A very polished performance.

Dude...I find your videos very relaxing and interesting. I can come here and completely forget about all the crap going on in our strange world. I feel normal in a normal world here. That's big...thank you.

Hi Dave! The biggest attraction for me, with your videos, is the experimentation and field testing. Great content.

Dude seriously i just had a light bulb moment when you said " old washing machine Motor" Thank you.

Here is an explanation as to why polished steel is less prone to corrosion / rust. The phenomena that governs corrosion resistance is called stress corrosion cracking. Materials under stress or loading conditions (this includes environmental conditions), fail due to certain criteria. Under static loads this criteria is initial crack length. These cracks can be from forging defects, surface features, stress concentrations or reciprocal loading, and their initial length is governed by a multitude of variables. We can also calculate a materials resistance to failure by finding the length of cracks in the materials and comparing them to the critical crack length at which a failure will occur, which can be related to various stresses. A polished steel surface has two differences to an unpolished one. It has a higher critical fracture energy (meaning more energy is required to split the atomic layers apart and form a crack), and also a higher concentration of phase changes in the microstructure of the steel at the surface (phase changes pin crack and dislocation propagation). Both of these contribute to much smaller initial defect size on the surface resulting in a higher resistance to failure from surface cracks. It also means that the processes of oxidizing the steel happens much slower because of the smaller initial crack surface area.

Thanks for another great video Dave! I am almost to your final test but wanted to say a couple things before I forget. In my heyday of making I had 6 buffers each with different wheels from sisal to loose muslin and each with different compounds, black Emory on sisal, (about 600 grit) being coarsest, to pink no scratch on loose muslin being finest grit. I find white l’hommedieu is a great general purpose compound that I still use on brass, ss and aluminum. Also, I sewed up covers for each buffer to prevent cross contamination of grits between wheels. I’m retired but still tinker a lot every day! Buffing is just like sanding, goes faster when you do it in grit stages. Thanks again, Dave

Happy friday and blessings to all RBM1 fans all over the world!

It has been my experience with knives particularly, when brought to a high polish, it looses all toothiness and therefore reduces the ability to make that initial entry. However, once you overcome the initial surface tension, it slices through with little to no effort. I used to maintain my kitchen knives with a highly polished edge but with experience I learned that in the kitchen a tad of toothiness is good. Where I used to hit the knives with a 1000 grit then 5000, then 8000, then 12,000...I now hit them with a few passes on the 1,000 and then just a few on the 5000. Between sharpening I hit them with a leather strop before using them. Not only will they cut things like tomatoes or fresh bread better....the edge seems to last longer. However, it does require that initial draw or pull and then effortlessly cuts through. You have to first overcome that surface tension then it is smooth sailing. Great video Dave. Good test.

You are actually performing two tasks, polishing is technically cutting the metal to finer grits, coloring is the buffing stage where you put the shine on the surface. Good job and I'm jealous of your lathe and mill!😁

I have always liked the looks of a polished blade. Now there is true purpose to it. I will focus on polishing more in the future. Thank you!

People who can appreciate these type of videos are my kind of folks.

A nice change of pace in the testing field. Will say I was skeptical at first if the polish would actually help. When you did just the last drag test I was very shocked. Then soon as you put pressure on the blade, I was blown away. The chop test was very interesting of how clean it made the cuts. Short version. Great video Dave. Thanks for putting in the long hours to educate us on new ideas.

Polishing the blade does several things. Improved gliding ability, slowed down the rusting process and in this case removed all the micro teeth that you get from sharpening a machete with stones, files, sandpaper, etc.. basically in this case you have overstropped the apex of the cutting surface. Polishing does have benefits but i would suggest resharpening the cutting edge itself after polishing to get the best results from any type of blade. Certain coatings are also better than others when it comes to the ability to glide through materials. A DLC will Glide much better than a regular sprayed on then baked on one such as we see on Kbar or schrade. Thanks for the great vid and keep making sharp things fun and enjoyable.

