Polishing pattern welded blades - help needed!

[Cheyenne]

Ave,

I hope all are well - I have a request for help. I have recently purchased a rather lovely pattern welded blade from one of our very talented smiths.. It does however, need cleaning up to expose the patterns a little more. It is quite dull at the moment and its a shame as the pattern is beautiful clsoe up. I am currently using a very find grade of wire wool and WD40 to try and bring out the design - but the improvement is minimal... Does anyone have a more effective method that could be used for this?

Cheers

Claire

[Medicus matt]

Proper high speed polishing with a dolly mop and polishing compounds will give better results than wire wool (or you could spend hours and hours and hours polishing away with an olive oil/ash mixture)

Acid etching really brings the pattern out. I know that either vinegar or lemon juice both work for this, leaves the dark bands darker....THEN polish it. Problem with that is that you've already had the hilt fitted haven't you? That's going to make acid immersion a bit tricky. I suppose you could hang it vertically in a pvc pipe full of vinegar?

As for duration, talk to your smith. I'm sure he's got more experience at this sort of thing than I have.

[Cheyenne]

Cheers matt..

Matt to the rescue once again - I actually have a dolly - just need to get some compounds - I use it for bone work when I can't be bothered to do it all manually with craft files!

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

You can't wrap it in paper towel soaked in vinegar or lemon juice? Just an idea someone mentioned on another thread.

[Marcus Mummius]

Vinegar shoudl do the trick indeed. Just be sure to rinse it off very well afterwards and oil the blade.

[Medicus matt]

Cheers matt..

Matt to the rescue once again - I actually have a dolly - just need to get some compounds - I use it for bone work when I can't be bothered to do it all manually with craft files!

USE A DIFFERENT DOLLY!

Firstly, ones that are suitable for polishing horn/bone (the plastic polishing kit I assume?) will be too soft for steel and you'll just end up with a workshop full of mop fluff. You want a stitched white mop and some green compound to shine, followed by a G mop and some blue compound if you want a bright finish.

Secondly, using the same mop with different compounds contaminates the mop and mucks up your work. One mop per compound.

I buy all my stuff from these chaps. Cheap and very quick delivery.
[url:3dpx2cr7]http://www.thepolishingshop.co.uk[/url]

[Medicus matt]

You can't wrap it in paper towel soaked in vinegar or lemon juice? Just an idea someone mentioned on another thread.

Cunnning!

Either that or a make a sheath out of felt and soak that with the vinegar.

[garrelt]

Be careful with acid, as already being mentioned.
If you don't get it all of the blade it will keep etching and therefore ruin you blade.
For my pattern welded spatha, if needed, I use Brasso copper polish, and afterwards I use (modern) weapon oil to keep it greased.
Something like Break-Free.
http://www.botachtactical.com/breakfree.html .
In fact I use this for all the metal parts of my kit.
It doesn't have a distinct smell like WD40.
After the oil is applied wrap the sword in a piece of cloth or put a few drops on the scabbard lining and put the blade back in the scabbard.

[Gobae]

You can't wrap it in paper towel soaked in vinegar or lemon juice? Just an idea someone mentioned on another thread.

It would work for a little while, but as the acid's etching capability is expended there'll be no convection to allow fresh etchant to contact the blade.

I would also recommend not just "rinsing off the blade" but actually neutralizing the acid with a baking soda and water solution.