Erase some scratches

[Neutri]

Hello everyone,
I received that knife a few days ago and because of A1A I haven't used it yet. But somehow I still managed to scratch it. I'm not sure how, maybe there was something on the towel that I used to dry it with, or I used the coarse side of the sponge without realizing it. In any case it's scratched. I don't think it's deep as it's really hard to capture and even by eye it needs to be at the right angle (soory for the poor quality, it was the only way I managed to picture them)
Anyway, would you have any tips on how to erase them without too much difficulty? I have no experience polishing and I'd like to erase them while keeping the nice banding that Shehan put on it. If it's not possible, I'll just keep the scratches as I can live with them but I can't believe I let that happen.
For the "polishing job", if it helps, it's Shihan A2 steel and what I have available currently:
lots of sandpaper and can get many more
polishing paste autosol, seems to be an equivalent of flitz
SG 500 1k, BBW, Bester 4K and JNS 6k

If there is a simple solution for around 50$ I can convince myself to buy it.

Thanks a lot in advance

 

[dragjp]

Do you have those lovely blue sunshine polishing cloth? It's typically used for buffing jewels and watches but I often start a job like this with it.

 

[Rangen]

It's really hard to judge scratch depth from those pictures. FWIW, my starting point for little rust spots and such, when I don't want to change anything, is 2000 grit sandpaper, applied very gently.

 

[Neutri]

Do you have those lovely blue sunshine polishing cloth? It's typically used for buffing jewels and watches but I often start a job like this with it.

No but I'll try to get my hands on some then. Are they very different from polishing paste?
Thanks for your answer

 

[Neutri]

It's really hard to judge scratch depth from those pictures. FWIW, my starting point for little rust spots and such, when I don't want to change anything, is 2000 grit sandpaper, applied very gently.

Thanks! They can't be felt and they are really hard to see so i hope they are not deep. I'll buy some cloth as suggested and test both method on some project knife to see how it works

 

[dragjp]

No but I'll try to get my hands on some then. Are they very different from polishing paste?
Thanks for your answer

I do use autosol on my copper wares so in comparison I'd say the blue cloth is less abrasive and finer, sometimes even not that effective on harder surfaces.
But that's also why I usually start with it.

 

[Nemo]

The only way to remove scratches is with slightly finer scratches. Then slighly finer scratches. Then slightly finer scratches.... you get the idea.

Sandpaper is usually easiest for the blade face.

This will probably involve refinishig the whole blade if you want an even result.

Or you could just put up with the scratches...

 

[Choppin]

The only way to remove scratches is with slightly finer scratches. Then slighly finer scratches. Then slightly finer scratches.... you get the idea.

Sandpaper is usually easiest fo the blade face.

This will probably involve refinishig the whole blade if you want an even result.

Or you could just put up with the scratches...

either this or apply a 600 or 800 sandpaper hairline finish to the whole blade, parallel to the edge, and those scratches (and future ones) will blend in and become less noticeable.

 

[sanmateo]

ouch, the first scratch hurts the most. I'd say leave it and enjoy using the knife!

 

[Heckel7302]

If you use a knife, it's gonna get scratched, no way around it. You can get them out by any of the methods already commented, but in short order, there's going to be more. Embrace the scratch!

 

[Pie]

Agree. Most go through this angst at the beginning. I know I did. Not saying it doesn’t sting like heck.

Rest assured that the scratches you eventually cause intentionally will be orders of magnitude more serious.

 

[Neutri]

I do use autosol on my copper wares so in comparison I'd say the blue cloth is less abrasive and finer, sometimes even not that effective on harder surfaces.
But that's also why I usually start with it.

I see thanks!

 

[Neutri]

The only way to remove scratches is with slightly finer scratches. Then slighly finer scratches. Then slightly finer scratches.... you get the idea.

Sandpaper is usually easiest for the blade face.

This will probably involve refinishig the whole blade if you want an even result.

Or you could just put up with the scratches...

Yeah I was afraid of that.



Any idea how sandpaper finish will affect the banding? Do I need to re-etch the blade afterwards?

 

[Neutri]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to answer I thought it might get to me just leaving them on. I know that with use there will be more scratches, it's just very annoying that I didn't even get to use it and there are already some.

 

[Neutri]

I do use autosol on my copper wares so in comparison I'd say the blue cloth is less abrasive and finer, sometimes even not that effective on harder surfaces.
But that's also why I usually start with it.

