Need some help

[Redcane]

Alright boys,
I started with 600 grit and I am not making a whole lot of progress.

Using WD-40 and sand paper. I would like to do this by hand but I feel like I am at a stand still.

[JoelLewicki]

Alright boys,
I started with 600 grit and I am not making a whole lot of progress.

Using WD-40 and sand paper. I would like to do this by hand but I feel like I am at a stand still.

Well, to me it looks like you are making pretty good progress! It is SLOW going, especially when you are using higher grit sandpaper in an attempt to save etchings. But that is the trade off. In order to take off as little material as possible, in a controlled way, its going to take a while to remove that much neglect. I would be happy that the really deep pitting is away from the edge - that at least is a plus! Keep at it brother!

[Haroldg48]

My father, long ago passed on, told me, "Patience pays....". Keep at it, slow and steady wins the race....whenever I get impatient I ruin something that I can't undo.

[Redcane]

Thanks guys. I am getting ready to go to dinner so I will hit it for a bit when I get back. The good news, it is coming along, the bad news, I broke the scales. I bought it for this very reason....learning. Hopefully it will take an edge. I will keep you posted.

Joel that Colapa gunmetal still shaves like a dream. One of my favorites. Thanks.

[10Pups]

The pits are always 20 minutes of sanding deeper than the etch. Going the way you are , you will come to a point when you have to decide to live with some pits and save the etch or go on. This is always the hard part for me. Save the etch and if you get it all polished up and can't live with it you can always go back at it.

It looks like your method is paying off so far.

[Bordee]

From looking at your photos, it appears that you have some pitting away from the etching areas. I notice some pitting on the shank, tang, and spine. For your project, you could cheat a little. You could drop down a a 200 or so grit, and then work upwards to remove the scratch marks gradually, on the areas away from the etching. This would improve overall the appearance on the non-etching areas. The lower grits remove pitting deeper and more effectively. Plus, this would be a heck of a lot faster than grinding away at 600.