Making dull bone shine?

[markpreston]

A question regarding older bone handle knives. Almost all my older case knives have a nice sheen on the bone. Some more glossy than others. I have a 65-69 era reddish bone peanut that is just flat out dull on the scales. I've tried some oil and nothing. Then flitz with no luck either. Anything to make the full bone pop?

[Montanaman]

Renaissance Wax might do the trick.

[Lansky1]

i use a buffing wheel - makes bone gleam. Seems to me you need a high speed buffing application to really get that sheen ... here's a way to get it on the cheap - if you have a dremel tool (if not, they're cheap and everyone should have one anyways ... incredibly useful tool), they make little buffing wheels for it & you can buy little containers of dremel buffing compound ... that's what I would do if you don't have access to a stationary buffer.

[markpreston]

I do have a harbor freight near me. I should just spend $40 and get the grinding wheel. I could polish metal to. I need to you tube a basic set up.

[markpreston]

Variable speed I'm assuming

[KnifeSlinger#81]

If you have oil and flitz you should be able to shine the bone up very well. Try several "coats" of oil and let it sit for a while each time. When polishing use a very padded rag or padding under your rag, lay it down flat and move the knife rapidly back and forth on the rag while pushing down pretty firmly. The rag should stay still and the padding will help conform to the handle.

[Montanaman]

Be extremely careful running a buffing wheel, not something I would recommend for someone who has never used one. I know a lot of the top knife makers in the world, and almost all of them will tell you the buffing wheel is the most dangerous piece of equipment in their shop. YMMV.

[rugmar]

My opinion is any powered tool is not the best idea. I think flitz or Case paste will get the job done most of the time. If you can clean by hand that’s the safer option and will avoid damage. Just my 2 cent.

[zp4ja]

Agree, no power tool. Never tried bit likely just takes a second to damage the knife.
The bone may just be dehydrated. Mineral oil works wonders. Dab it on, let it soak in, wipe it off. Several times. Polish with rag and elbow grease.
I even soaked an entire knife in it for a few days but it may darken the bone. Didn't care as it was an EDC. Bone sure was not dry after though. Looked great. YMMV!!!

You said reddish bone so I assume knife is not delrin. Some do make that error in distinction, no offense intended. That might require a different approach.

Jerry

[orvet]

When you talk about making dull bone shine, are you talking about new bone handles that you have just installed, or are going to install on a knife, or you are you talking about bone handles on an existing knife that where once shiny and have now gone dull?

The process is different in both cases.

If you're talking about new bone you're going to install on a knife I sand it to 4000 to 8000 grit, and then I buff it with No Scratch Pink compound. I don't use a high-speed buffer! 3200 RPMs is what most grinders run at which is too fast IMHO. You can burn bone when you're buffing it. I have burned on the 1700 RPM buffer.
I also do not recommend trying to buff bone with a Dremel tool because it ends up leaving marks on the bone and a Dremel tool is moving faster than 3200 RPMs. It is really easy to build up heat when you're buffing something with a powered buffer of any sort, whether you have a 1/2" buffing head on a Dremel tool or a 8" muslin wheel.

If you are shining the existing handles on a knife, my preferred process is to clean it first. The more I clean and repair knives the more I am amazed at the amount of crud that builds upon a knife. It's not just the inside or the blade budget is on the handle also. I use a sonic cleaner with some Dawn dishwashing liquid to cleaning dirty knife. I have put knives that look near mint and a sonic cleaner and was appalled of the amount of particulate dirt that was on the bottom of the sonic cleaner when it went through a couple cycles. If you don't have a sonic cleaner use dawn Dishwashing soap and an old toothbrush to scrub the outside of the knife. This will get down inside the jigging if there is any on the bone and make it much cleaner.
I would use a carnauba wax to polish the handles afterwords.

I would probably run it on my slow buffer, about 800 RPMs, on a muslin wheel with No Scratch Pink. Then I would wipe it off and polish with carnauba wax. If I wanted to maintain the shine I would use Walker Wax instead, (available on eBay – not my site, not my auction, I just think it's the best product out there and less expensive than Renaissance wax). The Walker Wax slows the tarnishing, helps prevent fingerprinting and spittle marks on the blades which can lead to blade spotting and resting.
Without a buffer, I would use essentially the same approach but instead of buffing it with No Scratch Pink I would use Walker wax alone. It does have a microscopic abrasive that essentially removes none of the handle material, just dirt buildup on it.

That's the way I do it, other people have different methods. Your mileage may vary.

