perfectly polishing pearl, possibly

[tongueriver]

I have a dear old knife with genuine mother of pearl handles which have become rather dull in the last 70 years. Would Flitz on a soft cloth be too harsh? What would the knowledgeable recommend? Thanx for your kind reply.

[singin46]

While I would still wait for others to chime in on this polishing issue, where pearl is concerned, I would think about using some the 3M micron sanding papers. I use it on other handles. Let's see what Dale or someone else has to say first though.

[junebug]

i dunno..............but i found this VIA GOOGLE

Answer
Dear , EVER-UTCHA-CALL-EM

The sand paper is needed to remove the rough stuff and get to a surface smooth enough to polish. What you need to do is go a bit further to get the polish. I suggest sanding to at least a 600 grit in fineness.

Polishing will take a buff, by hand if you have lots and lots of elbow strength and are willing to take that time! A small rotating cotton or muslin buffing wheel will make it go a lot quicker. You can use a compound made for polishing plastics. I could recommend other polishing compounds to use but those are more difficult to get and really won't do a better job. Get a plastics polishing compound from an auto supply store (also a very good place to get fine sand paper). Use a buff on a drill or small Dremel™ type tool to polish the shell. If you use a larger buff on a drill motor, it might be easier fix the drill in a set place, held securely, and then get it to run and use you hands to hold the shell against the rotating buff. Go easy, do not use too much speed or overheat the shell. It will get a shine quickly. Just put more polishing compound on the buff if it is not working and try again.

By hand means rubbing and rubbing with felt or similar cloth with the polishing compound.

The shine is there, hiding and ready to come out and look spectacular!

Best wishes in shining the shell. God Bless and Peace. Thomas.

[knife7knut]

I have had great results using my old standby;Mother's Mag Wheel Polish.I would advise against using sandpaper of any sort as the dust is very toxic.I would also advise against using a powered buffing wheel for a couple of reasons:heat buildup and if the wheel catches the knife and throws it(which most buffing wheels love to do)you have just ruined a knife.

[singin46]

Ah, great point, Ray! Didn't think about the toxic dust.

[djknife13]

I use metal polish with a fine grit and it does an amazing job at bringing the pinks and greens. I use Wenol but i've heard metal glow works good too. Never used sand paper because the polish does all I want it to. Dave

[glennbad]

I can't speak for the other mechanics, but in my experience, the MOP is pretty tough stuff, and can withstand sanding if needed. Just watch out for layers that could flake off. Ditto about the dust, though...

[Elvis]

Having made a lot of pearl handles for knives, I can tell you that once the drilling and pinning is over, so is the worrying. After the initial "rough stuff" required to make the handles fit properly I try to get things as smooth as possible by sanding with grits from 1000 to 2000. After that it seems that the more it's polished the better it looks. Since your pearl is old and already on the knife, I'd try to avoid power tools. Some of the very fine abrasive polishes the other guys have mentioned will bring out all your pearl has to offer. Good luck!

[tongueriver]

Thanks to everyone for your advice!

[wlf]

Good luck Cal and hello Bob.