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Shiny Scales.

Gareth · 33 · 4370

scotland Offline Gareth

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Shiny Scales.
on: November 18, 2008, 07:27:44 PM
Does anyone here polish their SAK scales?  If so, what do you use? 

The reason I ask is that I was cleaning some brass the other day and thought “what the heck” and gave a well-worn dull looking Spartan a rub with the Brasso wadding.  It brought it up to very nice shine.  Didn’t remove any visible scratches but got rid if the all the dullness.  It is obviously doing something, as the cloth I was using turned a bit pink. 

Any other tips for me?
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england Offline Benner

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #1 on: November 18, 2008, 07:30:27 PM
I have had good results with car polish and I have recently started using Farecla G3 cutting paste.

I was planning to polish up a SAK later as it happens.  I can take some before and after pics if you'd like?
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scotland Offline Gareth

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #2 on: November 18, 2008, 07:49:52 PM
That would be cool. Thanks.
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Offline max6166

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #3 on: November 18, 2008, 08:13:33 PM
There is that article on SOSAK about using monitor polish. I forget the name of it. Amazing results though!

I recently tried using Flitz to restore some faded scales. Didn't really work very well...
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us Offline NutSAK

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #4 on: November 18, 2008, 08:46:34 PM
I've always used Brasso.  It works well for polishing scratches out of plastic screens for iPods and such also.
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england Offline Benner

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #5 on: November 18, 2008, 08:46:48 PM
Ok, here are a couple of poor pics showing the result of using Farecla for just a couple of minutes;

Before



After



You can get better results with more time.
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Offline max6166

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #6 on: November 18, 2008, 09:39:29 PM
That looks really impressive, Ben!  :cheers:

Is Farecla readily available everywhere, or is it a specialty thing?
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england Offline Benner

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #7 on: November 18, 2008, 09:43:43 PM
That looks really impressive, Ben!  :cheers:

Is Farecla readily available everywhere, or is it a specialty thing?

I got if off of ebay.  It wasn't the cheapest of stuff, but it is good for bodywork on cars.

This is the stuff I use http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Farecla-G3-Regular-Grade-Rubbing-Compound-Paste-tube_W0QQitemZ310100556640QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item310100556640&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1121%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A2%7C240%3A1318  I expect there are far cheaper sellers out there though.
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gb Offline Mike, Lord of the Spammers!

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #8 on: November 18, 2008, 10:12:59 PM
That's pretty impressive result's mate :)
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england Offline Benner

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #9 on: November 18, 2008, 10:18:28 PM
That's pretty impressive result's mate :)

It looks a lot better in the flesh.  A bit more time spent and the result is even better.  But I'm lazy.  :D
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gb Offline Mike, Lord of the Spammers!

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #10 on: November 18, 2008, 10:19:38 PM
That's pretty impressive result's mate :)

It looks a lot better in the flesh.  A bit more time spent and the result is even better.  But I'm lazy.  :D
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scotland Offline Gareth

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #11 on: November 19, 2008, 01:21:43 AM
That's pretty impressive result's mate :)

It looks a lot better in the flesh.  A bit more time spent and the result is even better.  But I'm lazy.  :D

Thanks for taking the time Ben.  I'm going to load some before and after pics of my own.
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scotland Offline Gareth

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #12 on: November 19, 2008, 01:30:11 AM
Here we go, as you can see the shine come up well.

Before:



After:



This seems to be the best shine I can get but it only takes a minute.
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england Offline Benner

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #13 on: November 19, 2008, 01:33:00 AM
Looks great to me.  :)
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scotland Offline Gareth

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #14 on: November 19, 2008, 01:34:45 AM
I've always used Brasso.  It works well for polishing scratches out of plastic screens for iPods and such also.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought it was worth a shot.  I had half an idea it would make the scales curl up and die. :-\
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us Offline stressmaster5000

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #15 on: November 19, 2008, 04:29:11 PM
I use a set of fine sandpaper blocks from a hobby craft website(micro-surface.com). It takes some work but the results are awesome! I only do it for the better or collectible knives I own.


