Thread: help with polishing scales

The heavy lifting in sanding is at the low grits. If done correctly, much like honing, moving up in grits should go quickly. So, micro mesh and high grit papers over 1k should last a long time.

Where you will wear them out is, using too high a grit to begin with. I like starting with 600 grit, 600 scratches are easily removed with 800 or 1k for removing tarnish or just refreshing a blade.

If the blade is in good shape but polish does not make it pop, I use some 1k, and if after a few strokes it still looks dull, I drop to 600.

If you are doing repair work, removing scratches or pitting, you will have to go deeper with lower grits or greasless. Do remove any deep scratches with cross directional sanding before moving up, this will save your high grit papers.

So, a sheet or two of over 1k, will last a long time, but when I find them I always buy a few extra sheets. Castwell Plating carries a very good wet & dry selection, up to 3K for about .50 a sheet. Really after 1 or 2k you can easily go to a good metal polish, I use Mother’s for pre-polish, then Maas, Flitz or Novus for final polish, or buffer.

As Geezer said, do wash your paper prior to use and it can be unclogged with Bartender’s Keeper and Scotch Brite or fingernail brush to extend life.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

...Micro Mesh last a long time, I buy Micro Mesh in pads and paper locally, from Hobby Lobby.

I've used MicroMesh fabric (1,500-12,000) on soft woods, hardwood trim, fingernails, vulcanite/ebonite, Lucite (acrylic) and polycarbonate (Lexan). Wet sanding, starting with the correct lowest grit and working to the top, always produces a mirror-like wet glass finish.

Would any scale materials mentioned above NOT be suitable for MM? I am lazy and prefer using a low speed/medium wheel for non-metal polishing but not eveyone has a low speed wheel (for plastics) - never found MM to fail in anything except the "time saved" department which, for onesies and twosies, doesn't matter.

Very good information to have ---thanks.

as others have mentioned I also sand with W&D up to 2000 paper then I have 3k, 4k & 5k foam sanding disks,
after that it is onto the polishing and depending on the material that can be just RenWax by hand or I use the buffer with Ferrox, Autosol or just renwax
all finished by hand with a clean microfiber cloth

found nine old razors this past week at antique store. Some good blades, and scales. De-pinned this blade, cleaned up. Broken scales from another razor. Taped end of scales together, rotary sander and shaped with 600 grit then 1000 grit. Hand buffed with 0000 steel wool. Positioned blade on inside of one scale, marked pivot hole. Drilled hole. Re-taped scales, drilled other side and pinned.

WOW---Nice job how does it shave?