Which Flitz???

Bugdoc

Bugdoc

Joined
Oct 29, 2016
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Flitz is a popular polish around here, but everyone just says 'Flitz' when in fact there are several products eg polish, green polish and a paste. Which one do you like, and why? Or, does it not matter?

I will use it mostly for light cleaning of carbon steels, and also SS. Nothing too heavy, but may occasionally want to strip off a patina.

Thanks
 
Bugdoc said:
Flitz is a popular polish around here, but everyone just says 'Flitz' when in fact there are several products eg polish, green polish and a paste. Which one do you like, and why? Or, does it not matter?

I will use it mostly for light cleaning of carbon steels, and also SS. Nothing too heavy, but may occasionally want to strip off a patina.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Use the paste for that (it's blue, BTW). Flitz makes several products, some of which are more of a protectant/coating, like a 'wax' polish. For the abrasiveness needed to clean steel or strip the patina, the paste is made for that. It's still a very fine abrasive, aluminum oxide at ~3µ or so, and will leave a high polish on it's own. The packaging say's it's 'non-abrasive'; but, it wouldn't polish at all, if that were true. It's just very fine, enough that it won't make scratches visible by the naked eye, and instead leaving 'scratches' so fine, as to give the appearance of a high polish.

The paste also contains the highest concentration of abrasive, BTW. Some of their liquid polish products might contain the same type of abrasive, but at a lower concentration. So, for polishing and cleaning steel, and stripping patina, the paste is the best bang-for-the-buck.


David
 
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Thks David. I also see waxes mentioned, esp. Ren Wax. Any use for that after? As a replacement for an oil protectant?
 
Bugdoc said:
Thks David. I also see waxes mentioned, esp. Ren Wax. Any use for that after? As a replacement for an oil protectant?
Click to expand...

I haven't used it, so I'll state that up front. That said, I am somewhat skeptical that it would protect a blade that gets used very much, as the coat of wax would get scrubbed off by abrasion pretty fast, I'd think. If the goal is just to protect the blade from corrosion, keeping it clean & dry after use and occasionally oiling the blade as needed would be just as effective, at least. It really doesn't take much to protect a non-stainless blade from corrosion, beyond just making sure it's clean & dry when it's not actually being used.

I think Ren Wax is more popular with those wanting to keep a blade looking pristine for display, i.e., for a blade that ordinarily doesn't get used, as opposed to protecting a user.


David
 
I use Renaissance Wax, but not for blades. It brings out the beauty of natural handle materials (bone, stag, wood). I find no need to wax the blade of a user knife. If you are going to display it or store it, I suppose it would have some value for the blades.

I do notice that when I use Renaissance Wax after using one of the metal polishes, it will remove some more of the black oxidation that just dry buffing alone didn't get rid of (on backsprings or bolsters). If you want a really shiny blade after polishing it, then a tiny amount or Ren Wax will put that last little shine to it and remove the last vestiges of polishing residue. But again, as soon as you use it, the wax is pretty much gone from the blade.

As for metal polishes, I have never tried Flitz. I have used Simichrome, Mother's Mag Polish, and I have a lifetime supply of Wenol (red) metal polish. They all seem to work about the same, so I am assuming Flitz is the same. Wenol and Simichrome look to be an identical product to me. They look like pink toothpaste, and come in squeeze tubes just like toothpaste.
 
It may. Many metal polishes are used in the automotive area and when you are polishing car bumpers at a body shop you need a lot.

I have a kitchen supply outlet store near me and I picked up three tubes of the stuff during a sale. Based on the fact that it has taken me about 4 years to go through half a tube of Simichrome, and given my age, I think the Wenol will last me.

Same thing with my 200ml can of Ren Wax. I have used maybe 1/8 of the can in 4 years. That means if I don't change my usage rate, it'll last me about 28 more years. Which would put me close to 90.
 
Mothers mag polish is good to have around and makes a good strop compound too. I never cared for flitz.
 
Thanks to all. Flitz paste is on order, but I will pick up some Mother's at the auto supply.
 
I've used Mother's Mag Polish (not the billet polish) from the auto store. Works about as well as the others.

All of them generate a BLACK residue on the cloth/paper towel you use to rub them on, which is from the oxidized surface metal that is being removed. If you are polishing something with light colored, absorbent handles (stag or bone) try not to get that on the handles, or in the crack between bolsters and the bone/stag. To the point that if you want to polish bolsters, I suggest using some blue painters tape on the bone.

Not an issue if you are not dealing with light colored porous handles, of course.
 
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