David Barnett - SW Florida
>To the appropriate degree, that is.

Anything used for planishing; hammers, stakes, small anvils, repousse planishing punches, and so on, get high polishes on either a polishing motor with a tapered arbor, various buffs, and compounds, or 1" x 42" polishing belts (try Lee Valley and catalogs for golf club makers). I remove the platen on the belt sander and use it slack belt style which conforms nicely to whatever shape I'm polishing.

I also make heavy use of the sander to reshape and refine hammers, stakes, other small tools with coarser belts. I can't imagine how toolmakers get by without one of these cheap and versatile tools, but one can also use sanding and polishing sticks charged with abrasive compounds (green crayon for a final polish). I did for years. For hard to get at areas you can always strum: use compound on a string or cord -- great for details.

Tools used for moving metal before planishing (repousse punches, hammers, etc.) get a scratchier, grippier finish that may even be left as a final matte texture. Some engraving and chasing hammers I leave with a less-polished finish, as well.

There are, and I have, far too many buffs, belts and compounds to talk about here, but if you have any specific questions I'll be glad to narrow things down.

BTW, if you have an old motor lying about, you can attach one of these tapered mandrel/arbors to the motor shaft and quick-change all those cool jeweler's 3" to 8" buffs, wheels, cones. All jeweler supply houses have them: Rio Grande, Gesswein, Otto Frei, Contenti, FDJ, et al. You can also use that motor to power the belt sander that Lee Valley sells.

And while you're finding things to use that motor with, order one of those exceptional little Taig lathes from LV, too, in both the metalworking and woodworking configurations (They're interchangable. I use both). Blithely make saw nuts and get rich quick!