First Time Dia-Paste User

cziv

cziv

Joined
Nov 24, 2005
Messages
10,038
I've been using my dia-folds and getting near mirror edges - from a previous post:

I only have some HA 2, 1 and .5 micron strop compounds which leave a very shiny edge when used after coming off the DMT xx-fine hone. Great working edges but not mirrors.

To the naked eye they look that way but under the slightest magnification or even turned at the right angle, under bright light there's cloudiness and the last faint amount of a scratch pattern here and there.
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I have smooth/treated leather, fixed on hardwood strops. I have several strops of balsa and blanks also.

My DMT Dia-Paste (6, 3, 1 pack) is on it's way here. Should I use leather or balsa to try and bring my edges from near mirror to a mirror shine?

Thanks! :)
 
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For my v edges I use MDF or hardwood, for my convex I use leather. I'm not a fan of diamond compound on leather though, just a personal preference.

Throw that stuff away anyway, the new trend is a good 20 grit "working edge" and everything else is a waste of time. Give it a few months until the new wave comes then start using the compounds. I actually started to EDC a hacksaw. My damn polished edges just cant cut anything anymore.
 
230grains said:
For my v edges I use MDF or hardwood, for my convex I use leather. I'm not a fan of diamond compound on leather though, just a personal preference.

Throw that stuff away anyway, the new trend is a good 20 grit "working edge" and everything else is a waste of time. Give it a few months until the new wave comes then start using the compounds. I actually started to EDC a hacksaw. My damn polished edges just cant cut anything anymore.
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I agree that it is a waste of time and that my blades come right off of the hones screaming sharp as is. Only I've never got a perfect mirror and I'm going to go for one, so I can say I did it. Thanks, I'll try the balsa or something harder with it. :)
 
Mirror edges are fun. That's more than enough reason to work for them.

My kitchen paring knife gets sharpened to about 600. I don't put a mirror edge on it because a mirror edge isn't as effective (for me) when cutting tomatoes as a toothed edge. Not a 120 grit toothed edge though. I prefer a 600 grit. My sushi knife gets an edge that goes to 4000 grit. Not so much tooth there, but still, no mirror.

But my EDC get taken all the way... right through every stone and polishing film up to 15,000 or some green Chromium Oxide, then finished with bare horsehide. THAT has a mirror finished edge. I don't use it for cutting drywall, nor do I chop down trees. It's for those around the house, on the bike, in the office daily cutting needs. The edge lasts and lasts and lasts. Perhaps I re-strop it once a week. I like to see my reflection in the mirror. :)

Stitchawl
 
I've been working on my XM-18 3.5" flipper since I saw the hair splitting mirror edge Zyhano put on his XM-18.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=177824&stc=1&d=1283029513

I don't have a camera capable of taking a close-up picture of what I'm going through. I can't get a mirror edge but I have all of the tools.

Zyhano mentioned that he used dia-folds because he could see what was going on with the angle better. Done freehand in an hour!! :eek:

I have been using the magna-guide and have created a burr with the x-coarse hone (took forever on that 20CV steel or raise it). I went through every stone from x-coarse to xx-fine. It looks like a mirror edge to the naked eye but under a my cheap magnifying glass or at the right angle, I could still see scratch marks here and there.

I used the coarse because I got a notched chip in my blade from cutting wood.

It's razor sharp but I want to make it like a mirror edge.

I bought the DMT 6, 3, 1 dia-paste and stropped the heck out of it but I can't get the scratch marks out.

I'm wondering if I should sharpen in an a up and down method or the way DMT says to use them and run it up & down the edge?

It's razor sharp but I want to make it like a mirror edge.

I bought the DMT 6, 3, 1 dia-paste and stropped the heck out of it but I can't get the random scratchy marks out.

I've spent 5 hours on it and can't get that morror polish. Can anyone give an answer to any of my problems and perhaps suggest anything for me to try?

Thanks! :)

Here's some pics (crappy) that give an idea. Depending on the angle or the lighting they appear to be at different stages of sharpening, but they're all of the blade as it sits now. Pics were shot as close as I could focus the camera at - at arm's length it looks like a mirror edge but it isn't as you can see.
 
how old are your diafolds ? are they completely broken in ?

never tried to get a perfect mirror with those though ... i use them for "field" maintenance of my EDC knives and use the EP for show/dress knives or when i have time to waste :D ...
 
pwet said:
how old are your diafolds ? are they completely broken in ?

never tried to get a perfect mirror with those though ... i use them for "field" maintenance of my EDC knives and use the EP for show/dress knives or when i have time to waste :D ...
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They're approx. 1 year old. I've made quite a bit of progress since the last post. I got the strops back out and did about 25 more strokes on each side of the blade using each of the 3 dia-pastes (6, 3, 1) and the blade is about 98% done. It's really pretty. :)

I think because it's my first time, the learning curve was all new. I'm going to load leather strops tomorrow - as I was using balsa and then finish the blade on leather. I don't foresee any problems. I'll post some pictures when I finish it.

