ive made lots of knives but they are dark and not shiny. how do i polish a knife and make it shiny
If the steel knife is dark and not mirror-shiny, then it is probably carbon steel and not stainless steel. If they are carbon steel, then you cannot polish it to a mirror finish - sorry. If there's any rust on them, you can use a very-fine grit sandpaper to remove. Do not put carbon steel knives in the dishwasher, and dry them thoroughly after hand-washing. For long-term storage (meaning you don't plan to use the knife within the next few weeks), wipe the blade a bit with some mineral oil, then store the blade portion of the knife in a plastic bag.
Look for buffing compound at the hardware store. Home depot lowe's od even Wal-mart/ There is a compound for steel and for iron. I t will not make iron real shinny but it will make it look good. This stuff is to be used with a buffing wheel but I have used it on rags and it work great.
