Micro scratches

[JimCrawford]

Does anyone have a tip or two about getting out micro scratches without resorting to a buffer?

-Jim

[Woody]

Jim they make wet/dry sandpaper in grits of 1000, 1500 and 2000 these are very effective in getting out very fine scratches. After that you can hand polish with the rough side of a piece of leather and finally with paper towel.

Woody

[ThomasPowers]

remember to keep your fing grit paper *bagged* seperately so that a stray piece of coarser grit does not end up messing all your work up!.

[Rich Hale]

Jim The above items should help you a lot I did a Blueprint a while back that describes how I take a rough ground heat treated blade to a mirror finish and yes the last two steps involve a buffer...BP0235. It should be reposted soon as there are lots of changes going on here. If you want more specific help it would help to know what steel was used, how it was worked, and one of us can maybe help a bit more.

[sandpile]

JIM- Rich has it right. We need more info on the steel and manner of work.

If you don't have a buffer, is one thing, if you are afraid on washing the lines out with a heavy buff, is another thing.

There are some steels that do not buff well under a hard buff. D2 and 5160 are two of the most popular that a fellow needs to be careful with.

On my blades that I intend to have a mirror finish and still have sharp grind lines, I carry my sanding out to 6 micron. You have to be careful on the fine belts, they will over heat in a heart beat. A light green buff using very little pressure on the blade is the final machine step.

I can get almost the same results with hand sanding, using 2400 grit as the last sand paper, then using rouge on a flat leather on a board and finally news paper. Much to much work when it can be done on the sanders.grin

chuck

[Chuck Richards]

I just picked up some .5 and .25 micron diamond polish. A little of this goes a long way. Finish to 3000g then micro polish.

Chuck

[pete46]

A PIECE Of CARDBOARD WORKS WELL TO STROP A BLADE ON!
IF, IT WILL DULL IT ,IT WILL SHARPEN IT.
I KNOW THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT YA'LL ARE DISCUSS'N!
OOPS! TIME FOR MY MEDS!

[Quenchcrack]

Look up your local metallurgical supply company. Leco and Beuhler sell diamond polish suspended in a light oil or water base. It comes in a spray bottle and a little goes a long way. Not cheap but very effective. They also sell very fine grade grinding papers and polishing cloths.

[EdCaffreyMS]

My answer is GOOD lighting, and taking your time to visually inspect the blade as your grinding or hand sanding. Most of the time previous grit scratches do not become evident until you've gone to the next finer grit. When this occurs your generally forced to go back to the last grit used in order to remove the scratches, and then move forward again. This get very frustrating.

When I say GOOD lighting, I also mean different types of lighting. Scratches that do not show up under florescent lights, will show up under halogen lights, likewise those that do not show up under halogen, will show up under another type of light such as sodium vapor or incandescent.

I learned this hard lesson years ago when I got to a show and was taking my knives out of the case. At that time I had only florescent lights in the shop. The show hall had sodium vapor lighting. I was so embarrassed at some of the things I had missed, that I put three knives back in the case and never offered them for sale. When I returned home, the first thing I did was install several types of lights over the finish bench. It has made a huge difference.

Its also a matter of training your eyes. The majority of students who come to my shop get frustrated because when they think their done hand finishing, I will take a sharpie marker and start marking the areas of the blade they need to work on. Most of the time the tell me that they cannot see anything, but by shifting the blade in the light, the "shadow scratches" become evident.
Its all about patience, and knowing what to look for. When someone asks me how long hand finishing takes, I tell them "Sand until you think your done.....then sand 10 minutes more."

[Chuck Richards]

Great Lighting is required over the finishing bench. I use a metal halide light right above my finishing station. I went out and purchased one after I had gone to a show that had them there. I thought my knives looked good until I pulled them out under those lights. I put one back in the case and took it home. Like Ed said it is just a matter of knowing how to look at the blade.