I would imagine the final polish was done by men seated or laying prone over a huge leather or cloth buffing wheel run by a leather belt from a line shaft that powered by steam or water.
A lot of them died a miserable death from silicosis.
I've been trying to find a picture of the "horse" as they called the seat above the wheel like was employed in most of the cutlery houses "back in the day" and as usual it is MANAH TO THE RESCUE!
http://www.strazors.com/uploads/imag...Panels_1-7.pdf
4th page down on that pdf shows some of the old grinding stations.
THANKS ALEX!!