Thread: Removing 2000 grit scratches by hand...jewler's rouge maybe???

So I just finished hand sanding my first blade, and I'm left with a very shiny, but scratched-up blade. I was very methodical about removing all the scratches left by previous grits before I moved on. Now that I just finished 2000 grit sandpaper, the blade looks great but there are still quite a number of scratches left by that grit. I know that I'm not perfect and some of them are from previous grits, but 90% are from 2000. What is the best way of removing them by hand? I do not have power tools, so greaseless compounds are out. Are there any jeweler's rouges that you can apply by hand and if so where can you buy them in Canada?

A quick note, I am not going to re-sand the entire blade again, I can live with the few scratches I missed once I find a way to get rid of the 2000 grit scratches.

Thanks for the great advice!

Well, I also have 2500 and 3000 grit sandpaper. Then there's various grits of Micro Mesh that go up to 12000. You can also use Maas or some other polish. You definitely don't want greaseless compounds as they are 600 and below.

Jeweler's rouge was made for polishing soft metals. I do not think they would work on hard metals like steel. For buffing, I use a small felt wheel on a dremel, given that I don't have a proper buffer.

here is an overview of different compounds and their use. The green compound is possibly what you're looking for.

Best of luck.

If you want you can bring it by and drop it off I will drop it in my tumbler for a day of two with walnut media then corncob. It will get rid of most if not all small scratches, then you will just need to hone it up yourself. If interested just PM me and I will give you my address.

I use white jewlers rouge after 2K...brings things to nice & shiny...I've used both felt wheel on dremel & buffer, just watch the heat.

Micromesh. That stuff is brilliant!

I could only find sandpaper up to 1200 grit, so then I swap over to 1800, 3600, 6000 and 12000 grit micromesh, and then polish with Maas on a cloth. Works great and leaves a nice shiny finish!

Over the last couple of weeks I've done half a dozen blades this way and they've all come out really nicely.

Originally Posted by Stubear

Micromesh. That stuff is brilliant!

I could only find sandpaper up to 1200 grit, so then I swap over to 1800, 3600, 6000 and 12000 grit micromesh, and then polish with Maas on a cloth. Works great and leaves a nice shiny finish!

Over the last couple of weeks I've done half a dozen blades this way and they've all come out really nicely.

This is what I do as well and it seems to work great. One thing I have noticed is that in the standard progression up to 1200, or 2000, or 2500, or 3000 (basically up to whatever grit you can find standard wet/dry in, for me it was 3000) each high grit level of sandpaper seems to go quicker. Once I got into the micromesh I found that it took more work to really get things where I wanted them. At that point, though, it's not scratches you see, it's more like a "smear".

If you are looking for good deals on lots of different sandpapers, I recommend sandpaper.ca, they are canadian (good for us canadians who almost always have to deal with customs and importing) and their prices are good. The carry a big range of wet/dry as well as a few different micromesh sizes.

Thanks for all the advice! I'm going to see where MAAS takes me, and then if it still bothers me, I think I might invest in some micromesh. Are there any specific grits I should get for micromesh? When I looked online there was at least 10 all the way up to crazy high grits. It would be nice if I could skip some of them so it's cheaper and faster.

I wouldn't recommend skipping too much, but you could probably get away with going from wet/dry 2k grit to 6000 grit micromesh, and then to 10 or 12k from there. tbh, the 60k grit is kind of a waste, as by that point you can just use maas and get really nice results.

Occasionally Pen Kits - WoodTurningz has them in their sale section.