I've searched the threads and can't find an answer to my question. I've started to make knives from rr spikes, but i can't figure out how to put the nice mirror or even satiny finish on the twisted handle that i have seen in pictures and on youtube. i was wondering if anyone could tell me how to accomplish this. I was thinking about possibly putting them into a rock tumbler and see how that works. any advice would be hugely appreciated. thanks.

Pickle overnight in vinegar to remove stubborn scale and then brush on a wire wheel puts a nice finish on steel.

Not sure if its the look you are after though.

Phil

Put the 1/2" contact wheel on your bader and clean up the inside of the twists is one way; but spending a lot of effort on an inferior knife steel seems a waste to me.

thanks. but i was still woundering if the tumbler idea would work. besides that the only power tools i have access too are a power drill and an angle grinder. i'm doing the rest the severely old fasion way.

Hole in the ground and a couple of animals skinned out in a tube? (I assume that severely old fashioned would be before the romans?) I mainly do Y1K stuff with a couple centruries slop to either side when I go old fashioned, smelting iron from ore in a short stack bloomery

Anyway if you do not have power tools there is a limit to what you can do without massive ammounts of time.

Clean the twists with round files then take dowels wrapped with SiC paper and start cleaning up what the files left. When you get to around 400 grit you can then buff with a sisal buff and black coumpound and get a shiny surface.

Start by soaking in vinegar to remove the scale as that eats files and abrasives. (and rinse afterwards of course)

Give the tumbler a try. I'd pickle first. Worst that will happen is you will waste about a day. Best is that you would be quite pleased with the results.

You can get a knotted cup wire wheel for about $20 for your angle grinder if you want different results.

Phil

I would suggest that you soak it in vinager and then use a wirebrush wheel on your angle grinder. The finish that you from a wirebrush is very interesting and I believe it might actually look better than a mirror polish would on a rail road spike.

Sure you could use a round file and then sand paper, but I think that you might be better off working on good steel. I am not sure that a rock tumber would work, see the way a rock tumber works is it takes off all of the high spots from the stones. I would think that you would only get a polish on the very ousides of the knife and you would also lose your nice sharp twists. Plus it takes several weeks for a rock tumber to work on a stone.

Good luck on what ever you decide, and don't forget to show us your results.

A tumbler can remove the oxide layer and will work the whole piece depending on what you are using for the medium---I've been saving all my scraped nuts and bolts, screws and cut-offs for when I get my tumbler built to use as the "medium". They do tend to soften crisp lines though.

A tumbler will give a nice matt finish, this can be brought up to a higher 'shiny' finish with a wire wheel on an angle grinder, (wear protective gear !)

For a polished finish you could use buffing mops with different grades of compound, in your electric drill or polish by hand.

I'll definatly try the wire brush. when i say old fashion i don't mean it in the way it sounds. i just worded it poorly. i have almost no money to put toward my bladesmithing so i have to improvise. instead of the hole in the ground and the animal skin i use an old charcoal BBQ grill and the exhaust from an old stand up vacume cleaner. i'm working on making tongs but for now i use a pair of channel locks. so yeah, old fashioned is the wrong word. my brothers son calls it a "ghetto" set up. thanks for all the advice and please keep it coming. i learn from trying and from listening to the people on this site.

Vinegar? Really?

Learn something new every day. I was just thinking about how to get that crap off my precious.

Thanks!

Make sure your vinegar is in a vented container with a filter of some type to prevent aerosol, or work outside entirely. An old towel and a loosely fit lid work well.

Phil

viniger is great for removing scale...couple of days and the mill scale goes away too .... makes a gooey mess but you just rinse it off....it will rust like in a couple of minutes after you get it out of the vinegar...so go right to work on it....cup wire wheel is the best after that...rr spikes are good for practice and to make other stuff outta....kinda novel

I've never heard about vinegar before either. So, you just leave it in vinegar overnight or for a few days and the scale goes away? That just feels way too easy. I've had to struggle SO hard to get scale off with sandpaper...

Try it. You'll like it. Cover your container with towel though, if it bubbles too much you get aerosol and it hurts. I was coughing for an hour once.

Phil

The easiest way I've found is to use 4" polishing wheels on my 4" Makita Grinder. They work like a charm and will product a almost mirror finish in a relatively short time.



I found them at Harbor Freight for $9 on sale, regularly $12.99

Go here.

HF Polishing Wheels

Vinegar works great, speed depends on the temperature and as mentioned you then rinse it off under running water, dry and oil! (Skip the oiling if you will go directly to sanding,filing, grinding, etc.

I have a 5 gallon bucket I use for de-rusting or de-scaling. When it stops working I use it to discourage the weeds around the shop and buy more cheap vinegar.

There is a book titled (The $50.00 Knife Shop) by Wayne Goddard. That book give a lot of information for a low buck start out knife making shop. While the rr spikes are a good try the book points out other ways.

Sweet advice about the vinegar! I'll have to try that. I've been making some scrolled wall hooks and I've had a hell of a time getting the scale off of 'em.

If you want a nice finish on a twist, don't twist it and then try to finish/polish it. Do a great deal of the work while it's still straight, then take a nice sunrise heat and twist it. Pickle in vinegar and finish the polishing.

I was wondering if/when someone would mention polishing BEFORE twisting......... Much easier

I use a wire weel on my bench grinder to clean up the scale and anything else on the twist, after that i take it to the buffer with a medium shine/clean compound.