Maybe Polish My Authentic Kayfun V4

[evan le'garde]

So i was wandering round the internet searching for polishing materials to change the finish on my authentic kayfun V4. I want to polish it by hand from the semi brushed finish it is now to the same mirror shine finish of my Provari. So would 7000 grit sandpaper and a jeweller's cloth be the right tools to do this properly. Anyone had any experience of this kind of thing ?. I don't have a dremel or anything like that and for this i don't think it would do what i want it to aesthetically. I just want to do it by hand and maybe add a little patina in the process. Any serious advice wouldn't go a miss.

 

[State O' Flux]

With the advance recommendation of remembering to frequently rinsing the paper off of metallic particles and grit, as you use it...

My usual polishing process to take brushed or matte SS to a mirror finish is: 320 or 400 grit wet to start (depends on how course the original finish is), then 600 grit, 1000 grit... then for a true mirror finish with no visible directional lines, a jump to wet 2000 grit, followed by three steps on a table mount buffing wheel with brown, grey and white polishing rouges.

If you don't have, or have access too, a buffing wheel... then from 2000 on to finer grits until you're happy, or exhausted, followed by a good metal polish. and perhaps a sealer, like Renaissance Wax.

 

[twgbonehead]

Well, I was following you until the very end. Polish and Patina are 2 different ends of the spectrum.

 

[State O' Flux]

Well, I was following you until the very end. Polish and Patina are 2 different ends of the spectrum.

I only offered a polishing process. Patina SS? Not so easy.
Read up on the chemicals ferric chloride and sodium bisulfate... one of those may give you the patina you're looking for.

 

[puffon]

Myself, I wouldn't attempt this without a buffing wheel and some rouge.

 

[dave51]

These are the best to do what you want
When I smoked pipe and worked in a machine shop I used these for the finer finishes


Micro-Mesh® Regular Pads

 

[evan le'garde]

With the advance recommendation of remembering to frequently rinsing the paper off of metallic particles and grit, as you use it...

My usual polishing process to take brushed or matte SS to a mirror finish is: 320 or 400 grit wet to start (depends on how course the original finish is), then 600 grit, 1000 grit... then for a true mirror finish with no visible directional lines, a jump to wet 2000 grit, followed by three steps on a table mount buffing wheel with brown, grey and white polishing rouges.

If you don't have, or have access too, a buffing wheel... then from 2000 on to finer grits until you're happy, or exhausted, followed by a good metal polish. and perhaps a sealer, like Renaissance Wax.

No buffing wheel, just by hand, would mean i'd create the kind of patina you might get on a used coin, not the shine, but just a worn look overall to the item but still buffed up to a high mirror finish. Obviously i'd lose the edges a bit, do you know what i mean.

 

[evan le'garde]

Well, I was following you until the very end. Polish and Patina are 2 different ends of the spectrum.

I would imagine the patina i am looking for is how the item's edges will be erroded during the process. So when i finish with a high polish these changes in the shape of the item will be noticeable. I just don't want to start with a sandpaper which is too coarse, prefably the finest i can find. So i though if i start will the finest and see how it looks so i won't completely screw it up from the start. I'm not trying to do it the easy way. I just want to polish it to a high shine and i know it will change shape in the process, hence the patina.

 

[twgbonehead]

I would imagine the patina i am looking for is how the item's edges will be erroded during the process. So when i finish with a high polish these changes in the shape of the item will be noticeable.

Polishing itself removes very little metal; if you really want some wear you would have to start out with a pretty coarse grit (which would mean a LOT of sanding and then polishing to get a shine). But that's not a patina, what you're describing is "wear". (Patina is more like corrosion - "beautiful rust" except that it's not usually rust, and it isn't always beautiful!).

 

[evan le'garde]

Polishing itself removes very little metal; if you really want some wear you would have to start out with a pretty coarse grit (which would mean a LOT of sanding and then polishing to get a shine). But that's not a patina, what you're describing is "wear". (Patina is more like corrosion - "beautiful rust" except that it's not usually rust, and it isn't always beautiful!).

Patina also refers to accumulated changes in surface texture that result from normal use of an object such as a coin or a piece of furniture over time.

Wear is a kind of patina. On metal or wood !.

 

[twgbonehead]

Patina also refers to accumulated changes in surface texture that result from normal use of an object such as a coin or a piece of furniture over time.

Wear is a kind of patina. On metal or wood !.

Well, I'm really not trying to dis you or argue with you. I'm trying to figure out what it is you want to do, and help you accomplish that.

If you want to get a good wear on an item, I would suggest a rock tumbler, and start with a very fine grit. This will provide some wear, but perhaps not scratch the pieces so badly that they become un-polishable. (Or you could try it without grit, but with a handful of polished stones, or maybe ball bearings). The stones, being harder than the copper, will beat on the item, and tend to smooth the edges a bit. I have never tried this myself, although I have tumbled many minerals. It will a while, but any technique which will produce wear, without producing scratches, is likely to be the same.

