Leather handles/circular spacers - polishing?

[Gary LT]

Okay all,

I have this question to ask if anyone has accomplished a “smooth polished finish” on knives with leather spacers on handles. I mean smooth polished finish and not showing grain porosity.
I haven’t…..and tried. I was told to “burnish” the leather, (but not exactly how ……). So I did, using different attempts, with fine scotchbrite, buffing wheels and compounds, soaking the leather in water or oil or applying wax, progressive hand sanding, etc. I may be using lesser quality leather, (for sure!). 

Other well known makers do this successfully however I thought I’d start here to ask.

Any advise

Gary LT

[jake cleland]

scotchbrite, sanding, (most) buffing etc are abrasive, and will open up the grain. Burnishing is not. It means polishing with a hard, smooth, polished surface - usually hardened steel, but bone or antler are fine for leather - to compress the surface and close up the grain. You probably want to coat the surface in beeswax first to load as much of the grain as possible before you start. You'll probably also want to use enough force to generate some heat to harden the surface. A hard felt buffing wheel would probably also work.

[Alan Longmire]

What Jake said, and the iconic stacked leather grips like the Ka-bar are also shellacked after burnishing.  Varnish is more water resistant.

[Gary LT]

Thanks Jake and Alan. I do have a hard wheel, (not felt), but packed enough to work. A big “duh” came over me when I read beeswax, which I have a small block. This combo might do the trick for this project.

I follow up with a post when I can get back to try it.

Gary LT

Edited January 5 by Gary LT

[Joshua States]

I use a product I think is Tragacanth gum (?) to coat my sheath edges before burnishing with a chunk of antler. Leaves a nice solid polished edge. I bought the powder that you mix with a little water and apply with a small paint brush or glue brush

 

Edited January 5 by Joshua States

[Gary LT]

Thanks Joshua, yes I’ve known about gum tragacanth, I haven’t tried it, but if you use perhaps I should try.

All, rubbing a prepared leather edge with a tool works and you can see results rather quickly. But a spacer is circular or oblong and grain changes direction. So in using a wheel that’s why I’ve tried everything. Heck, maybe I can also try a stabilizer in a vacuum. Whatever works, I’ll pass it on. Randall, Treeman, Moshee, have all done this successfully!

Gary LT

 

[Gary LT]

So here’s an update to polishing leather spacers. On a visit to Florida, I had a chance to visit a well known knifemaker and asked the simple question, “How do you get a smooth polish on leather spacers used on a knife handle?” I explained my lack of success and frustration because of the grain not packing down.
The answer came back……. “just simply polish with red rouge using a light touch”.
I said Huh? You mean……no deep down hidden method, secret xformula, etc? We went into the shop, same wheel I use, (well worn), 3650RPMS, red rouge applied as normal, (Dialux had also been used). Very light touch, just feather it.

So attached are before and after photos at home.

I don’t really like this rouge because of the staining, so I don’t use it. 
But I’ll be damned…..!
 

Gary LT

[Gazz]

I believe I have read that using a hardwood wheel in buffing motor, lathe or drill press is what is used to polish or burnish the edges of leather.  The wood wheel is shaped and sanded to match the contour of the leather part to be burnished.  Not sure if any compound is used but would guess a wax of some kind and beeswax would be my first choice if I tried it.

[Alan Longmire]

12 hours ago, Gary LT said:

So here’s an update to polishing leather spacers.

 

Nice!  I rarely use the red rouge myself, except on stirling.  I see that may change...

[Gary LT]

Alan, I used this wheel because it was loaded more so than a new wheel. Could have been even more loaded and used which would have worked faster.

I kept the work turning same direction as wheel and also buffed at angles later to smooth out the raised grain. By very light pressure, the grain eventually goes away. As far as Dialux red rouge, this is the only use I can find for it on knife handles, except maybe something else dark and smooth like buffalo horn or micarta.

well…….this rabbit hole is closed for me!

Gary LT

 

[Carlos Lara]

Interesting. Rouge is just ferrous oxide powder in wax or some kind of fat. 

[Alan Longmire]

It is indeed.  But the iron oxide particles are very specifically size-graded to be a uniform mild abrasive, and the grease carrier is formulated to wear at a precise rate.  The fact that it will fill the pores of leather never occurred to me. But I like it. 

[Joshua States]

On 6/12/2023 at 5:37 PM, Gary LT said:

same wheel I use

Sewn wheel or unsewn?

 

[Gary LT]

Sewn at the shop. But on mine the last 2 rows of thread were removed.

Gary LT

[Joshua States]

With all the different colors out there for polishing rouge.......