Holy.... This guy is on a whole other level. Holding a perfect angle against a powerful belt sander with no guide is one of those things that looks easy but is next to impossible to accomplish. In a world where nearly all precision work is done with the use of purpose built computer guided machines people with this level of skill are the stuff of legend. So much priceless hard won knowledge in this video.
Awesome video. I love how you patiently show the knife, hold it in front of the camera, and give the viewer plenty of time to look from different angles. Too many knife makers just flash up the knife for a second then crack on... so you have to keep stopping the vid to take a look. Great video, great skills, +1
Wow...I was looking for tips to polish my motorcycle parts. I couldn't stop watching. A true master.I bow before you. Now about my exhaust down pipes, lol
Excellent video. What I learned the most from this is the amount of time it takes to polish to a mirror finish. You spent all day - and a long one at that - polishing that knife.
That was a really nice video, and it fully demonstrates why highly polished blades come at premium cost. The amount of skill and time involved explains it all! Thank you for making this video.
Looking at my old Buck 119, you'd never guess that it's 440C like the one in your video; you did a marvelous job polishing that blade. I hope to see it at the museum some time.
I can't say enough kind words about your work. Your knives are absolutely amazing and the one you made on video is a true mirror polish to me, sure, there is always someone better but holy crap I hope I can hold your standards some day. I hope one day to do this.
I second that. I just stumbled across Bowiemaker by accident today and I think hes awesome. He can barely finish a sentence without dropping 2 or 3 really useful tips or facts. The guy is dripping with knowledge. Really impressive.
I work at a chrome plating shop and we sand and buff in house. All types of metals. I've done plenty of stainless knives. They make abrasive compounds for the woven cotton wheels too that you should consider. I stop sanding at 320 and work the rest out on the cotton wheels with finer grit, then to the final buffs with the green compound.
Beautiful work, thank you for sharing the whole process. I just began polishing knives and I see that you holding the knife in a horizontal position. Other UA-cam buffing clips show people who keep the knife in a vertical direction. What is the best way?
Where's the secret sauce? You Sir are craftsman at the highest level, i appreciate your knowledge. I have been sanding/polishing for a week with a fraction of your results!
Thanks so much for your time and video. Very informative. I would like to see the finished knife if possible before you send it to the museum. Keep up the good work!
You can see the finished knife here: scontent-1.2914.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/10574396_676733092405494_329690463929307340_n.jpg?oh=463b756301d753e3d050b1be491464f6&oe=54D7C827 . As it turns out, I did not donate the knife to the museum because the National Knife Museum closed about the time that I finished it. Instead, I donated it to www.kniferights.org as part of their fundraising efforts.
Man you did a hell of a job with that mirror polish . I started working on blades about 2 years ago . I get worried about blades heating up while buffing because it can throw out the rockwell in the temper which can lead to chips on the edge or edge rolling . I just always keep the blade moving and dont bind to hard on it because the more pressure you put on a blade then the the hotter it would get quicker . im still in training my friend . I been a trim carpenter for 20 years so this working with steel is pretty new to me so any advice is very much appreciated .
Hey Mike, beautiful blade! It takes a lot of hard work to put out a quality custom product. People really don't understand how many hours go into making a custom knife. If you charged by the hour, the knife would be unobtainable for most customers, so people should never scoff at the price. They should respect the hard work that goes into making a fine piece of craftsmanship like your knife. The work that goes into a custom knife is tremendous, and the customer is getting a quality, hand-made product, forged and made in America. I was wondering, the buffing wheel on your right side looked glazed over with compound. Usually one would take a rake to the wheel, to get all of the old compound and grim off of it. Is there a specific reason you use the wheel like that? We all have our own methods when we work, so I'm sure there's a reason for yours. I was just curious. Great job, and thank you for the demonstration.
Hi, first up I must say that you certainly know what you are doing, you are nothing but a true artisan if ever I saw one, great work. Could I ask if you would respond with the "TYPES OF BELTS & GRITS) that you use or recommend to use so as to polish up a blade that has quite a number of scratches in the blade. I have a number of Japanese steel and stainless steel blades that I would like to polish up to a mirror finish. Thank you.
