Polishing & Rust removal

TAKE AWAY QUICK READ - How we polish and buff each knife depends on the finish of the steel and its condition. Logo's in some cases can be compromised in order to polish effectively. You can opt out of this service by leaving a comment at checkout.

Polishing or 'buffing' a knife is an integral part of the sharpening process that should not be omitted. It smooths and refines the cutting edge.

In the re sharpening process the polishing and buffing may in some instances affect the logo. The logos can be dimmed, faded into or removed entirely, depending on where they are positioned relative to the cutting edge and or condition of the surface of the blade ( scratches , rust etc ) due to work needed to be performed on the knife. Customers agree to give us discretion on how we polish their knives.You can opt out or provide direction by leaving a comment at checkout.

Each knife we receive is unique in composition, finish and condition and so we polish blades sympathetically to our own aesthetic outlined below.

The standard polish is a satin brushed effect on the cutting edge varying in width from 5 to 25mm. This polish will fade over time.

In most cases we'll fade out the polish as it nears the logo in other instances we may need to blend into the logo.

Some knives such as paring knives have very narrow blades where the logos are close to the cutting edge.

In this instance it may not be possible to avoid the logo with the polishing process and the logo can be dulled or removed in some circumstances, for example if there were scratches or blemishes near or around the logo or if the logo is within 25mm of the cutting edge. Though the polishing process to the cutting edge greatly increases finished sharpness.

If you'd like to opt out of the polishing process please leave a comment at checkout and we'd be happy to do so.

Blade & Butler will prioritise blade sharpness over aesthetics. If you do not want logos affected on paring knives please leave a comment at checkout.

There are many other factors that determine the way we polish and also the outcome.

These are always determined by the pre existing construction, steel and blade finish. Coated or painted knives are polished only on the newly ground bevel. Knives with acid etched patterns cannot not be polished as the polishing process would remove the etched patterns. Sometimes in some rare instances, it is not possible to restore a knife to its original condition due to the ageing process and the effect this has had on the appearance of the blade but rest assured that your knife will always receive the best outcome possible.

Polishing removes the surface patina and exposes the underlying surface of the knife. This can bring out pre existing imperfections, marks, pits and scratches that have been masked by the previous dull surface finish. We can remove all scratches completely ( this can potentially affect the blade logo and finish of a knife ) by leaving a comment at checkout asking us to do this but it may not be possible to remove some scratches completely due to blade thickness or blade finish. In these instances we'll polish as far as we can go.

For any specific polishing requests, please leave a comment at Checkout else these processes or a combination will be used.

Below are a few illustrative examples of how we polish blades but are no means exhaustive.

Feel free to email prior to purchase if you have specific queries or requirements. We'll be happy to oblige.

Below are damascus steel knives with a high gloss/ mirror finish.

Damascus steel is multi layered and so polishing out the scratches can remove top layers of the damascus effect. This alters the look of the knife and so we only do this if a comment at checkout is left asking us to do so. The result looks fantastic but the damascus pattern/effect will alter slightly from the original.If no comment is left, the standard brushed satin polish will be administered to the cutting edge only. ( approx 5 - 25mm depending on the size of the scratched area ) This satin polish fades over the medium to long term as the surface of your knife dulls in tone.

Below we polished with 5000 grit fine cotton mops so as to not affect the damascus finish however we cannot guarantee that all scratches can be removed as scratches can be too deep for the fine polish buffers to remove.We use discretion to in our approach here.

Below are carbon steel knives with black / gun metal blades. Here we polish only half the blade creating a beautiful fade with 2000-3000 grit buffers.

Below is a carbon / stainless steel alloy. Here we polish all the blade to remove the rust and restore to its original condition.

Below is an example of stainless steel Dalstrong knives with a full blade polish, allowed as the logo branding is stamped and therefore cannot be removed by the polishing process. Lower grade grit allows the cutting edge to be polished creating a complete surface polish from edge bevel to spine.

Below is an example of Global knives with a full blade polish which on request, removed the logo branding in order to remove all staining and rust.

RUST REMOVAL

Red surface rust is a common issue with knives that we receive.

It is easily removed by manually rubbing the blade with a damp cloth laced with fine abrasive particles followed by a buff on a mop polisher.

You can see from the above results the beautiful finish that can be achieved.

Results vary depending on the steel used in the manufacture of the knife.

Below is an example of red surface rust and pit rusting. You can see that the surface rust is easily removed , however the pit rusting is still visible. It is not possible to remove pit rusting marks.

One form of rusting that we cannot rectify is pit corrosion. This is a common defect that presents frequently with Global knives. To remove pit rusting would require the pitting to be ground out on both sides of the blade. This would lead to the blade becoming too thin and would snap in half. See below image of pit rusting.