Copper is a very versatile material when it comes to finishes. (It also is a very versatile material when it comes to hardness).

When you mention "copper" and "patina" in the same post, most people will gravitate to thinking about the beautiful finishes that you can make using salt, ammonia, mustard, and other things, and there is an incredible gallery here on ECF of what folks have accomplished in that regard. So while "patina" might be grammatically correct, it doesn't help to point people in a direction that helps you with what you're trying to accomplish, but instead points in the other direction.

Peace! I hope you get the results you are seeking.

 

[evan le'garde]

I think i made have muddied the water a bit when i mentioned patina. It was something i thought i'd mention as an unavoidable result of changing the finish of the item. Forget about the patina bit.

So to go from the semi brushed to mirror finish by hand, what would it take ?. This isn't about removing scratches it's just about changing the finish, by hand.

What about if i just used some 7000 grit sandpaper and spend hours rubbing the item. Or is that too abrasive. What difference would a jewellers cloth make or would it be something i'd use to finish the process.

 

[orion7319]

If you start with 7000 grit, you could likely sand forever and never see a change at all. You have to think of it like sanding wood, you work your way though the grit. You really do typically start at 400 or 600 and then work your way down to 2000 or 3000 grit. After that you start to polish with a buffing wheel or a dremmel with a polishing kit. If you don't have that, you will have to go to a very fine grit and then hit it with some rubbing compound, then polish and wax. Your not going to see much change even at 400 grit and you will sand for a long long long long long long long long long long time and then repeat the process for each grit. You won't see the shine until you hit 1000 grit. I polished my great grand dads 100 year old pocket knife not to long ago and I started that out with 80 grit, took me about 4 hours to complete as I did most of it except the last polishing stages by hand. The process takes a good amount of time and is very tedious so be prepared for that.
Edit: Oh and make sure you sand parrallel to the grain, easier that way.

 

[evan le'garde]

This isn't about repairing the finish of an item like your Grandads 100 year old knife. This is about changing the already finished perfectly good semi brushed or satin finish the Kayfun V4 has. So, bearing that in mind this finish must be a stage where i could pick up from, where it's just a case of finely finishing it to a high shine. Think about it. It's already a pretty fine finish as it is.

 

[Jethead]

These are the best to do what you want
When I smoked pipe and worked in a machine shop I used these for the finer finishes


Micro-Mesh® Regular Pads

THIS!

Myself, I wouldn't attempt this without a buffing wheel and some rouge.

And this!

I also have machine shop experience. The mirror finish on the Provari is done in a large commercial grade tumbler/polisher prior to hand finishing with a wheel and jewelers rouge.

Check out their website, they show pics and video of the tumbler.

Good luck, take your time, do not try to get it done to fast, stainless is a "gummy" metal, harder to really get a mirror finish without air buffing and different grades of rouge.

 

[orion7319]

This isn't about repairing the finish of an item like your Grandads 100 year old knife. This is about changing the already finished perfectly good semi brushed or satin finish the Kayfun V4 has. So, bearing that in mind this finish must be a stage where i could pick up from, where it's just a case of finely finishing it to a high shine. Think about it. It's already a pretty fine finish as it is.

I know this is in better shape than my great granddads knife. You do have to start with a grit at least equil to the scratches that is the brushed finish, that is of course if you are going for a mirror polish (which now I see you are not). If you just want it a bit more shinny, then you can start with a higher grit. 7000 is still way to high to start off with though. I'd make sure you have 1000 and 2000 grit on hand, just in case.

 

[orion7319]

With the advance recommendation of remembering to frequently rinsing the paper off of metallic particles and grit, as you use it...

My usual polishing process to take brushed or matte SS to a mirror finish is: 320 or 400 grit wet to start (depends on how course the original finish is), then 600 grit, 1000 grit... then for a true mirror finish with no visible directional lines, a jump to wet 2000 grit, followed by three steps on a table mount buffing wheel with brown, grey and white polishing rouges.

If you don't have, or have access too, a buffing wheel... then from 2000 on to finer grits until you're happy, or exhausted, followed by a good metal polish. and perhaps a sealer, like Renaissance Wax.

Does this Renaissance wax do anything to keep aluminum from oxidizing by any chance? The reason I ask is I just sanded off the chipping paint from my ipv mini and polished it up really nice.. Apparently it's made from aluminum and it is oxidizing in a matter of hours. I tried some McGuires gloss wax, and while this does work on the parts that I don't touch, I'm getting my finger prints oxidized into the metal. I just hit it with some 2000 grit and slathered it down with petroleum jelly, but I doubt that will work long term. I really don't want to resort to clear coating it, as that will just chip eventually like the paint did. I wish they would have just anodized these to begin with, which I considered attempting myself briefly, but I really don't want to play with lye, electricity and battery acid either. So if this wax works on aluminum, that would be great!