Beautiful work. Quick question on buffing compounds . When you use a colour , let’s say white on a wheel can you put other colour compounds on that wheel or is that wheel then only for white compounds ?
How does there farrier rasp handles do? Man that is awesome at 800 grit thank you for saying that thank you for these whole sharing of this whole video may I ask how much one of those mirror knives go for? Wow yes I see that very nice great job.
Very nice finish! Thanks for taking the time so show the process. When you sharpen your blade what grit (or grits) do you use? Is that multi-step process as in polishing or is the sharpening accomplished with one step? Tks.
It varies a little depending on the type of blade steel, the type of knife and the thickness of the blade but I usually sharpen on the slack part of the belt using 220 grit, followed by 600 grit, and then stropped on a leather belt. Sharpening on a slack belt gives a slightly convex edge.
I know this video is 6 or so years old Robert, but if your still keeping up with it, I would like to know how wide your buffing wheels are, and where you would recommend getting them? Thanks for the share!!
Is there a particular direction you start with, Mr Carter, or do you just work across the direction of the scratches? OK working on the lower portion of the wheel is understood but at some point you have to polish the main bevel. I ask because I have polished hundred of brass castings but never anything as pointed and with a bevel and an edge such as a knife and I should imagine that a careless move would catch the knife and throw it at your leg.
hey mike great work. i need to polish a sword made from 1060 high carbon steel, should i use the same method as the knife ?? or shuld use water on the belt yo keep the temp. down ??
If I am going to polish non stainless steel such as knives I make from railroad spikes or old rasps and files, what should I use instead of the green compound for stainless steel? Should I still use the soft treated wheel for the finishing polish? Also, what type of wheel do you use for the black compound? Thanks
Trying to get rid of 120 grit with 600 is not fun, my 220 and 400 belts will be here today. As well as the 1200 and 3000 being added to what i have. I own green chrome but i kinda want to get a few other polishes and wheels as well. I have misplaced my black stick :/ but i dont know what grit it is supposed to be. When i used to hand make knives with just a grinder and sandpaper and had to do all these steps by hand i was thinking the same knife but mirror polished would add a thousand bucks to the price lol. Now that its just patience and belts, it just looks “done” and is much less traumatic. Very good work on doing it right and tedious detail. I disagree on the statements that the polish does not remove metal because it does. Just not much lol. You absolutely do have to go back to sanding if you miss one and that is so annoying.
Question about a related project I'm working on. I am going to mirror polish a high-carbon steel knife ( and i understand that's a challenge in and of itself, but) polish then, hot blue or gunsmith blue the polished blade blank in the bluing. then dry cloth polish the finished. I saw a 1911 pistol that that the treatment, and the dark blue shining was really slick google 1911 blued mirror thoughts?
Im having a hard time with my 5160 spring steel and my 1060 high carbon steel with trying to get a mirror polish on my katanas . I have sandpaper all the way up to 5000 grit and I have a sisal pad for my buffing wheel along with the denim pad and finishing pads for my buffing wheel . I dont want to heat up the steel on my katanas because I dont want to ruin my rockwell or tempering in the steel . I figure that I'll just get it as good as I can and just let it be . if I can get them real close to a mirror polish then I'll be happy .
Yes, it is much safer to polish edge down. I do not recommend polishing edge up until you are very experienced and comfortable with your equipment. If the wheel catches on the edge of the knife it will jerk it out of your hands. I polish edge up on hollow grinds because the wheel lays into the hollow grind and does not wash out the grind line as much.
From my understanding, you were talking about the disputes on compound grits. I have green, white & pink. Green labeled at 700 grit, white at 1000, and pink at 2000. Is that correct? I dont know if each maker is different or what. Would just like to figure it out. What would you suggest for carbon steels?
I have found no consistency of color/grit from various manufacturers or distributors. Green is usually marketed as the finishing polish specifically for stainless steel and 700 does not sound right. I have pink no-scratch compound that I use for handle materials.
