Autosol

There are several things you can use to restore the polish and shine on the stainless steel functions on SAKs. Toothpaste works very well for me. If you are looking for something with better abilities than toothpaste than I recommend Autosol cream polish.   It will remove micro-scratches and restore the polish better.  It will not be able to remove deep scratches either. It cleans and polish the stainless steel and removes oxidation. Even if this is stainless steel the surface will get some surface changes if exposed to the elements over time. The Wenger stainless steel used on this New Ranger is very corrosion resistant. The Autosol product is a multi-tool type of substance that can be used for much more than just metals.

When you are sharpening with stones or other devices you can notice that you get this dark particle’s on water stones or on dry diamond stones. On the internet you will find words like slurry and swarf. Substances that occur when you are sharpening with devices and metal removed. There is a difference between wet-stones and dry diamond stones.  When you use polishing agents or substances it is important to see how a white cloth becomes dark from the process you are doing. When you use Autosol it is important to use the hand and cloth with some pressure over the surfaces and complete function. When you are moving the cloth in a polishing motion the polishing substance, surface pollution, oxidation and metal will mix.

After polishing it can be smart to rinse the blade very well with hot water and use a clean dry cloth to be sure.  It depends on what you use the blade on if you want to leave the surface after the cream is applied and wiped. Some use Autosol by hand and some on electrical devices for polishing.  It contains polishing substances that you can hear and feel is a bit abrasive. Some use this product polishing up Cellidor handle scales on SAKs. It is a multi-tool polishing product.

It does not matter for the result if you use polishing by hand or with a Dremel type. It takes some extra time by hand and the advantage is that you can hear and feel the substance working by hand. Remember to use safety glasses with high-speed electrical devices. During high-speed the particles can be dangerous. If you use a Dremel with high speed using steel or brass wheel brush on metals then you understand what I am talking about. Pieces of thin fragments fly around. Dremel types are very nice to have. It is a wonderful tool.

If you wonder why I mentioned slurry and swarf it is simply because the mix of the Autosol and the reactions with the process polishing can be used on leather as a compound for really getting a superior sharpness. When you are using wet-stones for sharpening the mix of slurry and swarf can be used to polish the blades surface as a polishing substance. When you are sharpening on wet-stones the slurry/swarf will develop into a very fine substance.  

I know there are many that like to have the functions nice and shiny. Many times toothpaste can be more than enough. If you look upon the Hunter Pro folder you see it got a very different surface on the blade compared to the regular SAKs. There would be little or no point to polish this surface. It is better to just have it nice and clean. The Hunter Pro opening/closing & mechanism becomes much smoother from use. It is a bonus in my opinion.

When you have sharpened knives by freehand for some time you get a nice edge. I like to continue the edge for as long as possible and to avoid any uneven line above it. For example sometimes you can see people having trouble holding the angle and slipping with the stones. With coarse stones it will look bad. It is also so with knives that they are made for use. It is not the end of the world if the blade got some scratches because it would not affect the functionality. It is also so that it is not necessary to have a 100% angle too. It is to have it the best you can.

It is possible to use grit paper and to attach the paper to a flat surface. It is important that the paper will be flat and even. Then you can make your own sharpening device with the grit you prefer. I would not start to polish the sides of the blades on the Hunter pro knives. Only the edge is to be maintained. That said speaking about paper and grit you can polish the regular SAK functions and blades if you should get one with a nasty looking surface. In general I do not do this but for sure I have learned about it and done it a few times as well.  Paper with different grit can be used for many things. You can start with coarser grit and work up to finer as you go when polishing the functions. You can use water, oil and compounds on them.

  In my sharpening pages you can find some information about sharpening and maintenance. It is possible to polish the edge too so you get an exceptional sharpness.