I have this great hunting knife that I'm trying to keep pristine. When sharpening it I got some scratches on the side of the blade. I have a Delta slow speed grinder and a cloth wheel but what compound do I use to get rid of the scratching??? Or is there a better method?? Thanks much
Make sure before you do it. Polishing may reduce its value. They are very valuable knives.
Steve
Ed - I am a bit of a knife nut. Or as they say "knife knut".
DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT grind, sand, polish, or do anything else to that blade unless you are unconcerned with ruining its value. Steve is right; Randalls are very expensive, and much sought after as collectibles. I think at this time to order a Randall is around $500 down, and the balance after a 3 - 5 year wait. However, some have them in stock:
OK, on the soapbox here:
Knives are made to be used. They will acquire patina, stains, scratches, and other character traits from use just like any other tool. My most prized knife, even over the first knife I received from my father, is my grandfather's Barlow. It has been road hard and put away wet more times than can be counted. It looks like it could tell stories around a campfire for a week....
My opinion is that if you want that knife to remain pristine, make it a safe queen and get yourself a serviceable user/beater. There are a ton of good knives that can be had at the slightly less than $100 price point for a simple hunter.
That being said, if I had a Randall, it would indeed be a "safe queen".
Off the box.
On the other hand, if you are determined to keep the knife scratch/ stain/blemish free, I would send it to Randall or a qualified maker for (as they say) "spa service". They will polish it up, resharpen it, and if necessary correct your grinds for a price. Randall would be my choice for that service as many other makers won't touch out of respect for the maker, and fear of ruining value.
Of course, if you are confident and know what you are doing, you could by yourself a metal polishing kit, a stiff cotton wheel, and get after it.
Which model do you have? Stainless or O1? Date of manufacture? Original sheath?
If you inherited this knife and it was made by Bo Randall himself, it could be a $5000 knife. Literally. Tread lightly....
Robert
Read what nailshooter said! He hit it on the head (ouch!).
I collect Randalls, have 20 or so of various ages, and some of the ugliest looking are the most valuable. If it's a user, it's a user. If it's a safe queen, it's too late to be sold as NIB and no amount of amateur polishing will get it back there. A spa treatment in Orlando is an option, but it ain't cheap and may not be worth it anyway. My advice is to use it, don't lose it, and leave it to someone who'll do the same.
Tom
If it's a valuable knife, I suggest you find a professional to do it. For every good polish job I have seen, I could show you a hundred more that were better off before the attempted polish.
Boy, isn't that the truth!
Robert
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.