Polishing handles

[Conner Michaux]

Is it possible to polish knife handles without a buffer?  

[Garry Keown]

Have you tried shoe shining with a piece of hessian and some green compound

 

[Alan Longmire]

+1 on what Garry said.  Hessian (burlap to Americans) is great, but any coarse cloth works.  A little tube of green chrome rouge, white diamond compound, or Zam compound and you're good to go. Takes longer than with a powered wheel, but it works fine and it's safer.

[Ron Benson]

This handle was my first and I used it as a learning tool. Hand sanded only and I think I went up to 2K grit. It may hace been 3K - I don't remember...

[Conner Michaux]

Thanks for the help folks 

[Brian Dougherty]

I almost never touch a handle with a buffer anymore.  After sanding the blade, hand sanding the handle bits seems to go very quickly, and I can keep my nicely defined edges. 

 

The buffer seems to smear the shape too badly.  (I may just be bad at buffing!)

[Jeroen Zuiderwijk]

Polishing wood works best using: wood. Take a piece of round wood, and just rub with it. It both burnishes and polishes the handle beautifully. 

[Alex Middleton]

6 hours ago, Jeroen Zuiderwijk said:

Polishing wood works best using: wood. Take a piece of round wood, and just rub with it. It both burnishes and polishes the handle beautifully. 

 

Damnit, now I have to try to find the time to try this!

@Jeroen ZuiderwijkIs there a specific type of wood (hard/soft/oily/etc.) that works the best?

[Jeroen A]

Micromesh polishing pads are not expensive and last a long time.

[Jeroen Zuiderwijk]

On 9/10/2020 at 5:41 PM, Alex Middleton said:

 

Damnit, now I have to try to find the time to try this!

@Jeroen ZuiderwijkIs there a specific type of wood (hard/soft/oily/etc.) that works the best?

Maybe, but I just take what I have close to me, and it always works quite well.