Touching up blades with Mother's Mag Polish

Artfully Martial

Artfully Martial

Joined
Jun 8, 2005
Messages
4,761
My RAM had a really unevenly finished blade on one side. It looked like there was a permanent fingerprint in the blade that any normal method couldn't get out. But I didn't want to redo the blade entirely.

So I used a more gentle approach that I use when I work on watches.

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It's simple. Put a little on the metal, rub for a few minutes and remove. It just brightens up steel, takes out surface scratches and things like that. Anyway, five minutes completely evened out the side of the blade, then I put another 5 minutes on the other side to make it evenly bright. Looks great. And a $10 jar should last you 40-50 years at my current rate.
 
I know for a fact there is at least one member on this site that loves to use Mother's Mag with his Edge Pro to put final touches on his edge bevel. Man, what's in that stuff?
 
Mother's Mag on a strop is what I use for my straight razor. However, if you REALLY want an amazing edge... Spend a few more bucks and get Mother's Billet Paste :) Leaves an edge that will of course do all the things a refined edge does, like whittle hair, but also makes it toothy and aggressive... DO NOT strop a straight razor with this though, I seriously think its near impossible to shave w/o cutting yourself when you use billet paste, kinda like why you don't strop with diamond paste.
 
BladeChemist said:
I know for a fact there is at least one member on this site that loves to use Mother's Mag with his Edge Pro to put final touches on his edge bevel. Man, what's in that stuff?
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It's to clean the Polishing tapes, if you leave it on them and let it dry before using them again.
 
I use it on blades, applying it with a Q-tip and removing it with a rag. It put a litte shine on this beater:

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Shockingly (not), it also works on chrome bumpers:

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Dorito Monk said:
That stuff worked on the RAM's beadblasted/coated blade? Did it more or less just polish the blade?
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Yes, it's just a mild abrasive. Don't get me wrong though, this isn't like, a wax. This will actually remove some metal, so it's not something you want to do with the same knife every weekend.

Spend enough time with it (a couple days maybe) and I've got no doubt you could produce a mirror finish. I've taken brushed finishes off of my watches and chromed them out with it before and it didn't take that long.

I have no idea what would happen if you used it on a coating...I imagine it wouldn't be pretty.
 
Ankerson said:
It's to clean the Polishing tapes, if you leave it on them and let it dry before using them again.
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:confused: Just for cleaning? Or does it contribute to honing the edge?

Anyone know the abrasive size and type it uses?

Update: Looking at the MSDS for Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish, it appears the two hazardous ingredients are Kerosene and Sodium Hydroxide. The hydroxide would explain the action against aluminum and magnesium- penetrates or removes the passivation layer and eats up a bit of the aluminum, etc. Wonder if there's still some grit in there that's not listed as hazardous or if the polishing action is just from the NaOH :confused:

Update 2: I found a more inclusive MSDS for Mother's. There's quite a bit more in there, but no sign of abrasives. It's looking to be a strictly chemical based polishing mixture. It also has a bit of triethanolamine in it which is a strong base but also a surfactant. Sounds like it works by protecting the metal from runaway oxidation and then controllably eating away the metal. Perhaps the compound will sit in the 'valleys' of the metal where a thicker layer will slow oxidation, yet during polishing the 'hills' are exposed to more atmosphere or moisture and wears down to the level of the valleys effectively polishing the surface. Just trying to imagine how it works...
 
I read about this stuff a year ago here on BF and started using it. It does do a heckuva' job on polishing. If you continiously polish one piece over an over it will take an almost mirror like finish! Good stuff:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
Javelin said:
Mother's Mag on a strop is what I use for my straight razor. However, if you REALLY want an amazing edge... Spend a few more bucks and get Mother's Billet Paste :) Leaves an edge that will of course do all the things a refined edge does, like whittle hair, but also makes it toothy and aggressive... DO NOT strop a straight razor with this though, I seriously think its near impossible to shave w/o cutting yourself when you use billet paste, kinda like why you don't strop with diamond paste.
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Are you saying it makes it too Sharp or that it leaves a toothy edge? Many people strop with diamond paste/ spray with excellent results, myself included. In fact I had terrible results stropping and actually dulled my knives until I got diamond spray. Now my knives are much sharper than they have ever been and sharper than any factory edge (that I have experienced).
 
Artfully Martial said:
When I use it, I feel a "grit" in it while rubbing.
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I wonder if that's not just some of the chemicals added to the paste. If the grit were course enough to be felt while polishing, it probably wouldn't polish to a mirror edge.

I need to pick some of this stuff up. I had no idea so many people used it to refine their edges and bevels.
 
I guess it could be the steel that gets caught in the paste. It's a toothpaste-level of grit, feels a little finer I'd say.
 
I've been using it for a long time for a variety of knife related uses. A lot of time for a real quick sharpening I put some on an old piece of denim and use it as a strop. Works great for putting a little "bite" back into an edge. I've also used it for polishing duty.
 
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