How to Get a Mirror Finish on Your Blades Faster Than Ever Before

This is by far the fastest method I've found to get a mirror polish on my knives.
Thank you so Princess Auto for sponsoring this video! www.princessau...
The wheels came from Maritime Knife Supply. maritimeknifes...
Thank you so Matt Gentry for showing me this. / channel and Instagram: / gentrycustomknives

[@jasonlanglois7906]

Just getting back into knives after a few year’s break and this guys right back in my feed with the exact content I’m looking for. Man, Jim watching your methodical progression over the years has been just real quality content to watch.

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thank you so much! I hope your return to knifemaking is enjoyable. Cheers 👍

[@iSharpen]

That's impressive! Us blokes sure do love sharp and shiny things.

[@Simplelittlelife]

We sure do👍

[@hardrock1826]

That is a startling difference you made to that blade. I can just imagine what it would look like on a large bladed Bowie. You are so right about the danger posed by the Buffer Wheels. I got my Buffers from Princess Auto as well. And as you instructed, I am very careful but I have still had it grab my workpiece a few times. There was that Knife Maker, a few years back, I think he was in Alaska. He was killed using a Buffer as far as I remember. It grabbed the blade and it ended up in his chest. A lot of times when I use the buffer now. On a slight angle, I have a piece of three quarter of an inch thick plywood in front of me up to my neck and as wide as my body. It acts as a shield. If need be, I use a Bungee cord to hold it in place. Just an added precaution after little scares.

[@andreslatronico]

I had already seen them and apparently they do make the job easier, unfortunately they are not available where I live. Personally I don't like making knives with a mirror finish, but one piece of advice I could give you is to cover the polishing discs with plastic bags to prevent them from becoming contaminated with dust from the work environment

[@Simplelittlelife]

That's a great idea thank you for that tip. I am with you as well. I don't know that I would ever put a mirror polish on a mono steel blade but when I was experimenting with etching on some cut-off damascus pieces I found that the mirror polish really makes the contrast come alive in the steel. Cheers 👍

[@andreslatronico]

You're welcome, and it's worse if in addition to being mono steel, it's not stainless, but people seem to like it since it's what they ask for the most.@@Simplelittlelife

[@zerocontent3171]

Apparently combat abrasives has the same wheel kit and compounds.

[@virtualvegan7376]

Why not put a mirror polish on a mono steel blade? Any practical reasons? @@Simplelittlelife

[@TrustinChrist-truthseeker]

​@@virtualvegan7376 they scratch easily and are easily marked by abrasive particles whether on a sponge, cloths, etc. They also add another step which adds to the cost of each knife, especially if you are doing big batches where a few extra minutes can make a big difference. Satin finishes are also just easier to upkeep and can more easily be done at home without buffing wheels or other polishing equipment. Mirror polishes can be nice for corrosion resistance, as it helps to homogenize the surface of the steel making it a bit harder for oxidation to begin, but as said, it does add more time to every knife for not necessarily more function or value for general use. Satin finishes also hide damage a bit better. Sincerely, JS

[@ToolsandTime]

Good info for buffing for a mirror finish!

[@Simplelittlelife]

Glad it was helpful!

[@glenpaul3606]

I bought a couple of Airway buffing wheels. The wheel were not perfectly round so the blade bounced very fast when trying to polish. I measured and found part of the wheel was almost 1/4 inch higher on one side than the other. I could not get them to work so I returned them. I did find a much better quality buffing wheel made by Zephyr made with white Domet Flannel. It works very well.

[@BurnsBlades]

I've been using combat abrasives' polishing kit. Uses the same wheels and their compounds work phenomenally as well.

[@cmat3272]

I would check the recommended speed on those also- some of them aren’t meant to go high rpm like that so just make sure. I use 14” wheels buffing guitars and I get a mirror finish at 750 rpm. I totally get I’m buffing lacquer and urethane as opposed to steel and Damascus but my point is you don’t necessarily need 3450 rpm to get a beautiful finish. Just my opinion- take it with a grain of salt👍👍

[@PerspectivEs]

PrincessAuto as a sponsor? How did you swing that? For a company founded in the 1930s I have never heard of nor would have expected this

[@forjanatalense]

thats awesome brother

[@_jaeger_fabian]

Hell yeah! My buffer grabs a knife out of my hand one time! That's not cool! And also heat is a great thing especially on thin edges! Don't press too long on thin blades because it can heat up very quickly... But I like the buffer for handles and spines and Damascus of course 👌

[@BatNof]

I use a dril whit the buffing spini thing and clamp the knife to the table, i think thats more safe 😮 what you think?

[@Simplelittlelife]

Yeah it is safer for sure but also way less effective. Drills do not spin nearly as fast as a buffer so you're adding a lot of time to get the same result and I do wonder if you can even achieve the same result. So many tools are dangerous, you just need to be careful when using them.

[@ShelleyRaskin]

Nice, stand to the side and have a rock solid grip on the handle, one question though, what is gator piss, bottle on your table?

[@Simplelittlelife]

Etchant 👍

[@riverrazors7915]

Hello you don’t really need ventilated wheels, the best is to use a felt belt from your belt grinder, because it holds up a LOT more compound even at slower speeds it cuts faster than a buffer, i usually take my razors straight from 1200 grit belt to a felt belt with 3 micron compound. As for buffer wheel the hard sizal wheels are best as a first step to remove heavy scratches.

