The last thing you bought?

Last thing I bought was a used Asus Eee Pc 900A off ebay. And then a SATA Mini PCIE SSD 64gb, a high capacity battery, and a 8.9" touch screen panel to put into it. It's pretty good so far for a fun little notebook/tablet/e-reader project under 200 bucks...

 

Thanks for all the advice, Nuclear! I really do want to polish the blade so it becomes really shiny. I might do that someday What do you use to polish the blade though? I could use stuff at work, but it'd be too stupid to bring my sword there...

 

NP

I use high-grit sandpaper. I bought mine at a local auto parts store near the area where the paint supplies is at; so I'm sure your work might have some lying around considering if they do paint work. You may notice (if you have a sheet of sand paper) that there are numbers on the back of the sheet. The number can range from 75 (which is very coarse) to 500 (which is fine) then to 2,000 (which is very fine) and can apparently go all the way up to 100,000 (but that's special sandpaper, usually used to polish jewelry stones, and you'd have to order it).

The kind that I got ranged from 1,000 to 5,000. You might want to start around 600 ( no lower than 400) with your sword since, from what I can see in the pictures, the metal finish already looks fine. If you started rather low (around 400) you would get somewhat large, noticeable scratches. This isn't necessarily bad since you could always remove them rather quickly, but you might have to go through extra, unnecessary labor to work them out of the sword. With the 600 grit sandpaper, you will, more than likely, see hairline scratches when you start, but they will get finer and finer the higher you go up on the sandpaper grit (at about 1,600, you'll start to see your reflection and objects around you when you tilt the sword at the correct angle). Starting with 400 is good, even as low as 320 is okay, really. The scratches are easy to remove, but you might want to try it out to see the changes from noticeable scratches to mirror finish.

Also, when you start, you'd want to be using water while you sand (this is called wet-sanding). If it's 600-grit sandpaper, it will be okay if you occasionally dip the square of sandpaper, into the water, as you sand down your sword to created some lubrication; but you don't need to start right away on the wet sanding when you begin. Lower grit sandpapers -such as 400- will not hold well against water and will fall apart on you when you begin sanding. 600+ will usually be water resistant sandpaper. You can, just sand the sword without the wet-sanding process, but this is usually a quick way out from doing the job correctly. You will be able to see the reflection of objects, but you can have had better results if you included some wet-sanding during the process.

Once you already start the wet-sanding process, don't go back to dry-sanding (nothing bad will happen, though, it's just better that you don't). You can start ion one area of the sword using one type of grit, and you should continue using that grit until you have covered the entire sword and can't polish it, any further, with that grit. By this time, you should move to the next highest grit you have. Also, you will notice that the sandpaper will begin to look rather "clogged" after having been using it continuously for some time. You should tear off another piece of "clean" sandpaper and continue from their. You might also want to wipe the blade with a soft rag to remove any small metal/sandpaper particles before continuing with the sanding process -that way, it will take longer to clog up. One more thing, you don't need to put a lot of force while sanding. Just lightly using the weight of your hand against the sand paper should be enough. I know it sound rather odd, but it does work.

If you notice any rough spots on your sword that are dirtier than the rest of the sword, you can use some lower-grit sandpaper on those areas to remove it quickly. Using high-grit on dirty areas will take a long time.

So all you need is: sandpaper, a bucket/small container of water, a towel (doesn't need to be 100% clean), some machine oil, and patience. The towel will be to have laid across your lap, with the sword on top while you wet-sand, so you don't get your cloths all wet. I guess you could always have it atop of a workbench; though, then you'd have to place a towel under the sword to keep the bench from getting wet. The machine oil could be used after your done polishing the sword from protecting it from oxidizing (since you were using water) and ruining you polish. Say that you don't finish the polishing process and you decide to leave it for another day. Be sure to dry off the sword the best you can and apply a thin film of oil to protect the metal, just in case.

Sanding, until you are satisfied with the polish, could be a very time-consuming job, but it's pretty neat once you're finished. With my Ka-bar knife, the blade measuring 7in (about 18cm), took me a rather long time (though, that's because I had sharpened the knife previously and I din't want to cut myself); and as you could imagine, it was rather frustrating because I wanted my shiny knife to be ready. I can only imagine how long it will take with that sword of yours . The only downside to Uber polishing metals is that, when you touched the polished metal, you may leave finger prints (that can be wiped off, of course).

Good luck, Skaara. And if I left anything out, I'll be sure to let you know. And I just realized I just type a whole lot to give you a lesson on how to use sand paper when your OG-question was "What do you use to polish." XD

Edit 12-19-14: Oh yeah, about the metal handle/stacked leather handle. My kabar doesn't have that bendyness to it when I attempt to bend it, like I had told you to try out. I guess the only real and easy way to test if your sword's handle is metal is putting a magnet next to it.

 

Wow, thanks a lot! :lol: I've gone to Technical-And-Industrial-Production school for a year and then car-mechanic school for a year, and then car-mechanic apprentice for almost half a year now (minus the month I've worn this damn bandage ), so I know very well by now what types of sandpapers there are and how to use it. But thank you none the less; it was very insightful. I'd probably do it wrong if you hadn't given me that thorough explanation, so thank you. At school, we had this electric machine with thousands of small rubber-straps on it, forming a circle that rotated. I made a couple finger-rings with what I directly translate from Norwegian to English: "Rotation Benches", but in Google Translate it translates to "Lathes". Then I'd use that rubber-machine to polish the rings until they were shiny as a mirror. I actually still wear one of them every day, but it's not very shiny anymore :lol:

I actually didn't realize, until now, that the finer things I have used to polish stuff have actually been just very very fine sandpaper. I'll probably do it when I get my bandage off. One thing I'm a little worried about in that matter, is that the finish will fade a bit as I drag the sword in and out of its sheathe a bit too many times, but I think some of that Neatsfoot oil you mentioned could help against that

 

Yeah, you could have caused some serious damage and pissed many people off if you used the sandpaper wrong; but, thanks to my extensive explanation on sandpaper techniques, that shouldn't happen anymore . And lathe is the correct term in English. I've never seen one used for metal work though, only woodwork.

