bolster polishing

[henry1]

When polishing knife bolsters with Case polish, very fine lines appeared. Is this normal?

[C-WADE7]

Are you using a circular motion with a soft cloth or just a back and forth motion? I’ve also found with metal polish less is more. I use a microfiber towel and the tiniest dab and often go back and use the black stained portion of the towel to touch up.

[bullitt4001]

I’ve been slowly auctioning off my collection of pristine Case vintage knives on EBay the last month. Most all of them have blades with a mirror finish. To get all the preservative off and bring back that gorgeous luster I use nothing but Miracle All Purpose Polishing Cloth by Dunlop.
I can polish ‘em as hard and long as I like in any direction I want. They never ever leave any scratches.
Then I wipe them off with a clean microfiber towel. Amazon has them in a package containing 2 for $10 bucks. I usually can properly polish at least ten knives before changing cloths.
Just my two cents FWIW.

Regards
Mike

https://www.ebay.com/itm/125687474901?m ... media=COPY

[Madmarco]

How many times can you reuse each cloth Mike?

[bullitt4001]

How many times can you reuse each cloth Mike?

The cloth turns black in the spots I’ve used so it’s easy to see when I need to grab a fresh one. I’d say I can usually polish about ten knives before swapping the cloth out.

[Madmarco]

Yah I get that, but I guess what I'm asking is how long overall will the pair of cloths last before you need to buy new ones? Thx! I ask cuz I had a similar cloth that you'd use and then put it back in the sealable pouch so the petroleum wouldn't dry up, but it only lasted me for one cleaning of all my 200 folders at which point it was pretty much in shreds.

[bullitt4001]

Yah I get that, but I guess what I'm asking is how long overall will the pair of cloths last before you need to buy new ones? Thx!

These come with a nice plastic inner sleeve too that will keep them usable for a loooooong time.
How long exactly? Never really thought about it, but I pulled out an old bag when I began this process and I know it was a couple years old (at least) and it still got the job done.

[jmh58]

A little something I have learned..
I use Wenol paste.. It come in 2 different varieties.. Red tube and Blue tube.. Red is more aggressive and the Blue tube is a finer polishing finish..
When using either.. I dampen the CLEAN soft rag before polishing.. Lessens the black residue.. Also I use a CLEAN Microfiber cloth to remove either..
I then Ren Wax the whole knife upon finishing..
Your milage may vary!!!
John

[Madmarco]

Yah I get that, but I guess what I'm asking is how long overall will the pair of cloths last before you need to buy new ones? Thx!

These come with a nice plastic inner sleeve too that will keep them usable for a loooooong time.
How long exactly? Never really thought about it, but I pulled out an old bag when I began this process and I know it was a couple years old (at least) and it still got the job done.

Perfect Mike, thank you. That's what I was driving at, I didn't want another $10. cloth that would disintegrate after a short period of time. I'll have to get one!

[Madmarco]

A little something I have learned..
I use Wenol paste.. It come in 2 different varieties.. Red tube and Blue tube.. Red is more aggressive and the Blue tube is a finer polishing finish..
When using either.. I dampen the CLEAN soft rag before polishing.. Lessens the black residue.. Also I use a CLEAN Microfiber cloth to remove either..
I then Ren Wax the whole knife upon finishing..
Your milage may vary!!!
John

More great information John, thank you!

[tvic]

A little something I have learned..
I use Wenol paste.. It come in 2 different varieties.. Red tube and Blue tube.. Red is more aggressive and the Blue tube is a finer polishing finish..
When using either.. I dampen the CLEAN soft rag before polishing.. Lessens the black residue.. Also I use a CLEAN Microfiber cloth to remove either..
I then Ren Wax the whole knife upon finishing..
Your milage may vary!!!
John

That’s pretty much what I do, too, John. I love the Wenol. Does a great job on bolsters and blades. I’ve been using old t-shirts, though, for polishing. I picked up a Case Sowbelly at a flea market a couple of months ago, and I thought I’d just have to live with the dull bolsters since there was no telling how this knife had been used over the years. But, a little Wenol and elbow grease, and the bolsters looked almost new!