Hello, Dave. Great video. My dad and I used to hot blue finish on firearms. We used buffers to " sand" the finish and polish the metal to make it all smooth. You are 100% correct, a buffing wheel, with any lapse of attention, can take whatever you are polishing into a guided missle, smack your fingers into the workbench, and can ruin whatever your working on. If you use a big buffer, pay attention. Dave, my experience, you can polish a cutting edge, you can also sharpen an edge. And yes, you can roll an edge, just like on a stone or strop. It will definitely make the blade "slicker" which will reduce that drag of the edge of the blade. I would, polish, sharpen, then strop. Great video, content, and subject matter. Really enjoy your channel, and everything ya'll do. God bless ya'll. Ya'll stay safe on your adventures.

I did NOT know that I could use a caliper like that! Learning all of the uses of my tools is a great thing. Thank you.

The workings of an inquisitive mind. Love to watch the process.

Dave. I’m just gonna say. You’re one heck of a craftsman man. What great work you do. 🐸🍺🔪🔥

As you know Dave, there are several variables, that predispose a blade towards a specific task. Put at the extremes, for example a Fish filleting knife and an axe, are both sharp blades, with entirely different jobs, so the type of edge bevel, blade thickness and finish type are different. The rule of thumb is a concave grind or hollow grind, is better for cutting, but not holding an edge. Whereas a convex bevel, having more 'meat' supporting the edge, makes a better chopper, than a slicer, is harder to sharpen, but holds an edge better than concave ground. And then of course there's a straight grind, which is like a compromise between the two, so is probably better suited to a multi role tool, like a machete.

Great show Dave. Thank you. You are right, a polished sharp blade is better than non polished blade. Less friction after the cutting edge starts in. I found that by polishing my wood chisels always worked better for the same reason. I never would have thought about a machete though. Great show.

Why did I expect that your shop would be neater than mine? I use a leather wheel with the white compound in a reversible hand drill and it strops the knife blades very quickly. As always, interesting, entertaining and engrossing. Also always gives me ideas on what to do in my shop.

Thanks for showing! Dave, I think polishing a knife/machete is usefull in some cases when it comes to keep your cutting tool clean. For example tree sap doesn`t stick so much to the blade when it´s slick, instead when the metal surface is rough. To me polishing makes sense for a machete or like a bushcraft knife/scandi grind knife (dedicated to woods craft). I usually do it to my tools. Regards from Germany, Torsten

Interesting video Dave. Two things I'd like to mention. I took an old motor from a key making machine, it spun slower, it helped the metal from getting hot when I polished, and some people suggested to me a washing machine motor, rather than a grinder with a polishing wheel. I've always stropped what polished all my knives. When I'm cutting I can tell the difference. But I've never done that to a machete, probably because I don't own a machete. But as you suggested, a machete is more for chopping not slicing. I would think a polished machete will penetrate deeper into the wood making it get stuck easier. A convex grind unpolished makes better sense to me, to smash and cut. Thanks Dave like I said very interesting video.

Its amazing i dont have the focus to watch a hour long movie but i can watch videos like this for hours

have a gooood day

In my youth I worked as a metal finisher doing chrome trim for the automotive industry. The polishing wheel turns away from the edge. I have always polished my knives, machetes, axes and hatchets. It slows corrosion and makes insane feathers. Cutting those big cardboard boxes to recycle is a breeze!

I’ve never seen that done before ! It’s an interesting test ! Makes sense , less resistance with the polished edge ! I should polish the edge on mine !

Ah yes! Dave demonstrates the true value of a "toothy" edge. Thanks for your efforts Sir! It was fun to watch.

Using my buffer had never occurred to me! That's awesome.

Great test Dave! You certainly go above and beyond!

