Buffing The Knife

There are many kinds of buffing wheels available, composed of a wide variety of materials, such as flannel, abrasive-packed rubber, felt, metal brushes with compound in the bristles, et cetera. I have tried only flannel wheels, and I have found that hard flannel is best for knives.

You are ready to buff when you have the knife down to a pearly finish free of visible scratches. Use one, two, or three buffing wheels, depending upon how fine a finish you desire. As with the belt-sanding steps, each treatment cuts the surface with a progressively finer grit abrasive. The final buffing, where the actual shine is obtained, is called "coloring."

Good buffing can be accomplished in one step using "stainless" buffing compound, which comes in a white stick and is designed for buffing stainless steel. This is a fast-cutting compound, which nonetheless leaves a very bright shine on the work.

Buffing Safety

Start with either the blade or handle, it doesn't matter. This is one of the most hazardous steps in knifemaking. Buffing wheels are "grabby" and the blade can catch in the wheel and snap suddenly downward. Furthermore, the reflexive movements of the band to retrieve the blade can add to the damage. I once cut myself across the knuckles, but it happened so fast that I can't tell how the knife got around to the other side of my hand. Most often it is the edge, tip, or back of the blade that will catch in the face of the wheel and shoot downward with amazing force, often tearing hunks of flannel from the wheel. It is better to sharpen the blade after buffing. Observe these precautions when buffing: Wear a heavy leather apron (buffing shops use chain-mail aprons); heavy, but not clumsy gloves; keep fingers above the knife so you don't lose one if the knife snaps downward; and watch carefully where the wheel is in relation to the top of the knife.

To prevent accidents, buff only the lower two thirds of each side of the blade, then turn the knife around so the unbuffed side is along the bottom.

After you have buffed once, inspect for fine grinding lines that don't buff out. If necessary, retrace one or more of the belt-grinding steps to remove any unsightly grinder marks. Then, go over the blade one more time so it is as clean as a mirror. Do not overheat the cutting edge, since this could reduce the hardness.

When buffing the handle, don't bear down too hard or you will burn the wood, plastic, or bone. If you find dirty compound piling up in certain areas of the handle, such as on the tang, buff in the direction of the belt-grinding marks, microscopic as they may appear. Use plenty of compound and the wheel will cut faster and cleaner. Again, if there are any grinder marks, go back a step or two and remove them.