A review of the present knowledge of conventional polishing techniques is presented, concentrating particularly on the pitch polishing technique for high precision optical surfaces. This technique still depends completely on the artistry of highly skilled opticians who have a largely intuitive understanding of the process. The aim of this article is to point out that the course of surface shape development during the polishing process can be explained in terms of available technical knowledge and consequently that an improvement of polishing technique, based on this knowledge, is feasible.