PS – Montanaman is correct, the buffing machine is regarded as the most dangerous piece of power equipment in a knife makers shop. A forge or a torch can burn you, a saw can remove digits, a belt sander can give you a horribly uncomfortable rash but a buffing machine improperly used can send a 10 inch knife hurling across the room and sticking on a wall, or person, or it can just flip it halfway through the buffer operator. They are not a benign power tool! Just sayin'.

[JohnR]

Agree, no power tool. Never tried bit likely just takes a second to damage the knife.
The bone may just be dehydrated. Mineral oil works wonders. Dab it on, let it soak in, wipe it off. Several times. Polish with rag and elbow grease.
I even soaked an entire knife in it for a few days but it may darken the bone. Didn't care as it was an EDC. Bone sure was not dry after though. Looked great. YMMV!!!

You said reddish bone so I assume knife is not delrin. Some do make that error in distinction, no offense intended. That might require a different approach.

Jerry

What Jerry stated, all I ever have had to do is rub some mineral oil in and polish with a micro fiber cloth, that will take care of most of them. For the real bad ones I put them in a pan of mineral oil and brush them with a soft toothbrush to get the dirt out and then wipe all the oil off and hand polish. I'm another one that avoids all mechanical means of cleaning vintage knives, too easy to wipe out the history of the knife that way.

This Schrade was one of the real dirty dull ones, mineral oil bath with toothbrush and hand polish with towel, Bone looks good now. I will also use Balistol which is mainly mineral oil with some solvents, seems to leave a shine.

[Gunsil]

One of the things I find irritating if not repugnant is the buffing of bone on antique knives. They were not buffed when new, mint ones will often show tiny marks from the jigging machine which is a much prettier sight than seeing the original edges of the jigging changed even a little and those tiny marks gone from buffing. Of course I am one of those who would rather see an unused antique knife with the blade finish original but turning grey than to have it buffed "back to like new". I was at the Case factory last summer and watched them buff the bone handles but this wasn't done on older knives. I find it easy to spot an antique knife on a table which has had the bone polished up and I figure the blades probably got the same treatment. Some guys may like 'em thataway but I am not one of them.

[RobesonsRme.com]

I had a rag buffing wheel grab a straight razor and sling it through a sheet of wall board.

180 degrees in the opposite direction was me.

That was the last time I ever used a buffer on a cutlery item of any kind.

Charlie

[orvet]

Some guys may like 'em thataway but I am not one of them.

I believe what you said is absolutely true, some people like shiny knives and some people don't.
I appreciate and respect both views as valid opinions when collecting old knives. There are knives I won't let anywhere near a buffer or any other powered equipment! But there are other knives which are more valuable if they are shined up, especially after being repaired.

However, I was actually answering the OP’s question on how to make dull bone shiny.
I was expressly trying not to make a judgment as to which procedure is best.
I believe both schools of thought have validity.

[cudgee]

i use a buffing wheel - makes bone gleam. Seems to me you need a high speed buffing application to really get that sheen ... here's a way to get it on the cheap - if you have a dremel tool (if not, they're cheap and everyone should have one anyways ... incredibly useful tool), they make little buffing wheels for it & you can buy little containers of dremel buffing compound ... that's what I would do if you don't have access to a stationary buffer.

I have never heard of Dremel Tool. Just googled it, but there are several, is there one you would recommend?

[Jeffinn]

Some guys may like 'em thataway but I am not one of them.

I believe what you said is absolutely true, some people like shiny knives and some people don't.
I appreciate and respect both views as valid opinions when collecting old knives. There are knives I won't let anywhere near a buffer or any other powered equipment! But there are other knives which are more valuable if they are shined up, especially after being repaired.

However, I was actually answering the OP’s question on how to make dull bone shiny.
I was expressly trying not to make a judgment as to which procedure is best.
I believe both schools of thought have validity.

Very well stated Dale.
I take a lot of flack for cleaning up the knives that I sell. I’m not pitching my knives as collector knives, I’m selling them as reconditioned EDC knives. To each their own.
If you’re cleaning up a knife to keep in your collection as a near mint specimen then stay away from polishing the bone. If you’re cleaning up the knife to use as your own, polish it until you’re happy with it.
The bottom line is the knife is yours to do with as you feel. The guys here can give you some advice on how to accomplish what you want. But what you decide to do is entirely up to you.
There are those who will tell you you’ve ruined the knife by polishing it. But you should feel free to do what you want to the knives that you purchase. As long as you like it, that’s all that matters.
Have fun!