[bullitt4001]

A little something I have learned..
I use Wenol paste.. It come in 2 different varieties.. Red tube and Blue tube.. Red is more aggressive and the Blue tube is a finer polishing finish..
When using either.. I dampen the CLEAN soft rag before polishing.. Lessens the black residue.. Also I use a CLEAN Microfiber cloth to remove either..
I then Ren Wax the whole knife upon finishing..
Your milage may vary!!!
John

I’m a believer! I bought some Wenol “Red” to see if I could remove a few rash marks from the blades rubbing together on an otherwise pristine blade surface. Guess what … with a little elbow grease and Wenol it took them away!
My polishing cloth could never come close to doing that. Thank you sooooo much for chiming in John. You made this camper very very happy!

[tvic]

I mentioned that I use old t-shirts. Is that ok to use or should I buy actual polishing cloths?

[luckydog64]

I was shown by an old timer, which I am one now, that levis or a piece of blue jeans will shine bolsters as good as anything.

[jmh58]

A little something I have learned..
I use Wenol paste.. It come in 2 different varieties.. Red tube and Blue tube.. Red is more aggressive and the Blue tube is a finer polishing finish..
When using either.. I dampen the CLEAN soft rag before polishing.. Lessens the black residue.. Also I use a CLEAN Microfiber cloth to remove either..
I then Ren Wax the whole knife upon finishing..
Your milage may vary!!!
John

I’m a believer! I bought some Wenol “Red” to see if I could remove a few rash marks from the blades rubbing together on an otherwise pristine blade surface. Guess what … with a little elbow grease and Wenol it took them away!
My polishing cloth could never come close to doing that. Thank you sooooo much for chiming in John. You made this camper very very happy!

Great to hear!! And You are Welcome.
John

[jmh58]

I mentioned that I use old t-shirts. Is that ok to use or should I buy actual polishing cloths?

I too use old t-shirts to Wenol.. Just make sure they are clean and debris free..
I polish with Microfiber cloths.. I stand by those..
John

[jmh58]

A little something I have learned..
I use Wenol paste.. It come in 2 different varieties.. Red tube and Blue tube.. Red is more aggressive and the Blue tube is a finer polishing finish..
When using either.. I dampen the CLEAN soft rag before polishing.. Lessens the black residue.. Also I use a CLEAN Microfiber cloth to remove either..
I then Ren Wax the whole knife upon finishing..
Your milage may vary!!!
John

More great information John, thank you!

Thanks Marks.. Just passing along my trial and error learnings!!
John

[1967redrider]

How many times can you reuse each cloth Mike?

I use these, Mark, until they fall apart. I do recommend against using this on Celluloid. I have had a few crack at the pins after using a Miracle Cloth. Luckily nothing expensive. I keep the cloth sealed up so it doesn't dry out.

Here's a knife I worked on recently, using just a Miracle Cloth. You can see how black the cloth gets after dozens of uses. Verdigris is corrosive.

[Madmarco]

Thanks for that info John, it's most helpful. Fortunately I don't own even 1 knife with celluloid covers, so that won't be an issue. Those Miracle Cloths along with some red Wenol seems to be a popular choice amongst some of these guys, so I think I'll give those a try. I guess if the cloth is getting that black it must be cleaning ALL the dirt and junk off the knives it's used on, I know I wouldn't be too impressed if it stayed white after being used. I'm still amazed at your pictures of verdigris, I had no idea it could accumulate in such large amounts on our knives. I've seen very old and un-serviced car battery posts that had less corrosion on them than in your pics!

[cudgee]

There's micro fibre and there is micro fibre. The cheap one are just that, cheap rubbish, get good ones, you can but them in bundle lots, and use them around the house or for cleaning and waxing/polishing your car. You can also get designated glass cleaning micro fibre cloths, they are excellent for knife cleaning/polishing. And yes, they can be washed and reused. Just make sure you only use liquid detergent and under no circumstances use fabric softner in the wash.

[Madmarco]

Thanks cudgee!

[tvic]

I mentioned that I use old t-shirts. Is that ok to use or should I buy actual polishing cloths?

I too use old t-shirts to Wenol.. Just make sure they are clean and debris free..
I polish with Microfiber cloths.. I stand by those..
John

Thanks, John!

And a clarification, please. I just went online to look at microfiber cloths. There are those that are similar to towel material, about the size of a washcloth, then there are those like you’d use to clean the lens on your glasses, kinda slick material. Which microfiber are you guys using?

[jmh58]

I got mine at car shows/auto parts stores.

John

[tvic]

Then this is what you’re using, right?

[jmh58]

Then this is what you’re using, right?

Correct
John