What buffing compound

[lowell holmes]

I have a D-12 Disston hand saw that has a dark grungy saw plate. I want to clean it.

I will sand it with 240 or 320 grit sand paper lightly and then buff it with a rotary buffer.

What compound can I use to put the shine back on the saw. I WILL PROTECT THE ETCH!

Thanks

[John Vernier]

Industrial buffing compounds for buffing steel are generally designed for machines more aggressive than a rotary buffer, but for restoration work you want to progress slowly in any case. When I was more involved with metalwork I used compounds from Formax: http://www.formaxmfg.com/home. Under the heading for stainless steel compounds you will find Steel Fast Cut compound, which I have used for an intermediate step on mild and carbon steels, going from a satin sanded finish to a hazy mirror polish, which can then be brightened up with green chrome rouge, the same compound a lot of people use for stropping.

When I have cleaned up old saw plates I don't do this, however. I find that under a grungy surface there is generally a fair amount of pitting which, even if the pits are small, is deep enough that I would have to sand off a lot of metal to make it disappear. I tend to live with a certain amount of pitting, and I think this looks better with a satin finish rather than a mirror polish. I will wet sand up to 600 or even 1000, and then maybe brighten it up with Simichrome polish and a fair amount of elbow grease. If you decide to buff, I would recommend sanding to 600 or 1000, as I don't think a rotary buffer is going to polish out sanding scratches very easily.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

I would be interested to see photos of how this comes out. Won't protecting the etch leave you with a contrasting area around the etch, as opposed to the shiny new surface everywhere else?

My saw restoring has been pretty limited. Mostly I just use liberal application of WD-40, and light use of a fine sanding block to get the rust and gunk off, and get a smooth surface without any rust. The ones I have done work well, but in all honesty the saw plates are closer to black than silver.

[Tom Vanzant]

Lowell, my very limited experience in saw cleanup involves WD40, a very smooth putty knife to remove surface "grunge" and rust, then sandpaper from 220 to 600 grit, always backed by a sanding block. Etchings disappear very quickly if no backup is used. I would skip the buffing step...heat from too-heavy buffing will warp the plate.

[lowell holmes]

Thanks guys, that's why I made the post. The saw has no pitting and no rust. It's apparently a new old stock saw. I would like to get q shine back on the saw plate.
No abrasive will touch the etch.

[Joe Bailey]

I have successfully used Autosol (http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=67014&cat=1,43415,43439,67014) on plates such as you describe (I have several NOS gems) -- if the plate is less than pristine, I would never bother to "polish" it, as it would serve only to highlight the dark areas.

[lowell holmes]

I have successfully used Autosol (http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=67014&cat=1,43415,43439,67014) on plates such as you describe (I have several NOS gems) -- if the plate is less than pristine, I would never bother to "polish" it, as it would serve only to highlight the dark areas.

I have Autosol. I will use it.:)