Polishing brass?

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Bungwrench

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What do you use to polish the brass on say a Buck 110 or a 112? I just got another new 2005 model but it needs the brass cleaned up. Is there something I can just get at a drugstore or hardware store?
 
Bungwrench said:
What do you use to polish the brass on say a Buck 110 or a 112? I just got another new 2005 model but it needs the brass cleaned up. Is there something I can just get at a drugstore or hardware store?
Click to expand...

I use Brasso and miracle cloth; depends on my mood.

jb4570
 
Bungwrench said:
What do you use to polish the brass on say a Buck 110 or a 112? I just got another new 2005 model but it needs the brass cleaned up. Is there something I can just get at a drugstore or hardware store?
Click to expand...

You want to polish the brass and not make the wood look different right next to the brass where you might get some on the wood. So, nothing abrasive or it'll have an effect on the wood next to the edge of the brass, ya know?

Ever used FLITZ?
A lot of people, wrongly, talk about using it on a strop or with a Dremil tool as an abrasive. This is wrong because FLITZ is actually only a very, very, VERY mild abrasive. FLITZ is actually a chemical metal polish. It polishes the metal through chemical interactiion with the metal. The mild, mild, abrasive is only there to loosen the surface tarnish and get it moving around so the chemical works better.

SO, I use FLITZ with a Q-tip or my finger or a cotton Dremil bit on REALLY slow speed and that's just to move it around. Keep it wet or add more. Once the FLITZ starts drying or getting cakey it doesn't work as well. It could take a few times of using it, wiping everything off and trying again.

It DOES'NT remove scratches. You WILL need an abrasive for that like the car polish sticks you get at Sears with a Dremil on Medium if you're worried about scratches.

Brasso is a chemical polish too, but I've never used it on knife parts.

.
 
Flitz, Peck, Solvol Autosol, Brasso or a Miracle Cloth. Put electricians tape over the woodwork. Pin or glue a piece of old towel to a board, put the cleaner onto the cloth and rub the brass/knife on the cloth. Polish off with a clean cloth.

Personallly I use a pedestal mounted buffer, that is powered by a 7 horsepower motor and a 12" sewn cotton mop dressed with green polishing compound . :D
 
I use Mother's Mag Wheel and Aluminum polish and an old sock. Works great and seems to keep the brass shiny longer than other things I've used.
Bob
 
Must be a lot of ex-navy guys here.

:D

I am, so I know Brasso.

What I don't know is how, exactly, to deal with scratches on nickle bolsters. How can you get rid of them without dulling the shine of the nickle?

And what about scratches on the alloy parts of a buck fixed-blade?

For that matter, how can you remove a scratch from a blade without marring the original finish?

Is there a hand tool or do you need a big honking grinder bolted to a work bench?

I love knives and I'm learning quite a bit about them here.....but I am painfully lacking in even the simple aspects of working on them beyond Brasso.
 
As mentioned earlier Flitz is great on brass, but it also can't be beat on stainless steel guns. A few hours polishing while watching tv can get you a mirror finish on your pistol. Just don't use it on Nickle, blueing, or case color hardening. Only on stainless steel.

Nolan
 
Maas is also great on brass. As are Flitz and Simichrome.

Ultimately, though, I think Simichrome gives the finest looking finish
on stainless, nickel silver, and brass.
 
Nevr-Dull is very common around here. I think I am going to try that because I used to use it a lot in the past for aluminum wheels and it worked awesomely. Next in line will be Brasso if the Nevr-Dull doesn't work so well.
 
Nevr-Dull is very good IMO.

I think Brasso (and its cousin, Silvo) are too harsh.

I find polishing my knives to be pretty relaxing at times, something
to do with my hands (I used to be a smoker), and when I'm done,
I've actually accomplished something for the display case, whatever.

So I do a lot of polishing and that's why I was maybe a little too strong
in my recommendations of Maas, Flitz, and Simichrome. If I was; sorry
about that. Over the years, though I've compared many different products, worked with them -
(not only on knives, but on silver and other stuff), seen the results, and this is my IMO; my .02.
 
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