[@bobfarley4102]

He's a YouTuiber. He probably doesn't even know about felt belts.

[@williammorrin7933]

Very nice, any updates on your press😁😁

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thank you. What press is it that you are referring to?

[@williammorrin7933]

@@Simplelittlelife your log splitter diy one 😁😁

[@Simplelittlelife]

No I haven’t done too much with it since the last video. I’ve used it more as a log splitter since then. Still around though for when I need it again.

[@MurrayBarton]

The Alex Steele damascus billet is making a come back? 🙂

[@PSB0nd]

Lung protection wouldn't go amiss too... I've got a polishing motor with extraction, I still wear a mask when using it.

[@Simplelittlelife]

Agreed!

[@brysonalden5414]

I've been very happy with Combat Abrasive's version, but I must disagree with you about the buffer being the most dangerous tool in the shop. In my shop, my wire wheel/bench grinder has tried to kill me almost as many times as my angle grinder. Sigh.

[@akloot1]

You go right from 400 grit to buffing wheel?

[@Simplelittlelife]

With these ones you can. The course wheel will remove 400 grit scratches. That's what sets this apart from other systems.

[@Element_Z48]

literal mirror finish

[@eizzle78]

My little portaband is proving to be the most dangerous tool in my shop judging by the amount of blood it’s cost me!

[@richardd-qs9lu]

Hey Jeremy, loved the video. That finish is impressive. Thought I’d share a pic of my buffer on its stand. The base was filled with sand before I welded the caps on. I think it’s safer than having the buffer on the bench where something could easily bounce and hit the user. Merry Christmas and thanks for sharing your experiences with us. It’s much appreciated.

[@dragonwaterforge]

Awsome man

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thank you!

[@gm0hzi]

last time i used a buffing wheel for polishing it cost me 10 stitches and two weeks of work . i have never used a buffer for polishing anything else since

[@Simplelittlelife]

That sucks.

[@buffi944]

When the bias wheel came out as far back as 1928, they were ment for auto type machines only, bias wheels can cause white finger. These seem to be from China as the cloth is not balanced.

[@tacticalcenter8658]

I assume these put a lot of heat in your blade. Bringing down the hardness. Making your damascus cheaper than its worth. I would assume you made it low in hardness to begin with also lowering the value.

[@Simplelittlelife]

You assume wrong. They do heat up the blade a bit but not enough to make a difference. To start to affect the hardness of the blade you would have to get it hotter than the temperature heat (usually around 400°F). These don’t create near that heat and if they did you wouldn’t be able to hold them. These buffing wheels have zero effect on the hardness of the blade.

[@SalsaBro]

@@Simplelittlelife Thanks for the explanation. I want to put a mirror finish on my blade and I kept seeing people say you could ruin the heat treatment of the blade.

[@johncannon3593]

@@SalsaBro Just like with grinding after heat treat, you should keep water at your work station to dunk it if it gets hot to the touch.

[@151ncoke]

Just imagine, a knife company will charge you an extra 500-1000 $ for that

[@shaggy_e210]

Imagine how bright it would shine if you went to 600-800 grit before polish

[@Simplelittlelife]

It would not make a difference at all. If the wheel is removing the scratches, there would be no advantage to going finer in the grits. Now the type of steel, that's where you can see a difference in mirror finishes. Some take a mirror polish far better than others.

[@SalsaBro]

@@Simplelittlelife Do you know which types of steel would take the mirror polish best? I have a few different blades and I want to polish at least one of them.

[@TrustinChrist-truthseeker]

​@@SalsaBroSteels with a higher chromium content are easier to polish up. Your powder steels with lots of very hard carbides generally from what I have seen tend to be a bit harder to do it on, and to get out the scratches from previous grits. Power tools make a big difference in this respect and are almost a must for getting those sorts of finishes on the high carbide steels, especially the ones without as much chromium. Sincerely, JS

[@almeyer405]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned how out of balance those mop wheels are, you need to spend some time balancing them!

[@Simplelittlelife]

Yeah I only noticed while editing and figured surely it would bug a bunch of folks. Good eye catching it 👍

[@acoop101]

first?

[@niksmoret2744]

Yup

[@Simplelittlelife]

woohoo!!! 👍

[@acoop101]

​@@Simplelittlelifehave you considered putting t-track into your workbench so you could quit swap tools?

[@j.mahoney1178]

That wasn't a mirror, I could see minuscule striations in your finish, mirror finish means flawless.

[@Simplelittlelife]

So you’re that guy huh? Please, never watch my Chanel again. Thanks.

[@TheWtfnonamez]

I suddenly remembered why I unsubbed.... You became a "product channel" You were one of the channels that inspired me to make knives, but now you shill kit.

[@18deadmonkeys]

I still think I'm the most dangerous tool in any shop...

[@user-ri7ff2bd9u]

Your not funny

[@LUKEDOOD12]

​@@user-ri7ff2bd9uI think it's

[@jamesmata2945]

Cmon, let bro cook ​@@user-ri7ff2bd9u

[@infernoeagles5812]

😂😂😂