What's your method for the brass?

[aza77]

In more detail, can you guys offer me your knowledge in polishing the brass on the 110? Is there a way to get it polished without ANY lines showing afterwards?

What polish do you use and how exactly can you get it to look completely shiny without any streaks? Or is this even possible?

Any and all detailed info will be read enthusiastically...

Thanks a lot

 

[Boats]

I use an old trick I learned in the Navy:

Really. It works.

 

[oldfogey]

+1 on the "TS". Now I see why he's got the name "boats". BM maybe?? Anyway, yep, it works. The Navy had a standing policy, "if it don't move, polish it or paint it".

 

[Boats]

Yep, Boatswain's Mate. I have to tie down everyone's loads on the family reunion camping trip too. Got the prettiest brass framed Buck knives in the entire clan though.

 

[allenC]

I prefer Maas metal polish.
It really gets a shine and without much elbow grease.
It's way better than the Brasso we used in the Army.

With the Maas, I just dab some on a soft cloth and rub it on firmly....and then rub it off with another soft cloth.
It removes tarnish very well.

Good luck,
Allen

 

[Pack Rat]

I do it with brasso and a soft cloth. Brass or nickel silver

 

[aza77]

Do tabasco and these other polishes actually remove scratches or do they simply remove tarnish?

 

[allenC]

Maas does not remove scratches.

 

[Pack Rat]

Brasso will remove scratches. Buy a half pint can if you go looking for some. Goes a long way. Ask anyone that has been in the military about shining brass with brasso.

 

[jb4570]

I'm a lazy fellow....so...I use Krazy cloth. Just rub off the tarnish.

jb4570

 

[Stainz]

I use old cotton white socks, holes are fine, with Simichrome Polish in a tube.

Hey, Boats, I remember my Navy days - barely - Nixon was Prez. I learned to love greenish-blue on brass. And, securing loads - knots - Buck 110 to unsecure. I lost my Bluejackets manual many moons ago... Granny knots for me!

Stainz

 

[RAZORBLADES]

I use the old white coton sock method too,add a little flitz and tie the sock to the orner of a bench,working the entire knife over the sock,it will even polish up the wood scales to look like new.try it,it is very easy to do.

 

[allenC]

Brasso will remove scratches. Buy a half pint can if you go looking for some. Goes a long way. Ask anyone that has been in the military about shining brass with brasso.

Not to be argumentative, but I've never had Brasso remove any real scratches from brass.
Even after six years as a Soldier.

But super-fine grit wet sandpaper will if they are not too deep.

 

[CorpsmanUP!]

I use old cotton white socks, holes are fine, with Simichrome Polish in a tube.

Hey, Boats, I remember my Navy days - barely - Nixon was Prez. I learned to love greenish-blue on brass. And, securing loads - knots - Buck 110 to unsecure. I lost my Bluejackets manual many moons ago... Granny knots for me!

Stainz

We call those prayer knots. Tie em some sorta way and PRAY it holds.

 

[aquainfl]

I'm a old ex-army vet.The brown shoe army .when the uniform didn't make one look like a usher.Remember the "Ike "jacket and HBT's fatigues
Anyway if you have a really vintage 110 .DON"T polish it .It took nature years to get that nice patina.Newer onesok to polish .I use Tripoli,or Red rouge.This takes out the fine scratches.
aquainfl:jerkit:

 

[Pack Rat]

Not to be argumentative, but I've never had Brasso remove any real scratches from brass.
Even after six years as a Soldier.

But super-fine grit wet sandpaper will if they are not too deep.

I guess it is just a definition of "scratches". There is another thread going on here somewhere where I talked about "real" scratches using various grits.

 

[Boats]

First, the OP asked about a method that didn't leave any "lines," which I took to mean residual streaks or micro scratches.

If he meant to get rid of scratches, my solution to that is 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper used WET, polishing in one direction only, from the inboard side of the bolster and going forwards towards the closed blade or aft over the back end.

Deep gouges and dents are probably a factory refurbishment task, but no 110 I actually use is so expensive so as to not replace if the brass gets heavily damaged.

 

[thedogpound2]

i use flitz on my buck 110

 

[aza77]

Are any of these polishes abrasive? If not, how exactly do they eliminate small scratches...is it due to whatever you use to polish with? If so, would paper towel be more abrasive then say a cotton towel or sock? Or is the polish itself more important?

 

[Tin Sue]

Yes indeed, all polishes are abrasive (some more so than others); that's what makes them polish (i.e., remove small scratches), just like polishing compounds for an automobile finish or sandpaper for wood. In all cases, you are actually removing a fine amount of the material on which you are working (e.g., paint, wood, brass). Tarnishing of brass, however, is basically an oxidation process, somewhat similar to the rusting of steel, so just like there are some chemicals that will remove or neutralize rust to some degree without polishing, there are also chemicals that will remove tarnish to some degree from brass without polishing although it still comes out looking somewhat splotchy and needs a light polish to really look good. At one time, Buck actually included a very small package of Fitz with their knives as they left the factory; don't know if that's because Buck recommended that particular polish over others or if Fitz was advertizing their product through Buck. In either case, however, Buck would not have included something that they did not think would work well. Another item that I don't think anyone has previously recommended is that you can purchase (don't ask me where) a jeweler's cloth that is impregnated with a compound called jeweler's rouge, and that is commonly used in jewelry stores; it works well and is minimally abrasive in my opinion.