Satin finish?

C

Cameron Wilcox

Well-Known Member
I would like to try to get a nice satin finish on my next batch of knives but since I do not have a scotchbrite belt how do I achieve this? I just want a nice even finish without doing a mirror finish, I see many hand rubbed finishes that look very good but I'm not sure how this is achieved.
thanks ti anyone who can help,
-Cameron
 
If you want to do it by hand you can get scotch brite pads from just about any grocery or hardware store.

As for me, I always thought a 220 J-Flex gives a nice satin finish.
 
I do the same as Andrew, then chase over the blade by hand with 220 grit paper on a rubber eraser as a sanding block. I think it is a great finish for acual working knives, and can be easily touched up at most any time, if desired. The hand chasing leaves a finer finish than the belt which makes deeper cuts.
 
Agreed. If I want a "deep" satin finish, I'll put on a brand new 220 (or sometimes a little higher grit) J-Flex, which to me seems to leave a finer finish than a standard weight 220. If I want a more "polished" satin finish, I'll put on a used 220 J-flex. That can also be further refined on a buffer, but usually there's little need to.
 
If you're asking about a machine satin finish, the advice you got above is OK. I prefer a 400 grit gator then a scotchbrite belt for my satin finish.

If you're asking about a hand satin finish, where the scratches run parallel to the spine, that's a whole other ballgame. For the hand finish, take your knife up to at least 220 but preferably a clean 400 on the machine. Then get sandpaper the same grit as you finished and polish lengthwise until all the machine scratches are gone. Then step up in grit and work at an angle to the first set of hand scratches, until all the first grit scratches are gone. Then step up in grit again and work the blade lengthwise again, until all the second grit scratches are gone. On mine, I usually go 400 on the machine, then 400 angled, then 600 straight for a satin finish.
 
jkf96a said:
If you're asking about a machine satin finish, the advice you got above is OK. I prefer a 400 grit gator then a scotchbrite belt for my satin finish.

If you're asking about a hand satin finish, where the scratches run parallel to the spine, that's a whole other ballgame. For the hand finish, take your knife up to at least 220 but preferably a clean 400 on the machine. Then get sandpaper the same grit as you finished and polish lengthwise until all the machine scratches are gone. Then step up in grit and work at an angle to the first set of hand scratches, until all the first grit scratches are gone. Then step up in grit again and work the blade lengthwise again, until all the second grit scratches are gone. On mine, I usually go 400 on the machine, then 400 angled, then 600 straight for a satin finish.
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Speaking about the hand finish. The grit at the angles is a good idea and then back to length wise. However, what is the benefit to the angel compared to going (length, perpendicular to spine, then length)?
 
theWeatherman said:
Speaking about the hand finish. The grit at the angles is a good idea and then back to length wise. However, what is the benefit to the angel compared to going (length, perpendicular to spine, then length)?
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It allows you to see if you've missed any deeper scratches by highlighting areas in a hash mark type pattern. At first I didn't change directions when starting to hand finish and it gave me issues but this goes away by taking JKF96A's advice.
 
Mike928 said:
It allows you to see if you've missed any deeper scratches by highlighting areas in a hash mark type pattern. At first I didn't change directions when starting to hand finish and it gave me issues but this goes away by taking JKF96A's advice.
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Do you guys do this to the ricasso as well?
 
I have one more question that goes along with changing grinding direction with grits, recently I have been using the blue steel dye between grits to show high spots/ deep scratches while grinding, would this also help during hand sanding?
-Cameron
 
Cameron Wilcox said:
I have one more question that goes along with changing grinding direction with grits, recently I have been using the blue steel dye between grits to show high spots/ deep scratches while grinding, would this also help during hand sanding?
-Cameron
Click to expand...

I have done this with both Dykem and a sharpie, it does help with all the low spots and the really big scratches. I haven't decided if it is worth the trouble or not, but it does work!
 
Yeah, I do the ricasso as well. I also do an angle instead of perpendicular because you can get longer strokes. Seems to me to be less effort. I haven't used dykem, sharpie, etc. I use a bright light, and also often go outside in the sun to get a look.
 
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