And I'm sure there are other methods to polish metal, but most of those should be done when the metal is being forged -otherwise, you could ruin the temper of the metal. As for fading the finish, the neatsfoot oil should take care of it. Since I've been using machine oil stuff on my knife, it's kept up well and I can still see my reflection just a well as when I first polished it; and I imagine the neatsfoot will do a better a job because it not only protects the blade, but the leather as well. I'll actually try it out with the neatsfoot to let you know how it works. And one more little thing p). When applying any oil, you'll want to make sure that the blade is wiped clean beforehand. I've noticed that applying oil on a semi-dirty knife tends to temporally stain the finish.

 

Like, seven PC games at a thrift store. They were: Demigod, Rome Total War, Hitman, Black ops Vietnam, Command and conquer, Command and conquer Red Alert, and my rarest find over there, Carmageddon 2 (that one was inspired by the movie Deathrace 2000). I'm guessing somebody got rid of a lot of their old PC games. I wish I had gotten their earlier to see if their had been any others.

 

Bought another machete for my collection (can't get swords in my state without some serious legal B.S. to get a permit etc. so I've settled with collecting machetes - especially the biggest and most sword-like ones I can find lol. Plus of course because they're so useful - we have a large property out in the bush and a machete is pretty much required). Got a Cold Steel Latin 21inch two-hander. I like the size but it feels a bit flimsier than I was expecting. Sadly the blade is just too thin/narrow for my liking. If I could have a blade off another one I have (but a tad longer) and the 2-handed grip from this one I'd be very happy! Though, my family has smithing/forging equipment so I might have to just start making my own at some point. An old mate from school got into all that and the swords and stuff he makes is just unbelievable...

And I also bought another cheap/used notebook off ebay to play around with: A Samsung N130 10.1". Seems to be a nice little machine. Figured I can't go wrong for about 60 bucks for a notebook with a 160gig harddrive, a high capacity battery, and that I should be able to install Windows 7 on (currently has Windows XP).

 

A fourth Vita i have a problem

 

That's just plain cool.

 

Indeed it is. I've always been drawn to crafts and smithing is something I'd love to at least get a basic understanding of. This, along with playing the accordion, are two things I'd love to learn but have not really made any steps towards achieving either (mostly due to money-related issues). Dogpatch, if you have the equipment and someone in the family with the knowledge/skill, then I'd say go for it.

 

Was going to buy a PS4 this weekend, but in NZ they are still $650NZ, and you are forced into package deals with crappy games. When I asked if I could buy it without the games, they said 'Sure, but you'll still pay $650'. I call BS.

 

Man, that sucks... I know it's really inconvenient, but I guess you could just sell the games on e-Bay (you should be able to let go of them for not much below their usual price if you keep them in their original film packaging, I guess).

 

Yep, true. All I want is the Witcher 3 though So I'll wait till May or around there.

 

First of all, I have picked up the Splinter Cell: Blacklist last year during the Holyday sale, but I wish that I not do that. I played only 2 hours, but...For me, this franchise is dead. But it made me to remember how connected I was to the series back in time. In fact the first SC was my first game, which I waited before release. Back in time, in Hungary, the only way that you could watch trailers, and read gaming news, you had to buy magazine, and I bought almost all of them, which was wrote about it. Why I write this? Because I found a CE which is sealed!

The game case will look like this:

Spoiler

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTAyNFg3Njg=/z/~2IAAOxy4dNSvEJa/$_57.JPG

Now it will be mine soon .

One more thing.

 

Nice find on the game. Cool Knife, too! It looks like it'll come in handy.

 

i am in the same boat as you mr streff i only want a ps4 for witcher 3 and persona 5

 

I bought a PS4, now waiting for the WItcher. I have WatchDogs, Tomb Raider (both of which I've played already on previous consoles), and Murdered: Soul Suspect is on the way. But Witcher will take the cake. Massive fan of the games and books, even painting a scene from the books, share it here when I'm done

 

This sweet new Logitech g502 gamer-mouse

Spoiler

What's interesting about this is that it comes with five 3.6g weights that you can add to the mouse by simply removing the cover under it and placing them in. Having them there is very good for when doing things like sniping and precision-aiming, whilst removing them is good for whenever you might play some CQC game. It's really awesome

 

Looks great, nice catch. I recently bought Хлібний Дар (a Ukrainian vodka) and it's fine. It's a good vodka - or horilka as the Ukrainians call it - that has a stronger aftertaste than usual; overall, it's better than Smirnoff and on par with the likes of Absolwent and Русский Стандарт, but not quite as good as Sobieski.

 

I hate when you buy alcohol that turns out not to be as good as it sounded
I bought a bottle of Tia Maria yesterday. Apparently it has a flavor of Jamaican Rum, Coffee and Vanilla. But it's a bit too sweet, as it's a liquor. 'Twas a bit expensive too. Oh well, I'll have it for a long time at least.

Also recently bought a couple flat Star Wars magnets: One with R2D2 and C-3P0, and one as a Clone Trooper mask. Also bought a white T-shirt with a picture of R2D2 and C-3P0 saying "These aren't the droids you're looking for". Geeky, I know