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Thinking about buying one to motor polish a fixed blade. Blade and handle. Best accessories or steps to use? Any easy cheap manual way is also appreciated. Thanks!
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Best Dremel set-up for that mirror polish? Manual set-up as well.
- Thread starter Aidansdaddy17
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You can do a possiby OK job if you get a buffing attachment for a power drill, but stay away from Dremels. -Especially since it appears that you've never even owned one before.
Dremels will only mess up your knives. If you use a Dremel to buff with polish, you will only be putting noticeable polishing depression marks into that knife.
If you want mirror polish, you need to do it right. Buffing wheel.
Dremels will only mess up your knives. If you use a Dremel to buff with polish, you will only be putting noticeable polishing depression marks into that knife.
If you want mirror polish, you need to do it right. Buffing wheel.
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Nice! I can shave looking at it. 
What grits? Up and down or side to side motion? Dry or wet? Oh yes. I asked!
What grits? Up and down or side to side motion? Dry or wet? Oh yes. I asked!I tried a dremel to polish a stonewash finish and it made it a mirror polish, but it's really blotchy, meaning it's not all blended in. I would get something bigger like a wool pad for a cordless drill, there's one at autozone for like 5 bucks that I use.
For sandpaper I like to use one grit in one direction, then go 90 degrees to those lines with the next grit. This way you can see if you still have the previous grit scratches in.
For sandpaper I like to use one grit in one direction, then go 90 degrees to those lines with the next grit. This way you can see if you still have the previous grit scratches in.
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+1 stay away from the dremel. I use a bench grinder with polishing wheels, but I don't really polish blades much anyway. I have media blasted knives then polished the bottom third of the blade just for looks (and kicks) though.
Good luck and be careful with powered equipment!
Sintro already hit the nail on the head. started with 600 then 800, 1200, 1500 to finish and from there its just a matter of so very lightly removing surface scratches. i have done this wet and dry, both work just as well but the paper will last longer wet.
Same direction? Or alternating?
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It is possible to do it with a Dremel if you're careful. I did a cheap old knife I tried it with and it took me all of about twenty hours to finish a 3" blade, but I did it. After that, I went out and bought a buffing wheel for my bench grinder and got a 7" knife polished in 1/20 of the time. Dremels have a lot of great uses, polishing steel however, isn't one of them. Start out with sandpaper. It's pretty easy to do with a bench grinder too, but that's a couple hundred dollars, easily, and you can get seriously hurt if you're not extra careful.
Its a very nice job....I do pretty much the same thing without alternating, but with not as good a result. Maybe that;s the secret.