This had me at the "edge" of my seat…😘 Perhaps the angle of the grind on each blade and the weight of each machete is why you had a difference on the cardboard. I can see how polishing the blade helps it from sticking in wood. Thanks for the effort in this demonstration.🙏🏻

That look like a clean cut that a top surgeon would be proud off .

Thank you for testing these machetes. I was surprised that polishing decreased the slice in cardboard too but I figured polishing would decrease sticking in wood due to decreased surface area. I’m going to try this in my favorite machete which has a tendency to stick if it doesn’t go through.

Thank you for all the time and effort you put into this video. As said before, a toothy edge has its advantages. A saw blade is an extremely toothy edge and when pulled across wood will cut well. A razor blase is basically a polished edge and will push cut much better than a saw blade. The way you want to use the blade should determine the best type of edge to use. Chopping and hitting the machete with the hammer are push cuts.

Right on Dave. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing your process.

Interesting experiment, Dave. Glad you didn't ruin your machete's, I was a little bit worried there at the end. They look really nice now with the polished edges. 👍🏻⚔

That was a very interesting test! Something I learned working on a farm in the 1980's cutting a lot of rope and burlap is that a polished edge is no good even when razor sharp. It just slides over the material. However a toothy edge grabs and bites and rips through it like butter. If your work is push cuts polished is better. If the work involves slicing toothy is better. Chopping seems to me much closer to a push cut and the polish may be an advantage once you get them out in the field. Like you said I never thought about polishing a machete before. They take a lot of abuse so I always stayed course to minimize sharpening time. I have 2 of the Condor Mini Duku Machetes. One polished and one rough tested side by side sounds like a worthwhile test.

That was a nice test. like you I was surprised that the blade didn't hardly cut the cardboard. I learned a lot . thank you for doing this.

Thanks for filming Dave! 😁👍🏼

Thanks Dave, I only got two machetes but your video will be very helpful, you should have your own tv show on the outdoors ❤

Dave I like your testing methods about as scientific as you can get using common items. Outstanding results and video. 👍

I cant help but wonder how much room you would free up in your shop if got that poor old chevy out in the light of day purring away in your driveway. Another great video. Keep em coming.

Interesting results, brother. Great video. Thanks. God bless you and your family, and happy camping 🏕 🙏 😊. Lee

Thanks Dave, I really enjoyed this and learned lots. Man, those machetes are sharp , I love that polished look. Looking forward to your next video and getting myself out in the woods soon

This video almost inspired me enough to go to the garage to clean and polish tools!😊 Thanks Dave really fun video!

I haven't finished watching the whole video yet, but I think you should keep the blocks of wood and cardboard boxes! For keepsake! Or future reference and evidence. I'm glad you decided to make the video! Knowledge,,, Good stuff.

Thanks for the useful info. Have a great day.

Nice one David , entertaining & informative ,enjoyed watching as always ,greetings from the UK , hope the family is well too .

Gd morning Dave.. That's a finely polish blade. Thanks for a great start of the day. I still haven't Picked up my first chopping machete but I did just get the becker companion my first 1/4inch blade n I can't believe how nice a thicker blade is. Well hope u have a gd day n thanks for the video ..

Thanks for the Test, it was fun to watch.

Hello David your test was amazing and the results obviously I did not spect it thank you very much

If you ever watched any axe chopping competitions a lot of their axes have a high polish to them. Great video like always. Thank you. God bless and stay safe.

Nick is going to love this one!

Thanks Dave! Now you’ve caused me to try this, which means more work (play). 😊. Keep up the great videos. As usual they provide food for thought. Now I’ll have to decide what jobs around the house to put off so I can play (I mean work) on trying this.

Matt Easton recently did a video about why people preferred polished armor, and he talks about the rust resistance and explains how it works.

Great stuff Dave.