From SAK Knife Cleaning and Tools



From SAK Knife Cleaning and Tools

As you can see all but the deepest scratches can be removed. :tu:
« Last Edit: November 19, 2008, 04:31:19 PM by stressmaster5000 »


england Offline Benner

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #16 on: November 19, 2008, 04:31:31 PM
Ok that looks my attempt look pathetic. That is a great result on there.  :)
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us Offline stressmaster5000

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #17 on: November 19, 2008, 04:37:56 PM
The sanding and craft kits I have bought from this website are fairly priced and include a high gloss polish but I have always liked the gloss the regular sanding blocks do so I have never used the high gloss polish! The grits of sanding blocks start at 1500 and go up to 12000 in 9 different grit steps.


scotland Offline Gareth

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #18 on: November 19, 2008, 06:43:01 PM
Wow, that is shiny.  Thanks for the tip.
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us Offline stressmaster5000

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #19 on: November 19, 2008, 06:58:01 PM
Just in case anyone here is thinking of buying from these folks, I have bought both the "Craft" kit and the "Hobby" kit. I like and use the "Craft" kit. The main differences are the "Hobby" kit has 6 various grits of sandpapers from 2400 to 8000 in 10x7.5 cm sheets with a separate foam block to use them with. The "Craft" kit has 9 various grits from 1500 to 12000 in self contained, double sided, foam backed pads of 5 cm squares. This makes them last longer since you can switch sides when one side gets used up. Here is the link to the kits;
Craft Kit  -  https://www.micro-surface.com/default.cfm?page_id=175#23

Hobby Kit  -  https://www.micro-surface.com/default.cfm?page_id=175#18


Offline max6166

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #20 on: November 20, 2008, 06:40:54 AM
Wow! That is an incredible shine!  :salute:

What grit did you stop at?
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us Offline stressmaster5000

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #21 on: November 20, 2008, 06:56:21 AM
That particular piece is a Victorinox Executive and it had a red tinge all around the edges and numerous scratches. I started at 1500 and used all of the pads up to and including 12000. While it is an incredible shine, it did take about 25-30 minutes of work to do both sides. Looking at the 2 photos you can still see a couple of the deeper scratches from the start are still there. I could have worked more with an even lower grit  paper and probably removed all the marks.

It is not a big deal to me but the extreme sides of the scales can not be completely worked since I do this with the scales still attached to the knife. The blades and other tools get in the way for perfection, but I am happy with it.

Another thing, some may ask about the metal inlays like the shield and Fish or BSA symbols. I have yet to see ANY problems working right over the top of them. They polish up nicely right along with the scales. Of course I would not do this with any kind of screen printed art work.
« Last Edit: November 20, 2008, 07:11:02 AM by stressmaster5000 »


Offline max6166

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #22 on: November 20, 2008, 07:08:43 AM
Thanks for the info. The result was well worth the effort in my humble opinion.  :cheers:

I was actually going to ask about polishing the shield. I have one SAK where the shield sticks out a bit, and I was thinking about sanding it flat.

Incidentally, did you try to repair that cracked scale yet? If so, how did it go?
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gb Offline Neil

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #23 on: November 20, 2008, 10:37:59 AM
I'll just add a word of caution on the little knives. There isn't much plastic over the toothpick / tweezer slot and if you are trying to rub out deep scratches you can crack the plastic there.  If you have deep scratches on any SAK and are starting out with a coarse grit it is possible to wear the inlaid shield away.  I've done it  :oops:

On vintage knives I'd stick to a little brasso.  Sure you want your knife to look good in your collection but I don't think it hurts to have it still look like it seen a few years service; character and all that. :)

Neil
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scotland Offline Gareth

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #24 on: November 20, 2008, 11:11:19 AM
Good advice Neil.  I've improved on my results by using a liquid stainless steel cleaner (intended for pots and pans) first, then going with the Brasso.  It won't remove bigger scratches or dings but does give a good finish otherwise.
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england Offline Benner

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #25 on: November 20, 2008, 12:25:53 PM
I'll just add a word of caution on the little knives. There isn't much plastic over the toothpick / tweezer slot and if you are trying to rub out deep scratches you can crack the plastic there.  If you have deep scratches on any SAK and are starting out with a coarse grit it is possible to wear the inlaid shield away.  I've done it  :oops:

On vintage knives I'd stick to a little brasso.  Sure you want your knife to look good in your collection but I don't think it hurts to have it still look like it seen a few years service; character and all that. :)

Neil

Neil hits on a very good point there.  Although it is nice to polish them up a little bit, I like SAK's and any other tools to show there wear marks.  It's part of the tools history.
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us Offline Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #26 on: November 20, 2008, 03:32:48 PM
Will Brasso give a high enough polish for reflecto-porn photos? ::) :o :D


gb Offline Neil

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #27 on: November 20, 2008, 03:45:20 PM
Thankfully the image would be slightly diffuse  ::)

OK for reflecto soft porn I guess... no need to illustrate OK  >:(

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scotland Offline Gareth

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #28 on: November 20, 2008, 04:15:39 PM
 :ahhh

That's NOT how I want to find out what you all look like.
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us Offline Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!

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Re: Shiny Scales.
Reply #29 on: November 20, 2008, 04:23:52 PM
Thankfully the image would be slightly diffuse  ::)

So you've already tried it then... :ahhh


 

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