Shiny Scales.

[Neil]

Thankfully the image would be slightly diffuse 

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

Neil

  Please note the emphasis.  We don't all share you particular fetish. ... some of us have much more interesting ones 

Neil

[stressmaster5000]

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 

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

I agree with Neil. I have yet to do any polishing on any of my really old vintage and collectible knives. I have been only polishing some good users or collectible models that are great for display or EDC. I have polished up a couple of 58mm's and must admit I have not had any problems other than they are too small to hold very well to do the job comfortably. I have only been starting at 1500 grit paper and that does not seem to bother the shields or the thin area above the inserts. Personally I am not planning on doing too many of the 58mm's since you can get replacement scales so cheap.
When it comes down to it the 20-30 minutes spent polishing a knife is probably not worth it in money terms since you can easily replace a new scale for around $7 or $8. I usually will polish a knife or 2 while watching a movie with the wife in front of the telly so its time not spent entirely on that process. 
In my collection interests, I have a moderate collection of "Hoffritz" marked knives of Victorinox descent. The older ones always have a Hoffritz inlay on the front scale just like the shield. A couple of the oldest ones I wanted to save the front Hoffritz scale so I have polished up a couple of them. One in particular was a Fisherman type with the Fish and Hoffritz logo on a badly oxidized scale. I tossed out the back scale since it was not unique and polished the front one up. It turned out better than expected especially since it was heavily corroded. There are 2 small patches of "pock marks" that remain but they are very small and the rest of the scale is super shiny like new. I could have never replaced that scale so in cases like that I end up doing the polishing. 

[Dunc]

I use the Brasso wadding too , one tin lasts for years .


Stressmaster , thats some really good results  I reckon you could have a nice little side line going there .

Dunc