Thread: Getting that mirror finish.

I've been using flapwheel sanders to take rust/tarnish off blades and worked up to the green paste. I'm getting the blades clean but just not getting that mirror finish I see on Bill Ellis's blades. Any suggestions?

Rich

Bill Ellis just has magic in his fingers. Amazing stuff from that guy. I don't know the answer to your question but the thought if Bill's razors made me drewl a little.

You have to be very careful to remove all the scratch marks from a previous grit before you go up to the next... even with flapwheels, this can take some time. It also can be a little hard to judge, because if you're using them properly all your scratch marks are probably parallel...

Originally Posted by Richard

I've been using flapwheel sanders to take rust/tarnish off blades and worked up to the green paste. I'm getting the blades clean but just not getting that mirror finish I see on Bill Ellis's blades. Any suggestions?

Rich

Can you tell us exactly what your progression is? Are you sure you're removing the previous grit's scratches before moving to the next-higher grit?

I'm pretty sure that some of the gurus have posted how they get their mirror finishes. I'll see if I can dig up some threads for you.

EDIT: I'm guessing this is how Max polishes after hand-sanding.

Originally Posted by Maximilian

Baldor 3/4 HP 1800 and 3600 RPM. Sisal, Spiral Sewn, Loose cotton wheels. 4, 6 and 8 inch. Greaseless compounds. Black emery, stainless steel, white and green rouges.

You will not get a mirror finish using flapwheels. Flapwheels are good for the lower grits, but you really need to go by hand or some buffer tool after that. Progress from 120 grit - 2000. After 2000 you'll be pretty near mirror finish and you can go from there to micro mesh paper or metal polish and a rag and elbow grease.

MY limited experience has been that you will start to get distinct reflections as low as 1000 grit. I typically use a penny. At 1500 grit, I can make out the words on a penny quite well.

Thanks fellas! This is all good stuff.

You have to be very careful to remove all the scratch marks from a previous grit before you go up to the next

Going on the above theory it would seem like each grit will take out they previous marks but leave marks of their own.

I usually use a 400 grit as the last on the flap wheel sander then red paste and finish with a green. I like the penny idea!

Rich

“Be respectful to your superiors, if you have any” – Mark Twain

Originally Posted by Richard

Going on the above theory it would seem like each grit will take out they previous marks but leave marks of their own.



“Be respectful to your superiors, if you have any” – Mark Twain

This is more or less the theory- each grit leaves successively smaller scratches, until they become invisible to the naked eye- a mirror finish.

You all left out magnification. Get one of those headband magnifiers. You're going to need one when you get old enough anyway and you may as well get over the pain now. I knew a good knifemaker who could not understand why he could not sell anything. He was in his sixties, a little vain about not wearing reading glasses and some kind soul left one of those magnifiers on his table. Ever after that, the finish was a dramatic improvement.

One thing that will help is not just layering up one grit on top of another. The finer grits can leave debris behind that will fill a larger scratch and you only think you got them all to go away. Good polishers will change their angle between grits. This doesn't mean a huge change, even five degrees will simply light up any scratches left over from the previous grit.

Also use different lighting from time to time when you are inspecting.

What I call "the picture puzzle phenomena" occurs with polishing just as it does with puzzles. After a while your eye/brain accommodates what it sees and you miss things that are right there in front of you. Take a break and come back to inspect again. Sometimes those surprises can be three or four grits ago.

Of course, just after you get the "perfect" finish, someone like me comes along who has grit and metal shavings in his fingerprints, there will be scratches where none existed before. It was a UFO (unidentified fingering object).

Thanks Benjamin & Mike!

You all left out magnification. Get one of those headband magnifiers. You're going to need one when you get old enough anyway and you may as well get over the pain now.

I acutally just bought a great magnifier w/led lights from Rockeller. Should do the trick as I am now in my late 50's

Ben, I guess my question would be what should be the final grit or polisher?

Rich

“Work and play are words used to describe the same thing under differing conditions.” – Mark Twain