District Officer doing the kit inspection.
The old lion tamer tunics were replaced with newer nomex ones that had reflective plastic cuffs and hems -these of course melted if you get too close to any form of heat.:rolleyes:
Shinier the better-but how to keep it from tarnishing?
 
Brass tarnishes ('patinates') much too fast for me to worry about keeping it shiny all the time. Literally one handling of a brass-bolstered knife will get the tarnish going again in my hands, overemphasizing some very ugly & gaudy fingerprints contrasting against the shine. So, I generally let it be, especially if it's a knife I handle or use relatively often; I think the patina tends to fit that working character anyway. And it's not like it's very difficult to re-polish it, if I decide on a whim to dress it up (sometimes I do).


David
 
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I know there are two thoughts on this, and to each his/her own, but I say keep the polished brass look up. I remember once, while visiting the West Point Military Museum, setting my eyes upon a Colt manufactured Gatlin Gun. The thing was a work of art, and all of it's brass hardware was kept clean and gleaming. I guess it's easy to just let brass tarnish, no effort needed on one's part. But, to maintain the beauty of the brass as it left the manufacturer... well, takes true effort and care. Yup, if it's simply a tool to a person, and absolutely nothing more, then leaving it to tarnish is just fine. But, if the item is more than a tool to you, if it represents craftsmanship, history, sentiment, or something else, then why not take the care to keep her as she was made... Showing it is worth your time to do so. Just my opinion, and that's all it is.
 
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