For 6 years I been stroping with the 1 inch surgi sharp leather belt for a one inch belt grinder so good. Gets crazy sharp . I just don’t leave it on the grinder so the belt doesn’t stretch it had lasted 6 years so far. Man when you take the toothiness away from the edge by high polishing it takes an away the micro serrations out so it dosent grab the cardboard on the cuts . Interesting. Great video

Dave, it's a very interesting 🤔 video 📹 to see many differences in polishing various steels what it does.! Great Information 👍

Thank you Dave for the amazing video as always.

My gut feeling, having been an avid polisher of blades, is that having 'teeth' on the blade performs better through cardboard (under its own weight). Hundreds of little micro-serrations might be better than one long, clean stroke? I have another theory: blade polishing is as mindful an activity as any bushcrafter can muster. It's the survival equivalent to knitting or 'adult' colouring books. I love it. Makes me feel all is well with the world. I'm off to polish something right now!

Nice test Dave. You and Nick be safe over there with these storms coming in

I think that before, the edge had micro teeth, that's why it grabbed the cardboard and cut from the beginning. After polishing them they don't have those teeth and they need some pressure to cut, but now they cut deeper into the cardboard.

The reason it cut deeper into the wood isn't really because of less friction. It's because the edge is sharper and more suited for wood work than a "toothy" edge.

I’ve polished up a few machete blades. They’re scary sharp. I stropped them with compound hundreds of times. They look good too.

Good video Dave I would have never thought of polishing my blades it seems to be an improvement take care friend

Excellent test, Dave!! NOBODY else has done this that I've seen. On the after test of the full convex blade, you should stick a feeler gauge in there and get the measurement that way. If you do, report the difference in a pinned comment so we get a complete set of results.

Hey David, I enjoy your videos because they are down to earth and real people doing real things. Regarding your video with the polishing of the machetes: I have an idea. What if you put about a pound of clay on the tip of the machete for the draw/slicing of the box? That would add weight to the machete and allow it to slice into the cardboard. It would be consistent for each one and even the before polishing and after. You could also do a "drop test" where you allow the machete drop onto the edge of the box the same way before and after and see if the polished edge goes deeper into the cardboard. I suspect you have other machetes you could do the before and after like this one. Just some ideas for you to consider.

Great video! Now all of us have to come up with more and better tests, so you get to spend more days buffing 😜

Nice love your videos and knowledge! Gonna have to try the rust polish deal!

Interesting...where is the actual chop test? Just curious of the real use performance. Love your content and please keep doing what you do! Can't wait to see you in the next one!

Very interesting "experiment" regarding polished vs unpolished edge in regard to push vs. slice cuts...of course most of us knife/sharpening enthusiasts know of this difference (between polished edge vs unpolished edge) but it's very pleasing to see the difference in practice. Thank you.

Interesting tests brother.. thanks for the video

Really cool machete mods, you always give me good ideas. I'm a big fan of the kukri blade shape. I like to strop blades with jeweler's rouge and Mother's mag polish as well

Very interesting Dave. Thanks for

Great inspiring test! Thank You! Greetings from Germany

That Schrade is a sharp looking knife, literally and figuratively.

Interesting & informative as always.

I have seen jungle guides sharpen their machetes on river rocks, pieces of rebar and the back of other machetes. Rough edges but ready to hard work.

Convinced me enough to go for it. I'll be working on my Cold Steel. Thanks.

Great test!

Very interesting finds !

Cool video. Very informative. Thanks, bro👍

No surprise for me at the cardboard test, experienced that with my knife polishing too. In a previous video you used a microscope and showed, how smooth the edge looks after polishing/stropping it. In comparison an unpolished edge looks more like a saw, with lots of tiny nicks that catch on the material. With a polished edge there is nothing able to catch. A polished edge has a significant smaller surface area, where corrosion can appear, in addition, using fat/wax-based compound is forced into the microscopic pits, leaving it water repellent - you can't remove it by wiping with a dry cloth, you would need a solvent. I think it would have been a good idea to test, how many chops you need to get through a piece of wood - before and after. As you said, a machete is a chopping tool.

