Great post Neil! I've been experimenting with a 'soft' satin look using 800 grit Crocus cloth and I really like the way the finish looks. I wonder if a hard wheel (maybe Sisal?) that has been pasted or 'rubbed with' lead... similar to a lead pasted strop... would work like a lead lapping plate? I think I might give it a try to see what happens...


Quote Originally Posted by Neil Miller View Post
Smaller parts, such as the tang and jimps, were often polished using small diameter wheels and wheels that were very thin. Longer flat surfaces were often dressed using plain hardwood wheels with 'deadened' (ie well used or pulverised) 'crocus' (hard iron oxide that accumulated against the bottom and sides of the baking pots - the softer type in the middle was sold to colourmen and jewellers) mixed with suet and beeswax, and small serrated surfaces like jimps were polished (mostly on the top) with a small wooden wheel dressed with very thick leather - this got into all the crevices, unlike the lead-lapped wheel which would be injured if brought up against a serrated surface.

Traditionally, walrus leather was used. It was/is so thick, that it was ideally suited for buffing wheels. Back in the day seal hide was substituted for walrus as it had the same sort of thickness and 'give' to it.

As more of a 'glaze' finish was required, the speed of the buffing wheel would go up from2,500 sfpm to over 7,000 sfpm and the wheel would change from soft walrus hide, to hard leather and then to plain hardwood.

Regards,
Neil

The terms used were 'black polishing' for the main part of the blade and 'glazing' for the shanks, tail, etc.

The work was carried out by women and small boys usually.