I can't find any blue sunshine polishing cloth in France.
Any idea if those are equivalent?
https://www.amazon.fr/Cap-Cod-Polis...63340&sprefix=polishing+cloth,aps,100&sr=8-13https://www.amazon.fr/Hagerty-A116018-Silver-Cloth/dp/B001D2LL7U?ref_=ast_sto_dp

 

[McMan]

I'm on team "embrace the scratch" too. The knife will no doubt see more scratches from use and, perhaps, from sharpening. Plus, once a patina develops, those tiny scratches will become less obvious and just fall into the background more. Really, the solution is to simply use the knife a lot for a few weeks.

In my experience, it is actually very difficult to adequately “blend” scratches in a spot without having to go into re-finish territory. So, if you’re just dealing with the spot, you’re essentially your trading scratches for a “smudge” that also won't match the factory finish. Then, you might be driven to try to blend that smudge a little more, so a 1/2" section becomes a 2" section, and a 2" section becomes 4", and now you might as well address the whole side, and then one side requires doing the other... and pretty soon you're 10 hrs and eight grits deep, digging into threads about fingerstones and asking questions about stone powders, sprouting grey hair by the day, and wondering where the time went and whether or not those teenie-tiny superficial scratches were worth it in the end and what happened to the good old days of the factory finish...

Until, after all of this, a wayward and mean-spirited apple seed, acting in tandom with a peppercorn, puts a few scratches on the blade...

All this to say, yes, "embrace the scratch".

 

[dragjp]

I can't find any blue sunshine polishing cloth in France.
Any idea if those are equivalent?
https://www.amazon.fr/Cap-Cod-Polis...63340&sprefix=polishing+cloth,aps,100&sr=8-13https://www.amazon.fr/Hagerty-A116018-Silver-Cloth/dp/B001D2LL7U?ref_=ast_sto_dp

capecod is cool, I use them for copper/silver wares too. Basically any reputable jewel buffer cloth should be similar.

 

[Neutri]

Alright i'll follow the majority of opinions and just live with them. Thanks a lot everyone for helping

 

[Neutri]

capecod is cool, I use them for copper/silver wares too. Basically any reputable jewel buffer cloth should be similar.

Thanks

 

[Heckel7302]

... and pretty soon you're 10 hrs and eight grits deep, digging into threads about fingerstones and asking questions about stone powders, sprouting grey hair by the day, and wondering where the time went and whether or not those teenie-tiny superficial scratches were worth it in the end and what happened to the good old days of the factory finish...

I can confirm, this is exactly how it goes.

 

[Lezza]

Hello everyone,
I received that knife a few days ago and because of A1A I haven't used it yet. But somehow I still managed to scratch it. I'm not sure how, maybe there was something on the towel that I used to dry it with, or I used the coarse side of the sponge without realizing it. In any case it's scratched. I don't think it's deep as it's really hard to capture and even by eye it needs to be at the right angle (soory for the poor quality, it was the only way I managed to picture them)
Anyway, would you have any tips on how to erase them without too much difficulty? I have no experience polishing and I'd like to erase them while keeping the nice banding that Shehan put on it. If it's not possible, I'll just keep the scratches as I can live with them but I can't believe I let that happen.
For the "polishing job", if it helps, it's Shihan A2 steel and what I have available currently:
lots of sandpaper and can get many more
polishing paste autosol, seems to be an equivalent of flitz
SG 500 1k, BBW, Bester 4K and JNS 6k

If there is a simple solution for around 50$ I can convince myself to buy it.

Thanks a lot in ad

Hello everyone,
I received that knife a few days ago and because of A1A I haven't used it yet. But somehow I still managed to scratch it. I'm not sure how, maybe there was something on the towel that I used to dry it with, or I used the coarse side of the sponge without realizing it. In any case it's scratched. I don't think it's deep as it's really hard to capture and even by eye it needs to be at the right angle (soory for the poor quality, it was the only way I managed to picture them)
Anyway, would you have any tips on how to erase them without too much difficulty? I have no experience polishing and I'd like to erase them while keeping the nice banding that Shehan put on it. If it's not possible, I'll just keep the scratches as I can live with them but I can't believe I let that happen.
For the "polishing job", if it helps, it's Shihan A2 steel and what I have available currently:
lots of sandpaper and can get many more
polishing paste autosol, seems to be an equivalent of flitz
SG 500 1k, BBW, Bester 4K and JNS 6k

If there is a simple solution for around 50$ I can convince myself to buy it.

Thanks a lot in advanceView attachment 240119View attachment 240120

3M makes really good cloth type fine abrasive papers

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X56G951?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_N9ZA8D096Z13YF9BZTYD
Best used with milky nagura slurry.