What is your blade finishing-sanding-buffing process?

J

John L

Joined
Oct 28, 2004
Messages
1,330
Just returned from the AG Russell show in Rogers Arkansas and saw a lot of great blades..both fixed and folders. Probably 95% were hand sanded to a beautiful finish. Some were buffed to a mirror finish and others were buffed to a satin finish. The majority were just great. I think the sales might have been a bit slow. Now sure on that one. What is your formula for a successful finish on your blades?
 
Well just yo get something going, I finish down to 600, etch and heat colour but all I use is Damascus. Frank
 
I grind to 220, then hand sand from 220 to 600, sometimes up to 2000, sometimes at this point I etch, then hand polish with a compound if I'm trying to bring out hamon and such... It depends on the knife and the level of finish required.
 
I rough with 50 grit 977, switch to 80 grit 977.., move to a gator A-45, then to an A-30. Handrub her out and we're good!!
 
Well ... I take it to about 400 on the machine before HT, then clean up at 400 then hand sand with 400 through 1500. If I'm putting on a mirror finish I take it all the way through 1200 on the grinder, then polish with green chrome compound followed by a touchup with pink.

Really though, I prefer a hand-sanded finish and almost always do that on flat ground blades. If they're hollow ground I always polish them, just because it's so hard for me to do a decent hand finish in the hollows. That's something that's really beautiful when it's done right. I just don't do it right. :o
 
i machine grind up to 400 then polish all to a mirror finish the HT and then machine again from 120 to 400 and hand sand 400, 600, 1000, 1500, 2500, then mirror polish and then depending on the finish i wish for i leave as is or hand sand to 1000, 1500, or maybe even 600.

I deture all the way up to mirror polished for killing any small scratch
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top