Mirror finishes on 110

wolfdog

wolfdog

Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
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I've just received my first 110 with a mirror finish and the first thing I notice is that with the edge-2x it is not like the mirror finishes on an old flat blade. The edge-2X is like a spherical or ellipsoidal mirror, distorting the reflection. The old flat grind would be like a true mirror. (Remember in the film Lawrence of Arabia, when Lawrence is given the garb of a sheik, he looks at himself in the mirror of his ornate Arabic knife?) Not that I particularly want to look at myself. However, in outdoor sports a mirror can be handy. You can catch people's attention from across a lake, field or river without having to shout long distances. You can even communicate by Morse code. For tactical knives you may not want to reflect any light, but a true mirror blade does have its place in the outdoors.

Could the custom shop provide a flat ground mirror as an option? Could S30V be polished to a mirror?

My gal for one doesn't like to go anywhere without lipstick for some reason I can't imagine, but it's true. I think they would be great gifts for women, (except perhaps, the black leather/black lace glove variety, then maybe an oxide blade.)

A suggestion. :)
 
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S30V can certainly be polished to some extent, but, in my experience, you will never get a mirror finish with it like you will with 420HC.
 
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Yes, Buck did a great job on the 800 series.But S30V is very difficult to mirror polish. Most don't realize that, which is why that series is so special. 420 can easily be mirror polished and well as 440C.Just ask those employees from the custom shop. Which is the steel they mostly used and why. DM
 
Does anyone have photos of the 800 signature series?

I guess I was imagining a new model folder like the 110, or maybe even the 110 itself, called something like the "Buck Signalman" or "Buck Telegraph", designed with the flat mirror in mind.

Thanks for your replies.
 
A little bit off-topic, but us Old Bikers from the '60's use Happich's SimiChrome Polish for our mirror-polish jobs...It combines a very fine pumice with a chemical polishing agent (high in Ammonia, from the smell) to produce an exceptional paste polishing product. It's pretty widely available, I think Brownell's has it, and any good cycle shop should have it as well. :)

POLISH-1TUBE-2T.jpg


(If you're wondering what we used it on, we polished Amal carburetors to a high sheen)... :D
 
David Martin said:
But S30V is very difficult to mirror polish. Most don't realize that,
Click to expand...

I realize this but wolfdog didnt ask if it was difficult, he asked if it was possible :D I answered his question ;)

wolfdog said:
Does anyone have photos of the 800 signature series?

I guess I was imagining a new model folder like the 110, or maybe even the 110 itself, called something like the "Buck Signalman" or "Buck Telegraph", designed with the flat mirror in mind.

Thanks for your replies.
Click to expand...

Pics of the 802 to follow. :D the blades were not flat ground like you are looking for though. Buck pretty much uses hollow grinds. You could probably get the desired effect with the 819! That would be a large mirror! :thumbup:
Click the pics! :)keep in mind I love this knife and these are my users so they are scuffed and used a bit.


 
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postfallsidaho said:
I realize this but wolfdog didnt ask if it was difficult, he asked if it was possible :D I answered his question ;)



Pics of the 802 to follow. :D the blades were not flat ground like you are looking for though. Buck pretty much uses hollow grinds. You could probably get the desired effect with the 819! That would be a large mirror! :thumbup:
Click the pics! :)keep in mind I love this knife and these are my users so they are scuffed and used a bit.


Click to expand...

Hi Jimbo,
How is that 802 in the field?
jb4570
 
chickentrax said:
A little bit off-topic, but us Old Bikers from the '60's use Happich's SimiChrome Polish for our mirror-polish jobs...It combines a very fine pumice with a chemical polishing agent (high in Ammonia, from the smell) to produce an exceptional paste polishing product. It's pretty widely available, I think Brownell's has it, and any good cycle shop should have it as well. :)

POLISH-1TUBE-2T.jpg


(If you're wondering what we used it on, we polished Amal carburetors to a high sheen)... :D
Click to expand...

Hi Trax,
If this stuff is good at polishing Chrome. Do you think it will remove light rust from 420 blade and give it back a mirror finish?
jb4570
 
Here's the two together. The S30V in these blades is like a mirror and its really hard to show that without getting a bunch of glare in the picture. You could definatlely send signals with them!

802805.jpg
 
chickentrax said:
A little bit off-topic, but us Old Bikers from the '60's use Happich's SimiChrome Polish for our mirror-polish jobs...It combines a very fine pumice with a chemical polishing agent (high in Ammonia, from the smell) to produce an exceptional paste polishing product. It's pretty widely available, I think Brownell's has it, and any good cycle shop should have it as well. :)

POLISH-1TUBE-2T.jpg


(If you're wondering what we used it on, we polished Amal carburetors to a high sheen)... :D
Click to expand...

Trax, Got any pic's of that?:thumbup:
 
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