How can I polish a carbon steel blade?

[Rogelio L.]

Hello guys,
I have been given advice on how to prevent a blade from staining or rusting. But once that has happened, how can you polish it? I have seen Ray Mears using the slur produced from a waterstone to do this, but unless you have this special stone to create slur with, it is difficult to produce enough. Besides I still haven't saved enough money to buy a waterstone so I'm on oil at the moment. Has anyone got a method by which they polish their blades?
I will be gratefull of any advice given. Thanks.

 

[shaggystu]

the easiest way to polish a blade is with a leather hone and some metal polish, something like autosol. depending on the anti-rust advice you've been given you'll most probably be removing your rust-proof coating no matter how you polish. just one question though, why do you want to polish the blade? if you're worrying about staining and rusting then you're obviously using the knife, in which case, you're going to quickly ruin any polish that you've put on there

stuart

 

[mrcharly]

Toothpaste on some heavy cloth or leather might do the trick.

 

[ged]

You can use Autosol, it makes very light work of polishing. Not so long ago I used it to recover a stainless spoon that fell in the fire unnoticed and was totally blackened. Came up like new. I had to do something, it was one from the wife's favourite set!

 

[shaggystu]

Toothpaste on some heavy cloth or leather might do the trick.

toothpaste works for a really high mirror finish, the kind of finish that's destroyed the first time you cut through anything more substantial than cobweb. don't get me wrong, there's nothing at all wrong with that kind of polish on a knife blade, we all like shiney shiney after all, it's just a little out of place on a working knife IMHO

stuart

 

[salad]

I use my stropping paste if I want to remove a stain from a carbon steel blade, or if you dont have that a bit of jiff( kitchen cleaning cream) will do the job as it is slightly abrasive. just put a bit of either on a rag and clean off yer stain

 

[ged]

I use my stropping paste if I want to remove a stain from a carbon steel blade, or if you dont have that a bit of jiff ...

Don't talk about Jif please, I don't have any just at the moment. One of my dogs ate a whole bottle while I was in France. He must have very clean insides. :yikes:

 

[Woodcutter2]

Fine wire wool, 000 or 0000 grade with Autosol or Peek metal polish will get rid of deeper marking and being softer than the blade lets you get into the crannies with out unsightly markings against the grain of the original finish and if the polishing monster really persists a leather pad and more Peek (I find it finer than autosol) with the 'grain of the original finish will polish it up to a mirror finish, hope it helps

 

[mountainm]

Micromesh abrasive pads
http://www.axminster.co.uk/micro-mesh-soft-touch-pad-abrasives-prod804806/

 

[Wayland]

Alternatively go the other way and patinate your blade by soaking in vinegar overnight and never have to worry about polishing it again.

 

[Rogelio L.]

Thanks guys I think I'll try with the things I find (toothpaste, kithchen cleaning paste...) and see what happens. Wayland, jut out of interest, how did you get that pattern on your axe?

 

[udamiano]

I just luv Damascus axes, they look fantastic, Im going to have to source one soon otherwise Ill spend it all on beer and wenching

 

[outdoorpaddy]

I've been wondering about this as well, Rogelio. The pattern on Wayland's axe is from the steel, it's damascus steel. One of the many blacksmith's on the forum could tell you much more about it than I could.

outdoorpaddy

 

[Wayland]

It's a combination of two types of steel folded around a high carbon steel fillet which forms the edge.

The whole is then ground and etched to reveal the pattern.

Of course it shows up better if you don't polish it.

 

[Rogelio L.]

Sure, I have read about damasco steel before, just didnt think of it and thought you also had done it with the vinegar!
By the way I tried toothpaste and leather yesterday and it removed some of the dark stuff, but did not manage to get it shiny. But its fine though, I just wanted it to look a bit cleaner.