[zp4ja]

I agree, your knife, do as you wish.
I just always have gone by "using the smallest/ lightest hammer first" in most things in life. Just personally think you don't pull out the 20# sledgehammer as a first choice in dealing with things. The 20# pound sledge may get you there faster but may be overkill/ damaging caused by more action used then required. To each his own.
Personally, besides mineral oil use, never personally have had to use a power tool on my knives, collection or EDCs Likely never will on my collection knives. I maintain those and keep as is. Elbow grease and/ or the right compound/ product or oil goes a long way. I sharpen with a stone (on EDC only knives of course, not any collection knives) so I am old school when it comes to knife maintenance. BUT, I am not a knife mechanic either where power tools have their place when discretion dictates. As I said, your knife to each his own. Just the way I do it.
Along the same vein of the power tool conversation...
My stepson had high school shop and of course paid no attention to the safety lectures. He was using a table saw incorrectly and took a 90mph wooden plank fastball to the nether regions. ER trip, true story.

Jerry

[Jeffinn]

Hand polishing has its place as does polishing with buffer wheels and compounds. It’s not about using a 20 lb. sledgehammer it’s about using the best methods and tools to accomplish what you want to get done. The original OP was asking about ways to bring some shine back to his bone handles. Oiling might help, ren wax or others might help, having a knowledgeable knife mechanic polish the bone handles with compound and power tools will definitely help. To each their own.
As far as using power tools safely, I think we can all agree on that. Anyone who’s used power tools for any length of time will have stories about injuries. But that doesn’t mean we should stop using them. Power tools are quite often the best approach to accomplishing what we want.
I’ll leave it up to the rest of you to argue about whether polishing bone handles is an abomination, or whether it’s repulsive or whether it offends you personally, or whether it depreciates the value of any given knife. To me all of those arguments are nothing more than one individual pushing his or her personal preferences on another uninformed individual.
Knives are meant to be used and enjoyed.

[WillyCamaro]

Statement of the year Jeff!
Totally applies to life in general.

[knife7knut]

Guess I'll throw my twopence here FWIW.
I have never had any trouble polishing bone(or just about any other substance that has been used to handle knives)using Mother's Mag Wheel Polish and some serious rubbing with a soft cloth.I've even used it in conjunction with a denture brush(stiffer bristles than a regular toothbrush)to polish stag or deeply jigged bone.
In all truth I've never bone get dull unless possibly it has been subjected to some type of chemical or prolonged exposure to sunlight.In the latter case it would have changed the color of the bone(assuming it was colored)as well.
As to the use of a buffing wheel;I use them on occasion but only to speed up the smoothing of Lexan(if I am making something from that)or on steel blades.This is usually after I have done some re-profiling or other modification to them.I have a VERY healthy respect for buffing wheels and use gloves to hold any items(steel DOES get hot when buffed as do other metals and most plastics);eye protection and usually a fairly heavy canvas apron.Most knifemakers I have seen use a heavy leather apron and steel toed boots as well.I like to wear them as I have had a blade catch in a rag wheel and stick in the floor way too close to my feet.I also concentrate solely on what I am doing;I do not have a radio going and I lock the shop door so I don't get interrupted. You DO NOT NEED DISTRACTION OF ANY KIND WHILE BUFFING!
Anyway the rant is over;buy some Mother's(at your local auto supply store) and get your old holey event T-shirts and polish away!

[Lansky1]

i use a buffing wheel - makes bone gleam. Seems to me you need a high speed buffing application to really get that sheen ... here's a way to get it on the cheap - if you have a dremel tool (if not, they're cheap and everyone should have one anyways ... incredibly useful tool), they make little buffing wheels for it & you can buy little containers of dremel buffing compound ... that's what I would do if you don't have access to a stationary buffer.

I have never heard of Dremel Tool. Just googled it, but there are several, is there one you would recommend?

I would just make sure to get a Dremel with variable speed - that way you can slow it down if you feel like you might have an issue with heat build up so you don't burn the bone (I've never had that problem, and I've buffed a whole lot of bone handles with a stationary buffer). I did have one scary incident while buffing a knife with a small pen blade recently ... that rag "wheel" ripped the knife out of my hand and it took me 15 minutes to find it - it was resting on my window sill above my work bench (amazing that it didn't break the window - I think it hit the upper window sill frame). Going forward, I'm only going to buff blades when absolutely necessary and stay away from buffing the small blades entirely ... buffing bolsters and sides is really what brings a knife back anyways (bone and acrylic corelon seem to respond equally well).