Police scanner in the back ground my type a guy..Lmao thanks for the video I have been doing this by hand no power tools it takes me like a couple weeks to get that status
mike i am just starting in trying make knives i am not set up to heat treat 440c so i will stay with 12c27 and hr1095 and cr 1095, what type of sanding grit mediums work best for these steel from profiling to high polishing , i have lots of time i am useing 1 x 30 belt grinder right now amm going to build a 2 x 72
+Ken Perkins First, if you are not set up to heat treat 440C then you probably aren't set up to heat treat 12C27 either. All stainless steels have a very particular heat treating process that require a temperature controlled oven. With 12c27 it critical to hold at 1975 degrees F for 5 minutes to properly harden. See: smt.sandvik.com/en/materials-center/material-datasheets/strip-steel/sandvik-12c27/ Regarding grits: I do my rough grinds with 60-80, followed by 120 and 220 and then I heat treat. After HT, I start again with 220 and go to 400-600, and 800. If I am going to mirror polish I finish with 3M Trizact A30 (about 600 grit) and A16 (1000 grit). I then start polishing as shown in the video.
Man, I just love seeing old school methods taught by old school artists. You, sir, are a talented guy.
Holy.... This guy is on a whole other level. Holding a perfect angle against a powerful belt sander with no guide is one of those things that looks easy but is next to impossible to accomplish. In a world where nearly all precision work is done with the use of purpose built computer guided machines people with this level of skill are the stuff of legend. So much priceless hard won knowledge in this video.
Yep this bloke is impressive.
I believe this is known as "Master Craftsman"
Almost impossible no matter how careful I am not to slip somewhere
@@shonuff1365 exactly! Notice that this master eventually put gloves on. The times I messed my hands up was when I didn't have gloves on!
Probably the best video created to show exactly how to produce a perfect mirror finish. Thank you, sir.
Awesome video. I love how you patiently show the knife, hold it in front of the camera, and give the viewer plenty of time to look from different angles.
Too many knife makers just flash up the knife for a second then crack on... so you have to keep stopping the vid to take a look.
Great video, great skills, +1
Mr. Carter, this is what I call the perfect job, and you, sir, are a true master of old school! Thank you for this video. Greetings from Croatia :)
Outstanding video and workmanship. Lots of prides and attention to details went into that blade.
Wow...I was looking for tips to polish my motorcycle parts. I couldn't stop watching. A true master.I bow before you. Now about my exhaust down pipes, lol
Gordon Reeves same here bro😀
Excellent video. What I learned the most from this is the amount of time it takes to polish to a mirror finish. You spent all day - and a long one at that - polishing that knife.
I really can't find the words to describe the awesomeness of this work, greetings from Algeria
Woooow 😲, that is Mirror Allright!! No wonder not a lot of people want to do it, and if they do is expensive, thanks for sharing Sr 👍
That was a really nice video, and it fully demonstrates why highly polished blades come at premium cost. The amount of skill and time involved explains it all!
Thank you for making this video.
Great.I never knew there is so much of toiling to see a knife a good finish leave alone making. Thank you.
Looking at my old Buck 119, you'd never guess that it's 440C like the one in your video; you did a marvelous job polishing that blade.
I hope to see it at the museum some time.
Its always a pleasure to watch master craftsman at work.
Great video! The best I have seen so far on this subject. You are really good at sharing your knowledge, and do outstanding work! Thanks.
I can't say enough kind words about your work. Your knives are absolutely amazing and the one you made on video is a true mirror polish to me, sure, there is always someone better but holy crap I hope I can hold your standards some day. I hope one day to do this.
Hi Mike,
many thanks for making a great and informative video on the art and hard work involved in polishing knife steel. Appreciated.
Fantastic video! Very interesting and very well done. Incredible display of skill demonstrated by Mr. Carter.
thank you.
Epic! Anyone would appreciate that kind of craftsmanship. Bravo!
Most kitchen chef doesn’t like mirror polish, but I tell you it cut so much better.
You are a true professional. Great video and excellent work!
I second that. I just stumbled across Bowiemaker by accident today and I think hes awesome. He can barely finish a sentence without dropping 2 or 3 really useful tips or facts. The guy is dripping with knowledge. Really impressive.
