Odd question, is there a decent way to remove a mirror finish?

Sandpaper in varying grits is the best way to do it but there is a proper technique to doing a hand satin finish. Starting out from a mirror polish actually should make it easier to do as you dont have to remove grinder lines. There are a bunch of good you tube videos showing how to do a satin finish.
 
Agree with PURPLEDC.

If you just want to knock off the mirror start with a high grit like 1000 or 1500. Then move down to 800, then 600, then 400, maybe 320, until you get the effect you want.

This is the way I finish my blades. Aaron does great work.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1b1mvkZcBw8
 
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I believe you have that reversed Travish.

Use a piece of Scotchbrite pad. Use a fine finish, don't use anything rough after all you only want to dull the finish not rough it up.

If you have a knife maker you know living close, have him do it on a Scotchbrite belt. It would only take five minutes.

Fred
 
Fred.Rowe said:
I believe you have that reversed Travish.
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Nope. Everthing in moderation.

In finishing a new blade, you start with low grits and work higher, making it shinier and shinier.

A mirror finish is typically 2000 and higher. And it doesn't take much to 'dull' it.

So you simply reverse the process and start with a high grit and work lower, making it duller and duller.

Scotchbrite pads are usually 400 and lower, depending on color. That's a large jump from 2000+.
 
TravisH said:
Nope. Everthing in moderation.

In finishing a new blade, you start with low grits and work higher, making it shinier and shinier.

A mirror finish is typically 2000 and higher. And it doesn't take much to 'dull' it.

So you simply reverse the process and start with a high grit and work lower, making it duller and duller.

Scotchbrite pads are usually 400 and lower, depending on color. That's a large jump from 2000+.
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SCOTCHBRITE GRIT CHART
3M Scotch Brite Nylon Pads:
7445 - White pad, called Light Duty Cleansing - (1000) 1200-1500 grit
7448 - Light Grey, called Ultra Fine Hand - (600-800) 800 grit.
6448 - Green (?), called Light Duty Hand Pad - (600) 600 grit
7447 - Maroon pad, called General Purpose Hand - (320-400) 320 grit
6444 - Brown pad, called Extra Duty Hand - (280-320) 240 grit
7446 - Dark Grey pad, called Blending Pad (180-220) 150 grit
7440 - Tan pad, called Heavy Duty Hand Pad - (120-150) 60(?)
Blue Scotch-Brite is considered to be about 1000 grit.
(The value inside the parentheses is directly from 3M.)
3M Chart
Less Aggressive --------> More Aggressive
7445 7448 6448 7447 6444 7446 7440
Finer Finish --------> Coarser Finish

Don't you think your making a big job out of a small job? Supposedly we have a polished metal surface, if it appears polished, it must be at least at 1500 grit or so and you want to change this look to one degree or another. 600 or 800 will change the 1500 surface to the desired dullness by simply rubbing the surface with the desired abrasive; no need to use a step down technique, after all, you don't want a 1000 grit finish, thats still shinny. You're looking for a 600 finish which will be a non reflective finish. I believe its a waste of the man's time to go through all these other steps.

I think I understand why you have recommended doing this, after all if a maker is finishing a blade from a rough surface, blades surface after hardening and tempering, its good technique to start at a low grit and go through all the different grits, removing the previous scratches until you arrive at the desired finish. Making a blade dull does not require this process in reverse.

To the OP, you can place the Scotchbrite on a stiff mouse pad using double sided tape and move the blade across the surface. You'll get a more even finish. If you lived near me you could just drop into the shop.
 
There are lots of ways to get rid of a mirror finish. We can give better recommendations if you tell us the finish you want.
 
bpeezer said:
There are lots of ways to get rid of a mirror finish. We can give better recommendations if you tell us the finish you want.
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This. With mirror finish as starting point, the finishes are endless.
 
I'd just like something that didn't reflect as much. A dull flat finish, optimally

Thanks for all the responses!
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
That sounds like a Scotch-Brite finish, to me; should be the easiest as well... ;)


David
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Yep. Sounds like it.

Or a bead blasted finish if you have access to a glass bead filled blasting cabinet.

Scotchbright be the easiest and require the least amount of equipment.
 
Dry-cell said:
Can you not use steel wool as well?.
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Steel wool may not be quite hard enough to alter the finish of a hardened steel knife blade; or at least too slow to be effective. Steel wool is often recommended as a means to scrub rust from a blade (usually with some oil) without scratching the blade.

Other recommended methods all use varying degrees of much-harder abrasives, like aluminum oxide (used in Scotch-Brite pads, wet/dry sandpaper, Flitz/Simichrome/Mother's Mag polishes) or silicon carbide (also used for wet/dry sandpaper).


David
 
FlameCycle said:
You could do a stone wash or an acid wash pretty easily and the mirror sheen would disappear.
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Acid wash will give you more of a bead last finish and it polish off quite easily if you like to use Flitz or metal polish paste often. And you will have to refinish your edge after acid wash.
 
The reason to start fine and progress to coarser grits is so you can stop when you like what you see. If you go from mirror finish directly to 400 and decide it is now too rough you have a long road back. Each step from fine to coarse (getting rougher) is easy. And fairly easy to reverse, if you are only trying to go back one step.
 
Pondoro2310 said:
The reason to start fine and progress to coarser grits is so you can stop when you like what you see. If you go from mirror finish directly to 400 and decide it is now too rough you have a long road back. Each step from fine to coarse (getting rougher) is easy. And fairly easy to reverse, if you are only trying to go back one step.
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I imagine if one doesn't know what a 400 or 600 grit finish looks like, this may be the way to approach this project. Scotch brite finishes have been around for a lot of years and a finish thats in the 4 to 6 hundred range is what most knifemakers would consider a brushed or Scotch brite finish. When you work a surface in the 1000 to 1200 range you start getting a mirror look, 220 320 and you see scratches, the 400 to 600 is ideal and making a sound decision, eliminates the superfluous sanding.

Fred
 
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