- Joined
- Jul 21, 2009
- Messages
- 1,421
I'm going from the grit wheel to the 2 micron(white) compound and following that with the .5 micron(green) compound on different wheels. I find that the white compound is coarse enough to refine the scratch patterns from the grit wheel. The .5 micron wheel is further refining that edge.
I spend enough time on both slotted wheels to refinish the entire edge. That's a lot more polishing than just removing the burr. It sounds like you did the same thing.
Now grit sizes being equal, how is one finish finer than the other? I find it difficult to think that a hand stropped finish is somehow finer than a wheel finish. Unless the medium makes a difference, I can't think of what else can effect the polishing. Most people strop on a leather surface so maybe that adds a finer degree of polish?
One thing that I've learned is that pressure makes a lot of difference in edge refinement. As I progress through the polishing, I lighten up the pressure to where in the final stages, I'm feathering the surface so not even the weight of the knife is on the wheels.
From what I see, the paper wheels are accelerated means of grinding, followed by polishing. The big jump in grit sizes between the grit wheels and the white compound is overcome by the sheer amount of polishing accomplished in a short time. An 8 inch wheel at 3000 RPMs can do a lot of work. Going the extra step to the green compound makes a real difference in the finish. Now we're talking about a mirror-like finish.
So, assuming we're comparing apples to apples, where do you see the difference? I actually thought about rigging up a leather wheel with a finer polish but I'm not sure if it's worth the effort. I'm not even sure I can find something under .5 micron.
I spend enough time on both slotted wheels to refinish the entire edge. That's a lot more polishing than just removing the burr. It sounds like you did the same thing.
Now grit sizes being equal, how is one finish finer than the other? I find it difficult to think that a hand stropped finish is somehow finer than a wheel finish. Unless the medium makes a difference, I can't think of what else can effect the polishing. Most people strop on a leather surface so maybe that adds a finer degree of polish?
One thing that I've learned is that pressure makes a lot of difference in edge refinement. As I progress through the polishing, I lighten up the pressure to where in the final stages, I'm feathering the surface so not even the weight of the knife is on the wheels.
From what I see, the paper wheels are accelerated means of grinding, followed by polishing. The big jump in grit sizes between the grit wheels and the white compound is overcome by the sheer amount of polishing accomplished in a short time. An 8 inch wheel at 3000 RPMs can do a lot of work. Going the extra step to the green compound makes a real difference in the finish. Now we're talking about a mirror-like finish.
So, assuming we're comparing apples to apples, where do you see the difference? I actually thought about rigging up a leather wheel with a finer polish but I'm not sure if it's worth the effort. I'm not even sure I can find something under .5 micron.