finishing my first knife

[metalmaster1766]

ok i forged this knife from a railroad spike a little over a year ago, and i decided to finish it, i used a belt sander to smooth it out real nice, now i just need to polish it and make a handle for it,
how do you knife makers get that nice polish look on your blades, this is more of a look knife than a functional one, not trying to get to fancy with it, but if you can give me some tips on how to get it nice and polished
and any criticism anyone has please feel free, it can only help me learn



Ron

[oakwoodforge]

Ron I assume you have already Heat treated it right ? So after tempering the real work begins. Start By clamping a block of wood somewhat larger than your blade in your vice the clamp the blade to the wood block with a C-clamp.Get yourself a good selection of wet/dry sand paper and several more small wood blocks. Starting with a piece of 220 grit wrapped around one of the blocks , Apply Elbow Grease. Work each grit at different angles or directions untill the desired level of finish is reached , also it helps to use some gun oil or WD-40 as lube , keeps the paper from clogging as fast.


Hope this Helps

Jens

[Sam Salvati]

Looks Great ron! I use a plain old angle grinder and a 120 disc to give my knives a nice USER polish.

[FredlyFX]

I just use various sanding belt & pad sanders & by hand with a succedding series of grits until I get to around 400 to 600. Then, I go to the buffing wheel to get a real high shine.

The one below was my first RR spike knife, and before I had my 2x72 grinder. I used a 3x18 belt sander to do the rough shaping and polishing, then a 1/4 sheet pad sander and went up to about 400 grit. Once I had it very smooth & shiny with the sand paper I went onto my el cheapo HF grinder with a buffing wheel and jewelers rughe (sp?) to get out the scratches left by the sand paper. Now I know there are better polishing compunds for steel.

The brass guard was a brass door hinge I bought at Home Depot, then cut to fit and brazed to the handle. At the time, it was the only way I knew of to get a flat piece of brass. (Doh)

Undernieth the wrap is just some thick leather glued to the steel with contact cement that I then shaped with a belt sander. Once I had it how I liked I wraped it with the final piece.

The engraving on the end was done at a local trophy shop.





Hope this helps a little.

[Dodge]

I am still quite a novice in blade smithing but one thing I have gleaned from the more experienced smiths is that a polished finish is desirable on wall hangers as well as knives that are used, as it makes them easier to keep clean. Just a couple penny's worth :)

[nc_cooter]

Nice looking RR spike knife.
While I am not an"expert" knife maker, I have been making knives for about 2 1/2 years. I use 1095 and O1 steel for the blades. All my blades are hand sanded to 800 grit with blocks and W/D paper, then finished with green compound on a cork belt. Then I etch the blades with ferric chloride, buff with 0000 steel wool, and a final etch with hot vinegar. This results in a nice dark gray blade that still has a shine and is less prone to surface rust with normal care and the finish can be easily repaired.
This is why,
Mirror finished blades don't get used much, for fear of scratching.
They don't get sharpened for the same reason.
Most are stored in the sheath and will eventually tarnish.

I want my blades to look good,but most of all, to be used by the buyer.
This is not "the right way" just my way. Your millage may vary. :D

[metalmaster1766]

thank you all for the advice, i have polished it with 220, then i tried heat treating it, i think i did ok for the first time, a file skates over it, im working on some kind of handle for it, i think i am going to just wrap some leather around it like you did FredlyFX, looks like a very simple idea, i will get a picture of it when it is all finished

thanks again everyone

Ron

[metalmaster1766]

ok, i finished it today, well except for hitting it with a buffing wheel, but i may just leave it as it is now

Ron