First Attempt (Convex Edge) - Stropping Compound Question (Lee Valley vs.)

dartheo

dartheo

Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Messages
183
Hey guys,

I've been lurking for a while, reading all I can about angles, pressure etc.
Last night I took a try putting a convex edge on my Meadowlark 2 and it turned out alright, but not scary sharp or anything.
I can't seem to tell when/if I have a burr (I assumed it was there and took the steps to remove it).

I started on a King 800 Whetstone then moved to a King 4000 Whetstone then to a wooden strop with Lee Valley compound.
(I do intend to get a lower # stone for extreme re-profiling)

Does anyone have any experience with the Lee Valley compound? Would I get better results moving to say.. Bark River White after this step?

Before:
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After:
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I barely even use the Bark River white anymore, it doesn't really seem to do anything the green doesn't. If anything it just seems to remove a lot of the bite.

I don't know if I'm having beginners luck or if I've just got really steady hands, but I've been having loads of success sharpening with some regular sandpaper and mousepad. Depending on the current edge I usually go 320-600-1200-1800 followed by the Bark River green compound. The result is a way sharper edge than I ever got on the sharpmaker and it seems to be holding up slightly better than the standard Spyderco V edge.

I don't really get why everyone keeps talking about the burr when sharpening. I just usually keep the angle steady and do equal passes on both sides and figure that it'll come out nice in the end - and I haven't been disappointed so far. What's the point of keeping track of the burr if you're reprofiling a blade from scratch and you spend equal time sharpening both sides? Maybe hand-steadiness plays a part here? Clue me in!

I can't really speak to the wetstones, or the Lee Valley compounds. I will be giving the Lee Valley belts a try, when I eventually pick up a sander :)
 
I've read alot of good things about sandpaper/mousepad sharpening. Might give it a try for the hell of it one day.

But I'm pretty stubborn and really want to learn good technique on the stones/strop.
 
Putting a convex edge on with stones is a bit of a faff. It's basically putting 3 or 4 extra bevels in and then rounding off the shoulders between them.
The sandpaper/mousepad is much easier but leave the knife angle shallower than you want your final edge angle to be (the soft backing allows the paper to round off the edge slightly). Difficult to feel a burr with this method as it tends to lay fairly straight. But if you keep the strokes even each side it shouldn't matter. Use a sharpie on the edge to start until you get used to the feel , and work through the grits. Go lighter on pressure as you go up through the finer grits.
 
Just a little update, incase others are having the similar issue with stones/convex.

I tried again and again with no luck.

Finally it dawned on me, the primary bevel was too thick which stopped me from putting a real cutting edge on it.
Worked down the primary on a coarse stone, then went through the whole process again.
Now after stropping, its crazy sharp!

It was alot of work, but I enjoy working on these stones. I will have to give the sandpaper a try one day though.
 
I use the mouse pad method too. I also started cutting the pad into strips about an inch wide with a hardwood backer board. That way I can pretty easily convex a knife from 6 inches up to 14 inches. Works great for me.
 
That is a beautiful edge.

I hope I can achieve the same when I attempt my first convexing.
 
Nullity said:
That is a beautiful edge.

I hope I can achieve the same when I attempt my first convexing.
Click to expand...

Thank you.

I 'learned' from virtuovice's videos on youtube.

I think the most important thing I can tell you from my personal experience is not to put too much pressure. Its not something that can be rushed.
 
dartheo said:
Thank you.

I 'learned' from virtuovice's videos on youtube.

I think the most important thing I can tell you from my personal experience is not to put too much pressure. Its not something that can be rushed.
Click to expand...


Haha. The first thing I thought of was "virtuovice" when I saw your edge. :D

I only recently started paying attention to virtuovice. I can't believe it took me so long to give his videos a chance.
His results are undeniable. He's also got me seriously interested in Bark River.

I tried rushing through a reprofile of ZDP recently... dumb.
 
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