What's your favorite blade finish

[SteveS]

Don't answer "Hand Rubbed" be more specific.

I've played around with a number of sand papers, grits, methods. I even went all the way to 9 micron and it didn't look very good. Kinda mirror kinda not.

The absolute best in my book is: hand sanded with a 15 micron 3M microfinish belt. No buffing or coloring.

Man I like this finish!

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I've never gotten a mirror finish I've been happy with.

Second favorite is a grey scotchbright belt with WD-40. Then a quick pass with pink no-scratch. It's a machine finish, but really looks good in my book.

How about you?

Steve

[AwP]

Personally I like an etched then *slightly* buffed finish. As long as you don't overbuff, you keep the coloration, but it's still kinda shiney too instead of a flat dull color.

[SKIVIE]

Steve, I personally like Etched then an 800 grit lite sand to it. Im also partial to a nice 400-600 grit satin finish.

Some of my favorite finishes with Etching have been applied after a nice Bead Blast finish.

Shane

[rhrocker]

600 grit using Windex, as told to me by C.L. "Craig" Wilkins. It provides some lube, and dries so fast the steel won't rust. I like the look if hand drawn straight back from the guard to the tip (no fish hooks). However I've been experimenting with all kinds of stuff, and am looking forward to what comes up on this thread. Right now I want to go and try Steve's 15 micron method. What do you lube with SteveS?

[Chris Daigle]

400-600 grit hand rubbed finish using Windex as a lube. After sandpaper, I like to cut a strip of Scotchbrite pad and knock it back just a little going from tip to ricasso area. I used WD-40, but didn't like the aerosol aspect of it. And Windex is plenty cheap enough. To get the fish hooks out is what I go for (llike rhrocker said). If carbon steel, i like a llittle white vinegar etch.

If I buff a blade it's only lightly and to reveal deep scratches. I've heard too many horror stories about buffers to risk it.

Chris

[SteveS]

You guys are gonna have to explain this 'etched' finish. Vinegar? Ferric Cloride?

Rhrocker, I use Cool Lube (ala Engnath). However, I found for the final passes I don't use anything, but a steady hand, deep breathing, and a good mood. I just can't watch the finish with anything on it. Not that it cuts better or anything I just need to see better.

I have one other tip (modification of a techinque from another forumite), but it's soooooo good it'll cost you.

Steve

[Drac]

On users, I go with a hand sanded finish of 400-600 grit on the blade, I dry sand. In jewelry classes we tried different sanding methods and I didn't like the slurry that wet sanding causes. Granted, I go through a lot of paper. On the bolsters and handles that have micatra/fibermascus I use a 400 grit belt finish. These people seem to like this finish better for the grip.

On the next level of handles, stabilized woods, I hand sand, dry, to 600 and than buff with green rouge.

For fancier knives, 2000 grit dry rubbed finish on blade, bolster and handle and than a buff for the handle and bolster.

The only thing I may do different is that I sand in both directions. That is I sand across the blade first and than down the length of the blade next on each of the grits. It's something our jewelry teacher taught us.

On all methods I do the last touch ups with a new sheat of the final grit and draw it from the shoulders to the tip in a smooth motion, one pass per area on the paper for the sharpest finish.

Jim

[AwP]

I use vinager or ferric, I'll usually try the vinager first and if I don't like how that piece looks then I'll do the ferric. I have some muriatic, but when I opened the bottle it smokes and stuff like in the movies, so I'm scared to use it, LOL.

[rhrocker]

Steve said: "I have one other tip (modification of a techinque from another forumite), but it's soooooo good it'll cost you."

Robert said: "Sure Steve, I'll pay up, go ahead" )

[SteveS]

Tip for Tip Robert (all in good fun).

Tip 1 (discovered this by myself) don't wrap the paper around your sanding block. It creates a little bulge on the leading and trailing edges. Just cut a small enough piece to sit under youre block.

Tip 2 - ........

Your turn

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Andrew (and gang), Doesn't it turn the blade a grey color? This is all subjective and I asked for favorites. I just never thought about etching for etching sake.

Steve

[SKIVIE]

Steve, Theres quite a few different colors and finishes you can end up with an Acid Etch Finish. Thats the fun Part.

My finishes can differ depending on length time in the etch. Amount of Reps in the etch. And the final Sand and Grit. Yes it can come out grey and it can come out Darker than that and it can also come out with a nice Satin Etch....thats one of my Favorites.

Tip 2. For me ive found that using the same brand of sandpaper changes everything. Going from a 400 to a 600 3M is great but if you use a 400 3M then to a Harbor Freight 600 you could actually be jumping to another 400 or even an 800. They all seem to have their ideas of what a grit really is.
"STAY WITH THE SAME BRAND"

Shane

[SteveS]

Shane, neat information. I'll have to play with the etching thing now!

OK Here's tip #3.

For the very last grit do this: use a slightly flexible sanding block 3" by 3/4". Cut a paper towel to 2" by 3/4" Tape the paper towel under the sanding block. Make sure the edge of block, towel, and tape are perfect. Now sand.

What I found (your milage may vary) is the little extra cush blends better than a hard backing.

Steve

[rhrocker]

Thanks Steve, I'll give the paper towel thingy a try. I use a hard piece of leather on one of my nicarta sanding blocks, and it works well also. Oh, do you take out of state checks? I need to pay you for the tip )

[AwP]

It turns varius shades of grey tp black, and also shows blade activity if I differential quenched. And like I mentioned in my first post, I like to buff it a little, which dives it a different texture and appearence. Also, oxides deposit on the metals, you can choose to leave those on or clean them off, which also varies the appearence (moreso with the ferric, it has a stouter oxide finish if you use hot water).

Another finish I like, but it's not my favorite so I didn't mention it at first is a mustard etch, it comes out kinda blotchy and old timey looking, but I haven't used it enough to perfect it yet.

[Dave Larsen]

Good thread Steve, thanks! And good replies, all. I don't have much to add, but usually I mirror polish everything. Like Steve I've never been 100% satisfied with the result, either I get a bit of cloudiness that I can't drive away, or the grain in the steel shows up more than I like, or both, or both of those along with something else altogether. Even so, for the O1 I use it helps lessen the likelihood of rust and seems to sell better than a handrubbed finish does. And takes less time.

When rubbing a blade out I've taken to mirror polishing first then going to a Micarta block and 1500 grit paper. I use it dry too, and move to fresh grit after each stroke. Good breathing and a good mood are requirements! Steve nails that as usual.

I like Steve's Scotchbrite finish idea and am going to give that a shot one day soon. I'm always looking for a good finish I can apply by machine for those knives that require a low price point. This sounds like it might be the ticket.

Shane's recommendation to stay with the same brand of paper is right on. I'm suffering through the problem he's talking about right now but too cheap to ditch the worst of the paper brands. I have learned my lesson though. Tru Grit sells Klingspore paper in 50-sheet packs for about $30 if I remember correctly and the 1500 I've been using is great stuff.

For the last couple of weeks I've been trying to get set up to apply Gun Kote. This is the stuff Chris Reeve uses on the fixed blade knives. I think there are endless possibilities here! I know the Reeve knives George Harrison sells that have a camo pattern sprayed on sell like hotcakes, and it's such a simple trick. Anyway, I'm heading down that path to see what comes up. The idea of all those colors is interesting - how about a pink knife! (Just kidding. )

I've seldom etched a finish on anything but some of these ideas sound very interesting. Thanks for all the ideas folks.