Respect that effort and attention to detail.
As a beginner in knife making this was truly instructional thankyou so much
I work at a chrome plating shop and we sand and buff in house. All types of metals. I've done plenty of stainless knives. They make abrasive compounds for the woven cotton wheels too that you should consider. I stop sanding at 320 and work the rest out on the cotton wheels with finer grit, then to the final buffs with the green compound.
Cotton wheels tend to blur your grind lines.
You sir are a very talented craftsman. Beautiful knife in the works.
Great video, it really cleared up some misconceptions for me. I've been doing it the hard way. Thanks a lot and have a good day.
Thanks for the time to teach you truly do beautiful work from one ironworker to another God bless you and yours
Beautiful work, thank you for sharing the whole process.
I just began polishing knives and I see that you holding the knife in a horizontal position. Other UA-cam buffing clips show people who keep the knife in a vertical direction. What is the best way?
Great Job Mike Carter!!!! you are indeed a Bowie Maker.
Man..that turned out to a stunning finish...wow..really nice and well done...
Very eloquent, well-spoken. Thanks so much. I learned a lot!
wow, really appreciate your attention to detail and the work you put in. thank you for the video.
Beautiful finish! Lots of work but really looks spectacular... Thanks for sharing your uber expertise!
damn thats a nice polish. I always loved using buffing wheels and strops with compounds. Polishing stuff if just so rewarding to do!
watching this in 2024. i can say this is the best mirror polishing video. ❤
Where's the secret sauce? You Sir are craftsman at the highest level, i appreciate your knowledge. I have been sanding/polishing for a week with a fraction of your results!
very beautiful knife.. thank you so much for sharing how you do the mirror polish I always wondered how it was done thanks so much and take care Ran
Thanks so much for your time and video. Very informative. I would like to see the finished knife if possible before you send it to the museum. Keep up the good work!
You can see the finished knife here: scontent-1.2914.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/10574396_676733092405494_329690463929307340_n.jpg?oh=463b756301d753e3d050b1be491464f6&oe=54D7C827 .
As it turns out, I did not donate the knife to the museum because the National Knife Museum closed about the time that I finished it. Instead, I donated it to www.kniferights.org as part of their fundraising efforts.
Awesome thanks for your speedy reply. Can't wait to see it!
He is a Master Awesome vid!!!! I learned a lot Thank You Mr.Carter
Man you did a hell of a job with that mirror polish . I started working on blades about 2 years ago . I get worried about blades heating up while buffing because it can throw out the rockwell in the temper which can lead to chips on the edge or edge rolling . I just always keep the blade moving and dont bind to hard on it because the more pressure you put on a blade then the the hotter it would get quicker . im still in training my friend . I been a trim carpenter for 20 years so this working with steel is pretty new to me so any advice is very much appreciated .
Amazing. Well done Craftsman.
now that's a man who knows his job
Pure artistry ....
Thanks Tim
nice craftsmanship!!very good!!learnd a lot thanks!!
Hey Mike, beautiful blade!
It takes a lot of hard work to put out a quality custom product. People really don't understand how many hours go into making a custom knife. If you charged by the hour, the knife would be unobtainable for most customers, so people should never scoff at the price. They should respect the hard work that goes into making a fine piece of craftsmanship like your knife. The work that goes into a custom knife is tremendous, and the customer is getting a quality, hand-made product, forged and made in America.
I was wondering, the buffing wheel on your right side looked glazed over with compound. Usually one would take a rake to the wheel, to get all of the old compound and grim off of it. Is there a specific reason you use the wheel like that? We all have our own methods when we work, so I'm sure there's a reason for yours. I was just curious. Great job, and thank you for the demonstration.
beautiful work mate your a craftsman extraordinaire
Easy to follow. Thnx Mr Carter.
Thankyou for making the video. Very informative and great skills.
Gorgeous Mirror finish
Great video.... I just confused about white compound and green compound... Which is better for smoother finish...... 👍
A true master at his best !!!!!!
Wow that was a great video and in detail!
