Final Edging Techniques

General Specific

General Specific

Joined
Nov 17, 2006
Messages
213
I've been using the belt grinder and angling the MAP arm to 15 degrees to put the final edge on my knives. This sometimes works fine, but is very easy to screw up. I'm just wondering what other techniques you guys might be using that I could consider as an alternative to my heart attack technique:) For the life of me, I can't remember ever running across any tutorials that describe an edging process other than convexing the edge, which I'm loath to do, because I want users to be able to sharpen my knives without a lot of experience. Thanks for anything you can throw my way.

Dave
 
edge down free hand for me on a good sharp 320 (set the edge) then 600 grit clean up next for me is wet micron belts down to 9 micron now mind you this is on a stock KMG direct driven with VS and the hz are set to 35-40hz so slow and light are key so as not to over heat

i strop on a board that has green compound on it as the finish. mind you soem blades i dont go all the way to 9 micron but they all get the wire removed the same way on the board

one of these days i ll get a real leather strop but till then i use what i got
 
I take it to 22o on the belt over a platen then I start with the blue DMT, then red DMT, then green DMT then strop

-Page
 
Oh, how I'd kill to have VS, but I am using a KMG, so I guess I can't complain too much. It's just very tricky with it set up at full speed as it is now, and although I'm careful about heat buildup, I'm never sure how much heat is building up and then dissipating quickly on the thin edge. My biggest concession is to use brand new belts to minimize the heat. I also have zero experience with honing on a board or glass, so I'm just going from 180 Grit to 220 grit on the belts and then on to the lansky medium/coarse crock sticks for back bevel, then fine sticks for final. It will give a shaving sharp edge, but I'd like to refine it and as stated before, make it a little less stressful. Sounds like it's going to continue to be a matter of practice, but damn I'm about ready to make the investment in a variable speed setup. Working constantly with the grinder at "11" has me psyched out sometimes to the point that I'm putting off work:eek: This is one of those times when I think a jig would be of some benefit. Thank you guys for the suggestions.

Dave
 
Just wanted to add. I learn much better from visuals. If anyone knows of a video that is out there that demonstrates edging well I'd be very interested in purchasing it. Thanks again for the replies.

Dave
 
I don't know if it was on here but there is a sight "Brent's custom knives" that shows a really nice filing jig for puttin on the final! Bill
 
There's nothing too wrong with convexing the edge.

If you put the edge on with light pressure on the slack belt, with the right angle, you can sharpen on the sharpmaker with no problem.
 
I always keep my rest on my KMG at 90 degrees to the flat platen. To put the edge on, I used to just free hand it, but found that I am not very good at judging angles on the KMG freehand. I put a 15 degree edge on most of my blades, so I put my lansky sharpening jig on the rest and clamp it down. I then duct tape the sharpening stone rod down at the 15 degree hole and at the clamp for the knife. This gives me an angle guide to use when putting the initial edge on with my KMG. I also use a used 320 grit belt, then go to 800. After that I take the Lansky off my rest and then can start with a meduim stone at 15 degrees and then a fine stone at 15 degrees. I then strop it to remove the wire edge. I've got it down where my sharpening is now one of the quickest operations in my shop!!

If I need a different angle, I can use any angle my lansky has available.
 
You can cut a section off a 2"x4" around say 3-4 inches tall and cut a wedge out at whatever angle you want and use it as jig/guide when sharpening on a slack belt to keep the angle. Clamp it using a C Clamp to the platen and then just buff the wire edge off using 400 grit compound. Will make it shaving sharp at 15'-20' degrees. Still have to practice about not grinding off too much on one side though :)

I think SAR said to grind it twice as high as the thickness left over on the blade before sharpening.
 
anything wrong with free hand on a coarse whet stone? haha i keep it simple. then i go through the finer stones to a diamond impregnated fine stone. sometimes i strop with polishing compound on a scrap of leather. no idea what angle im using ha, just the one that feels right. my arm does it naturally...
-Lou
 
I go freehand on a slack 60 micron belt then a worn 15 micron belt. A quick swipe on the buffer with pink no scratch compound removes the wire edge.
The trick is to make really light quick passes on one side then the other until they meet in the middle. It usually takes me 2 or 3 passes per side to set the initial edge. I grind it edge up. Getting the correct angle is just a matter of practice. Creating a wooden guide with the correct angle will go along way toward helping you get the feel for it. After you've sharpened a couple hundred knives this way it is just second nature. I used to practice by sharpening my $20 set of wal-mart kitchen knives every other day:D they needed it.
 
I am simple too. I use diamond sharpening stones to get the bulk of the edge geometry and then just use my Lansky, going from coarse, medium to fine.

Has anyone seen those kitchen sharpeners which are like 8 or ten high carbon steel washers interlinked, and you drag the blade through the V formed between them? Those are brilliant and convenient for the cheapskate kitchen knives, and I have discovered they are also brilliant for 'honing' and maintaining a keen edge on a quality knife, with an occassional light pull through.
 
Thanks all. I guess I was just worried that I was going about it completely wrong, but it looks like it'll just take practice. My last 2 knives were way too thick when I put the edges on, so needless to say they ended up with some huge edges:barf: I'm going to start leaving less thickness before the heat treat, because I was going through several belts trying to get the thickness down after the heat treat. Trial and error as usual. Thanks again for all of the good feedback.

Regards,

Dave
 
Thanks J, I finally got to see the video. I'm going to have to practice on some of my very early POS's. If anyone knows of an internet source for 2x72 leather belts please let me know. There was one company that I can't remember, but last time I checked they weren't selling them until their website was completed. Something like America........._______. Anyway, thanks for sharing your techniques.

Regards,

Dave
 
I think "knife and gun" has some leather belts. I just been using a 400 grit diamond plate than go to my ceramic v sticks and then strop a little to clean it up...I like to keep it simple! Bill
 
Thanks Bill. I'll have a look. With limited space in the shop/house I'd like to use the grinder for anything I can. Also like to get as much out of it as possible since it set me back a gun:)

Regards,

Dave
 
Ouch, hope it wasn't a favorite piece...but the grinder will do a lot more for yer creative/productive satisfaction! I decided a while ago that no more pieces were leavin the stable and so far they haven't! Bill
 
Oh, hell no. I didn't sell anything. I don't do that anymore:) But I would have maybe gotten a Krebs custom with the money otherwise. I'm getting a lot more use out of the grinder anyway, so nothing lost. Incidentally, here's my Kimber with some new grips courtesy of a nice block of stabilized wood from Pop's and the KMG. At least it can help dress up the guns I do have;) I post-processed the pic in photoshop for the "Orton" effect.

KimberGripsORT.jpg


Regards,

Dave
 
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