Interesting experiment, Dave. I have seen where convex edges are formed on stones that have been worn in the middle from use. I am not sure how their sharpness compares to other edge grinds but the convex edge does allow the material being cut to peel away from the edge thus allowing for an easier cut. That was extremely bizarre on the before and after tests. I thought you may have ruined the edges but the push cuts proved me wrong. Gave me something to think about. Glad I watched.

Nice one Dave interesting!

I've never really messed with machetes Dave but I've had a lot of big knives . i always sharpened them on a belt sander . best edge i ever got on a knife . and now they make some really nice belts just for sharpening knives . but this was a cool video and explains why my mora seems dull . i strop it a lot while im watching videos . its purty polished . hey god bless ya brother be safe with them big ole choppers .

Hey, Dave! The result you got from cutting is what I expected. If you polish the edge you remove the micro saw, you would see under a microscope. But on the other side the reliability could be better now, 🤷‍♀ because now you created a solid edge instead of single micro peaks..! 😉👍

Hey buddy! Very interesting video in my opinion. I bet if you did the 2nd drag test on the same side as the 1st. You'd got better results, simply because of the angle differences. Go back and grab that box and for giggles and grins give it a try. Thanks for taking us along on the test run Brother! Thumbs up video ~John

hey Dave if you looked at the apex of the blade under magnification you would probably see a micro toothy edge by polishing you are loosing some of the toothiness and some of the blades bite. While the blade is probably sharper after polishing it doesn't grab the material. I think the polishing would probably go faster with a slotted paper wheel dressed with green stropping compound. certain stainless steels create a burr after sharpening that is very difficult to remove the slotted paper wheel is good at removing the burr and a wire edge.

Loved the video today bigmonkey I was wondering iff you and nick will ever do a fishing video shenanigans in kayaks peace and love from 1 leg uk England

Most excellent! It would be interesting to see the edge under a microscope before polishing, and again after polishing. I’m guessing you would see micro-serrations on the before and then a very smooth after meaning the micro-serrations grab the paper to initiate the cut. Just a possible explanation. Thank you for another lesson.

My dad used washing machine motors for everything. When the motor went out on his 12" Clausing lathe he put one on there too. I'd bet those edges after polishing would shave a peach.

The reason the fully polished edge did not cut well in a draw cut is that although it is now at a very fine edge, all of the micro teeth have been removed. We polish blades for two different reasons. One it seals the grain of the steel and as you discovered, it will really help prevent corrosion. this is why higher end factory knives of carbon steel were often fully polished. Secondly, it helps the blade slide thru material with less friction. However, there still has to be a tooth matrix to the edge otherwise it is really not much more than a although very thin still a slick bearing surface regardless of how thin. It can still give a good Bess score on a push cut, or a hard swing on vegetation, but totally useless n any kind of a draw cut. Push cuts are fine in the kitchen but just abut useless in most cutting chores. KnifeMaker/Retired after over 47+ years in the Craft

Thanks for making this

Great video. God bless. From Glenn CATT. In Massachusetts.

The reason rust doesn't form on the polished surface as quickly is because the polishing reduces the size/amount of surface pitting, with the reduced pitting the rust doesn't have as much to cling on to and form...think of it like ice on the road lol tires easily spin on ice while having excellent traction on concrete, the toothy edge vs polished edge debate has been going on for a while now and I think it completely depends on what use case or what you intent to use it for. Thanks for all the effort and showing the results of that grueling process lol, I'd like to see how they perform in the woods now because that's where you're going to use them. 👍

Excellent video

Very interesting video bro ! Have a great weekend!

Enjoyed This Shared Pieces Here Had A Coffee For Ya Buddy ! Great Results ! Really Enjoyed ! Hay Nick ! ATB T God Bless

Very nice. I’ve semi polished my Condor Bushknife, but I used 5000 grit on a 1” belt sander then I accidentally hit a rock and chipped the edge.

Thanks Dave!