Buck Knife Cuts Paper but Bevel Surface Appears "Scratchy"

O

OldMarineVet

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Aug 2, 2014
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Sharpened 3 1/4" Buck Knife with Ark Hard Stone, then Ark Black Stone. Seems sharp. Cuts paper easily. But noticed the bevel surface seems irregular/scratched. Is this ok? Thank you
 
"Scratches" are results of the stones used. Most use a wider variety of stones from a more coarse to very fine grits then stropping to remove scratches and add polish to the edge. Scratches don't mean it won't cut, as you describe, merely the edge itself is not "refined"...

It's perfectly fine as proved by your cutting test.
 
I don't think your Arkansas stones can remove the scratches. You'd need to use man made stones. Not diamond. Something like Norton India, ceramic and a strop. With hours of work. Your welcome, DM
 
Sounds like the refining process is good to do. Can I just use a leather strop? Does anybody have any recommendations for which one I should buy? Thank you
 
OldMarineVet said:
Sounds like the refining process is good to do. Can I just use a leather strop? Does anybody have any recommendations for which one I should buy? Thank you
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Even simpler, if you wish; some white rouge or similar aluminum oxide compound on firmly-backed paper or fabric (denim, for example) will refine such a scratch pattern very quickly. Lately with some knives, I've been going from something like a 220/320-grit finish from SiC/AlOx stones or wet/dry sandpaper, straight to a denim strop (on an 18" Home Depot paint-stirring stick) with Sears #2 grey AlOx compound. Works very fast, strips burrs like nobody's business and will bring up a polish in a hurry, especially on steels such as on your Buck knife (assuming 420HC). I'm liking that particular strop more and more, the more I use it. :)


David
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
Even simpler, if you wish; some white rouge or similar aluminum oxide compound on firmly-backed paper or fabric (denim, for example) will refine such a scratch pattern very quickly. Lately with some knives, I've been going from something like a 220/320-grit finish from SiC/AlOx stones or wet/dry sandpaper, straight to a denim strop (on an 18" Home Depot paint-stirring stick) with Sears #2 grey AlOx compound. Works very fast, strips burrs like nobody's business and will bring up a polish in a hurry, especially on steels such as on your Buck knife (assuming 420HC). I'm liking that particular strop more and more, the more I use it. :)


David
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Thank you for the response, David. I'm a brand new sharpener and don't have any stropping tools/compounds yet. I'm sharpening some fixed blades and folding blades, most are combo straight/serrated. Do you think I can start with one stropping tool now to remove bevel scratches and get others as I progress? Thanks again
 
OldMarineVet said:
Thank you for the response, David. I'm a brand new sharpener and don't have any stropping tools/compounds yet. I'm sharpening some fixed blades and folding blades, most are combo straight/serrated. Do you think I can start with one stropping tool now to remove bevel scratches and get others as I progress? Thanks again
Click to expand...

I'm sure you could. The trick is in finding one compound that you'll LIKE the best (according to your edge finish preferences), though many compounds can all be good. Lately, I've really been liking simpler hardware store-type stick compounds, such as found at Home Depot (Ryobi white rouge) or Sears (their #2 grey aluminum oxide compound). Either of those two have been great at stripping burrs off, and they'll quickly remove coarse scratches from most mainstream steels, like everything from 1095 and 420HC up through 154CM, VG-10 and D2. The thing to keep in mind is, the firmer the backing under the compound, the more aggressively (faster) it'll work; it'll also leave the edge apex much crisper, with less rounding. I'm using these on hard-backed strops of linen or denim over wood, as with the paint-stirring stick strop I mentioned. Very cheap to throw together; the paint-stirring sticks are FREE, or you could just use any wood scraps that're reasonably smooth and flat, attaching scraps from old shirts, bedsheets or jeans for the compound's substrate. The compound itself is really the bulk of the money you'll spend ($3-$6 or so), along with some convenient means to stick the fabric to the hard backing; double-sided tape (not the 'foam' type), temporary adhesive or contact cement will all work for that. For your serrations, shaping and rounding the edge of a paint-stirrer or wooden yardstick, and wrapping the fabric over that, would work well. All kinds of possibilities, when you start thinking about it.


David
 
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Obsessed with Edges said:
I'm sure you could. The trick is in finding one compound that you'll LIKE the best (according to your edge finish preferences), though many compounds can all be good. Lately, I've really been liking simpler hardware store-type stick compounds, such as found at Home Depot (Ryobi white rouge) or Sears (their #2 grey aluminum oxide compound). Either of those two have been great at stripping burrs off, and they'll quickly remove coarse scratches from most mainstream steels, like everything from 1095 and 420HC up through 154CM, VG-10 and D2. The thing to keep in mind is, the firmer the backing under the compound, the more aggressively (faster) it'll work; it'll also leave the edge apex much crisper, with less rounding. I'm using these on hard-backed strops of linen or denim over wood, as with the paint-stirring stick strop I mentioned. Very cheap to throw together; the paint-stirring sticks are FREE, or you could just use any wood scraps that're reasonably smooth and flat, attaching scraps from old shirts, bedsheets or jeans for the compound's substrate. The compound itself is really the bulk of the money you'll spend ($3-$6 or so), along with some convenient means to stick the fabric to the hard backing; double-sided tape (not the 'foam' type), temporary adhesive or contact cement will all work for that. For your serrations, shaping and rounding the edge of a paint-stirrer or wooden yardstick, and wrapping the fabric over that, would work well. All kinds of possibilities, when you start thinking about it.


David
Click to expand...

I understand. Thank you for the great explanation.
 
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