Creating a super “Toothy” edge???

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frankie4

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Aug 25, 2024
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Can you get a super toothy edge by using a super gritty stone, say 80grit to 320grit, then jump to say a high-end totally flat stone say 2000microns to 6000microns to achieve a kinda microscopic serration in a blade edge??? So you get the best of both worlds?
 
I think so. What I've done is: achieve the apex and go through the grit progression only as much as you need. Test, does it grab paper immediately and cut S curves smoothly? If so, you know you have a proper apex. Then, use your 320 again, sparingly, like 2-3 passes.
 
The late Custom knife maker Wayne Goddard, used a Norton Medium India stone to get a "Toothy Edge". At an Oregon Knife Collectors show they had a a rope cutting contest. After a while they would have ropes that were hanging on by several threats, or more. Sal Glesser was cutting of the remnants with one of his Sypderco serrated knives when Wayne handed him on of his knives he sharpened on the Norton Medium India and Sal used it to cut off the left over rope. He turned to Wayne and said it was the sharpest knife he had ever used. Lonnie Hansen used a belt to sharpen his knives, then a few strokes on a Norton Medium India stone to give the edge a Toothy grip. John
 
Some people use a much finer abrasive for their “toothy” edges. Something like Spyderco grey ceramic stones. Much less steel loss and they report excellent performance. All anecdotal, of course.
 
The 800 grit Wicked Edge diamond stone, followed by no more than two or three strokes per side with a 10 mu.-on-balsa strop leaves a very agressive edge that might be what you are trying to get to. 800 seems to be an odd grit that most manufacturers ignore, but maybe we should look for a bench stone like that.
 
Khromo said:
The 800 grit Wicked Edge diamond stone, followed by no more than two or three strokes per side with a 10 mu.-on-balsa strop leaves a very agressive edge that might be what you are trying to get to. 800 seems to be an odd grit that most manufacturers ignore, but maybe we should look for a bench stone like that.
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I do a similar run for steels with bigger, harder carbides. Shapton Glass 500 grit, followed by nano strop with diamond spray.

I've had interesting results doing a 18° primary bevel up to 2k, then a 22-24° secondary bevel on top of that finished to 600. This has actually worked VERY good on M390, but it's more work than I like to do most of the time.
 
BluegrassBrian said:
I do a similar run for steels with bigger, harder carbides. Shapton Glass 500 grit, followed by nano strop with diamond spray.

I've had interesting results doing a 18° primary bevel up to 2k, then a 22-24° secondary bevel on top of that finished to 600. This has actually worked VERY good on M390, but it's more work than I like to do most of the time.
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What kind of grind? Saber?
A flat grind would be way less than 18
 
BluegrassBrian said:
my terminology is a bit wacky.
When I said primary bevel I mean the edge (the true secondary bevel) and when I said secondary bevel I meant micro-bevel.
=]
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Yeah, you had me second guessing myself.....😂😂😂😂
I grind my primary to less than 5
 
My favorite toothy-style edge, so far, is made by using a XC/C diamond (220/325, either by preference) to set the bevels and apex the edge, then applying a very minimal, barely-there microbevel with a medium or fine Spyderco ceramic in 2 passes or less per side at a very light touch. I use my Spyderco Sharpmaker to do the microbevel, sometimes at 30° inclusive or sometimes 40° inclusive, whichever seems to leave the apex more stable for the steel type & hardness. The concept in mind, when I do this, is to narrow the apex width with the microbevel applied by the ceramic, while also doing some additional deburring of the apex. It makes for a very stable and wickedly aggressive slicing edge.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
My favorite toothy-style edge, so far, is made by using a XC/C diamond (220/325, either by preference) to set the bevels and apex the edge, then applying a very minimal, barely-there microbevel with a medium or fine Spyderco ceramic in 2 passes or less per side at a very light touch. I use my Spyderco Sharpmaker to do the microbevel, sometimes at 30° inclusive or sometimes 40° inclusive, whichever seems to leave the apex more stable for the steel type & hardness. The concept in mind, when I do this, is to narrow the apex width with the microbevel applied by the ceramic, while also doing some additional deburring of the apex. It makes for a very stable and wickedly aggressive slicing edge.
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THIS is my recipe, too. I guess great minds think alike! 😉👍

I use the 300 grit side of my Ultra-Sharp 300/1200 diamond plate and then 2 alternating passes, light and slow, on the rounded part of the fine Sharpmaker rods. Great toothy edge that holds up for a long time.

As far as kitchen knives go, I haven’t used anything other than that 300/1200 grit combination Ultra-Sharp plate for a long time. If you don’t have one, I highly recommend getting one!
 
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Pete's (Cedric & Ada) friend is making these edges:
Nano-serrations.png
 
I've never experimented with various grit combos, but the grit recipe would depend a lot on the job, the steel, edge geometry, the geometry of the serrations and the steel heat treat.

Tiny serrations are more delicate than a continuously smooth edge. If the steel is not tough enough for the job, the serration would break. If the steel heat treat is not hard enough (strong), they would bend.

If you're cutting tomatoes, it might not matter. The more jagged the better. Cutting anything hard would require a combination of the most toughness and hardness you can find. Anything too abrasive, and you'd accelerate edge wear. Edge angle and serration geometry could dampen or amplify any of these issues.

With so much complexity and possibilities, anecdotal evidence will run the gamut.

Knives are infinitely complex.
 
The toothiest edges I've ever gotten came off my American Mutt stones. I resharpen my box cutter blades and always get an incredible cardboard-slicing toothy edge off it. Not sure what it is about the mixed grit size that does it, but it does.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
The toothiest edges I've ever gotten came off my American Mutt stones. I resharpen my box cutter blades and always get an incredible cardboard-slicing toothy edge off it. Not sure what it is about the mixed grit size that does it, but it does.
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I'll give that a try on my Cold Steel Click&Cut blades.
 
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