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

"Ed Lowenstein" wrote in message
...
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:

http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/st...?s=CUSTRAND460

Not all are that expensive, but not all are that cheap, either.

OK, on the soapbox he

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

On Mon, 6 Sep 2010 20:16:39 -0700 (PDT), Ed Lowenstein
wrote:

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


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

"Ed Lowenstein" wrote in message
...
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

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.

On Sep 7, 5:08*pm, "CW" wrote:

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