Hi, first up I must say that you certainly know what you are doing, you are nothing but a true artisan if ever I saw one, great work. Could I ask if you would respond with the "TYPES OF BELTS & GRITS) that you use or recommend to use so as to polish up a blade that has quite a number of scratches in the blade. I have a number of Japanese steel and stainless steel blades that I would like to polish up to a mirror finish. Thank you.
Brother, YOU ARE AMAZING!!! Awesome job Sir!
Very good work thanks for sharing and teaching ...RESPECT MAESTRO
You are a true craftsman,watched the video 3 times strait.one question ,
Will the sander you used make a hollow ground blade?
Yes. The blade in the video is hollow ground.
sir i really enjoy your videos and your work! keep it up!!
Thanks for the great video , just what I was looking for
Beautiful work. Quick question on buffing compounds . When you use a colour , let’s say white on a wheel can you put other colour compounds on that wheel or is that wheel then only for white compounds ?
You do great work. Thanks for the video.
How does there farrier rasp handles do? Man that is awesome at 800 grit thank you for saying that thank you for these whole sharing of this whole video may I ask how much one of those mirror knives go for? Wow yes I see that very nice great job.
Very nice finish! Thanks for taking the time so show the process. When you sharpen your blade what grit (or grits) do you use? Is that multi-step process as in polishing or is the sharpening accomplished with one step? Tks.
It varies a little depending on the type of blade steel, the type of knife and the thickness of the blade but I usually sharpen on the slack part of the belt using 220 grit, followed by 600 grit, and then stropped on a leather belt. Sharpening on a slack belt gives a slightly convex edge.
Where can I get that large green compound??? Beautiful work~~!! Thanks for the view~!!
Any knifemaker supplier or Caswell Plating.
Outstanding work!
Very nicely done.
Great and informative video! Thanks.
I know this video is 6 or so years old Robert, but if your still keeping up with it, I would like to know how wide your buffing wheels are, and where you would recommend getting them? Thanks for the share!!
Amazing Thank you so much for sharing your amazing talent.
great video ,I might not go as far with my finish,but you help ,thank you sir
What rpm is the sanding belt at? At what rpm do you start to worry about the temper being compromised on the belt sander? Thanks and good work.
If you can hold the blade bare handed it's not hot enough to change temper 👍
Is there a particular direction you start with, Mr Carter, or do you just work across the direction of the scratches? OK working on the lower portion of the wheel is understood but at some point you have to polish the main bevel.
I ask because I have polished hundred of brass castings but never anything as pointed and with a bevel and an edge such as a knife and I should imagine that a careless move would catch the knife and throw it at your leg.
Fantastic work
hey mike great work. i need to polish a sword made from 1060 high carbon steel, should i use the same method as the knife ?? or shuld use water on the belt yo keep the temp. down ??
Well done. I would like to achieve such result with my old kitchen knife but probably never get it.
If I am going to polish non stainless steel such as knives I make from railroad spikes or old rasps and files, what should I use instead of the green compound for stainless steel? Should I still use the soft treated wheel for the finishing polish? Also, what type of wheel do you use for the black compound? Thanks
Do you put the edge back on the knife after polishing
If you have one that is mirror polished, can you change it to a satin finish ?
Absolutely gorgeous..
Trying to get rid of 120 grit with 600 is not fun, my 220 and 400 belts will be here today. As well as the 1200 and 3000 being added to what i have. I own green chrome but i kinda want to get a few other polishes and wheels as well. I have misplaced my black stick :/ but i dont know what grit it is supposed to be.
When i used to hand make knives with just a grinder and sandpaper and had to do all these steps by hand i was thinking the same knife but mirror polished would add a thousand bucks to the price lol. Now that its just patience and belts, it just looks “done” and is much less traumatic.
Very good work on doing it right and tedious detail. I disagree on the statements that the polish does not remove metal because it does. Just not much lol. You absolutely do have to go back to sanding if you miss one and that is so annoying.
You have the patience of a Saint, lol.
Question about a related project I'm working on. I am going to mirror polish a high-carbon steel knife ( and i understand that's a challenge in and of itself, but) polish then, hot blue or gunsmith blue the polished blade blank in the bluing. then dry cloth polish the finished. I saw a 1911 pistol that that the treatment, and the dark blue shining was really slick
google 1911 blued mirror
thoughts?
