# Your Recommended Finish for a "Working" Knife



## ant_topps (Mar 20, 2017)

Hi Everyone.

Just wanted to sound everyone out, regarding the final finishing of your favourite knives. 
I've taken all my knives to date up to at least a #800 hand satin finish, with some going a little higher. 
I like the look but are easily marred but scuffs and scratches :sad0:

I don't want to focus on what the "minimal acceptable" finish is, as I'm not trying to get out of time/work/effort, but rather what is a good finish that wears well / is easy to maintain and still looks good, over a long period?

Finish can be either hand or belt/machine.

Thanking you all in advance,:doublethumbsup:
Anthony


----------



## RDalman (Mar 21, 2017)

Wear/age will show on any finish. I can "touch up" the finish easily by hand post sharpening as long as it's not a too fine (read mirror) or heavily buffed. A belt finish is easy to touch up by hand as well imo, with some sandpaper wrapped around a eraser following scratch direction, followed by scotchbrite pad (if a scotchbrite finish).


----------



## ant_topps (Mar 21, 2017)

Thank you for the reply Robin.

I haven't tried a scotchbrite finish yet, but have been wanting to try it.


----------



## Benuser (Mar 21, 2017)

Coarse ScotchBrite is very practical, especially with soft stainless clad.


----------



## Matus (Mar 21, 2017)

I am just finding out that finish with long slow strokes with fine rust eraser looks actually very good - kasumi-ish. That is what I did to one side of my Toyama nakiri after not too successfull finish with fingerstones (the original finish is nice but is too corase to switch directly to fingerstones). I found that pusing against the balde (rather than pulling) gives a rather swift action and the result is very nice. It looks way better than a sandpaper. But I will be testing it more, laters also on monosteel knives. But to me it looks even better than the original finish on the Toyama (which is also very nice, but not really maintain-able, maybe with some fine polishing paste or poweder)

Jon also mentioned that a (fine I assume) rust eraser is also about the fastest way clean up a Kato (which has rather strong grinding marks) and puts a very usable 'working finish' on it. Of course - it will not be abything like the hon-kasumi finish Nutmeg showed us recently, but it will be very easy to maintan (and does not cost 10 hours of work in front and quite som work after each sharpening).


----------



## StonedEdge (Apr 5, 2017)

Are we talking about finishing a wide bevel blade to achieve a certain level of contrast between blade materials? Or finishing the cutting edge to a particular fine-ness (sp?) for a specific cutting task?


----------



## foody518 (Apr 5, 2017)

StonedEdge said:


> Are we talking about finishing a wide bevel blade to achieve a certain level of contrast between blade materials? Or finishing the cutting edge to a particular fine-ness (sp?) for a specific cutting task?



Neither - sounds like this thread is asking about the overall blade face and how folks are finishing it.
For example, 3M wet or dry P600 grit
http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae69/foody518/Mobile Uploads/IMG_20170224_134845_805.jpg

As for working finish - probably wouldn't go this polished as I expect it to maybe start to have more of a suction effect on potatoes and the like. Still just practicing hand sanding technique


----------