I like your machine I do not know well engleski.Dali me to write how much speed you are doing polishing.
Im having a hard time with my 5160 spring steel and my 1060 high carbon steel with trying to get a mirror polish on my katanas . I have sandpaper all the way up to 5000 grit and I have a sisal pad for my buffing wheel along with the denim pad and finishing pads for my buffing wheel . I dont want to heat up the steel on my katanas because I dont want to ruin my rockwell or tempering in the steel . I figure that I'll just get it as good as I can and just let it be . if I can get them real close to a mirror polish then I'll be happy .
best polish ever ...love it
Best polish ever? Are you serious? It's not even close to a clean mirror finish.
nice job. does the mirror finish add much to the finished price of the knife?
Yes it does. It can takes several hours to mirror polish a large blade so I do have to charge for that work.
Would it not be safer to flip the blade around so that it is pointing towards the floor while sanding? Is there a reason you have it pointed up?
Yes, it is much safer to polish edge down. I do not recommend polishing edge up until you are very experienced and comfortable with your equipment. If the wheel catches on the edge of the knife it will jerk it out of your hands. I polish edge up on hollow grinds because the wheel lays into the hollow grind and does not wash out the grind line as much.
wow, very nice... thanks for the video.. learned alot!
From my understanding, you were talking about the disputes on compound grits. I have green, white & pink. Green labeled at 700 grit, white at 1000, and pink at 2000. Is that correct? I dont know if each maker is different or what. Would just like to figure it out. What would you suggest for carbon steels?
I have found no consistency of color/grit from various manufacturers or distributors. Green is usually marketed as the finishing polish specifically for stainless steel and 700 does not sound right. I have pink no-scratch compound that I use for handle materials.
I am new to this, if you are using 5160 or 1095, does it going to buff out clear like the SS will? thanks for your answer
Great video. True mirror.
Police scanner in the back ground my type a guy..Lmao thanks for the video I have been doing this by hand no power tools it takes me like a couple weeks to get that status
How do you manage to keep such a straight bevel line when you form the edge? I have difficulty keeping my bevel angle the same.
+James Barritt Ha! So it's not just me!! Yeah, I've been practicing a ton and making some progress, but I'm nowhere near as good as this guy!!
hello sir
could i ask what make of buffing machine are you using ( power speed ) thanks for your time
cheers john
A 5 Star video thank you sir . Cheers
Lots of patience needed...nice job indeed!
Thats literally how I polish mine. However rather don't look as uniform or clear as yours. Curious how much it costs in belt. Abrasives. Cutters. Etc
love your work
mike i am just starting in trying make knives i am not set up to heat treat 440c so i will stay with 12c27 and hr1095 and cr 1095, what type of sanding grit mediums work best for these steel from profiling to high polishing , i have lots of time i am useing 1 x 30 belt grinder right now amm going to build a 2 x 72
+Ken Perkins First, if you are not set up to heat treat 440C then you probably aren't set up to heat treat 12C27 either. All stainless steels have a very particular heat treating process that require a temperature controlled oven. With 12c27 it critical to hold at 1975 degrees F for 5 minutes to properly harden.
See: smt.sandvik.com/en/materials-center/material-datasheets/strip-steel/sandvik-12c27/
Regarding grits: I do my rough grinds with 60-80, followed by 120 and 220 and then I heat treat. After HT, I start again with 220 and go to 400-600, and 800. If I am going to mirror polish I finish with 3M Trizact A30 (about 600 grit) and A16 (1000 grit). I then start polishing as shown in the video.
Hey when high carbon still heats up from being buffed , does that mess up the temper that was originally done by the swordsmith ?
as he stated, he might need to cool it in water occasionally..
@@blex5579 yeah I didnt catch that part . I know that it can heat up a little but it cant go past 2 or 300 degrees from what I've heard
@@santanajackson6160 yeah, 300 i think is the threshold, but i'm no expert either
Question I like to buy condor blanks to make handles for should I just start with 800 to 3000 grit then buff? Thanks. - atb Mike