I don't think I'll ever need to do this again. I wanted to be able to do it and now that I have, it's far beyond what I'd care to achieve in a sharpening for a good working knife.

I prefer a very sharp factory-type edge, like you might expect in a new Spyderco Military or a Kershaw knife, like the ZT 0551. It's a ton less work and still extremely uniform and sharp.

Thanks for the reply :thumbup:

Maybe I can join the hair whittling club tomorrow!
 
Use the 6 micron longer and don't count strokes, work each paste for about 10 minutes and check the bevel regularly. Depending on the steel and how well your previous steps were done it should result in a near perfect mirror bevel. DMT pastes cut much coarser on balsa so to reach a flawless finish follow with 1 micron on leather. You could follow with HA 0.5 on balsa after the 1 micron but I don't know if it would be able to remove the scratches. If it works for you though you should be able to pop hairs in half just by touching them.
 
I did my strider sng today and did not get anything near a mirror edge on the XXF dmt stone (I believe it's 3 micron). You are able to see the very fine scratch mark and light scatter pattern all over the edge.

Then I worked it on the 6micron, 3 micron and finally 1 micron diapasted leather strops and at 1 micron I got a mirror edge.
As knifenut said, just work each paste for a couple of minutes, you'll see the improvements

good luck cziv!
 
zyhano said:
I did my strider sng today and did not get anything near a mirror edge on the XXF dmt stone (I believe it's 3 micron). You are able to see the very fine scratch mark and light scatter pattern all over the edge.

Then I worked it on the 6micron, 3 micron and finally 1 micron diapasted leather strops and at 1 micron I got a mirror edge.
As knifenut said, just work each paste for a couple of minutes, you'll see the improvements

good luck cziv!
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Well I got my mirror edge today after much stropping with the DMT pastes. When I got done, after admiring it, I sliced some copy paper. It would slice a full sheet w/o a hitch before all of the stropping and afterward it was dull and wouldn't slice through without tears and hangups - but it sure was nice and shiny! :(

I thought the hell with it and in disgust, ran it 6 passes per side on the x-fone and xx-fine dia-folds and got it sreaming sharp again. I'm giving up and I'm happier for it. I have a lot more free time now. :D
 
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cziv said:
Well I got my mirror edge today after much stropping with the DMT pastes. When I got done, after admiring it, I sliced some copy paper. It would slice a full sheet w/o a hitch and afterward it was dull and wouldn't slice through without tears and hangups - but it sure was nice and shiny! :(

I thought the hell with it and in disgust, ran it 6 passes per side on the x-fone and xx-fine dia-folds and got it sreaming sharp again. I'm giving up and I'm happier for it. I have a lot more free time now. :D
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You have arrived at the same point I did some time back. My time is worth more than that required to get a 'mirror' edge.
 
cziv said:
Well I got my mirror edge today after much stropping with the DMT pastes. When I got done, after admiring it, I sliced some copy paper. It would slice a full sheet w/o a hitch and afterward it was dull and wouldn't slice through without tears and hangups - but it sure was nice and shiny! :(
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Either you did something horribly wrong, or there's something horribly wrong with your knife. All arguments about edge retention aside, after I get through with diamond compound etc.. I could slice paper all day and never notice the difference.
 
I'd have to agree, paper should not be dulling your edge the least bit unless you were making hundreds of cuts.
 
I would think even a hundred cuts would barely change the edge. I use an edge pro and use 2k sandpaper, then strop on a old wallet and my edge lasts me about a week, and I cut up cardboard boxes at work when I get bored...
 
230grains said:
Either you did something horribly wrong, or there's something horribly wrong with your knife. All arguments about edge retention aside, after I get through with diamond compound etc.. I could slice paper all day and never notice the difference.
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No, I meant that all of the stropping dulled the blade. I must have been off on a lot of the passes and blunted the edge a little. The steel is Duratech 20CV fwiw. :o I edited the previous post - sorry.
 
cziv said:
No, I meant that all of the stropping dulled the blade. I must have been off on a lot of the passes and blunted the edge a little. The steel is Duratech 20CV fwiw. :o I edited the previous post - sorry.
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Make's more sense now, were you stropping by hand on a aligner set edge?
 
I stropped by hand on balsa and finished on bare leather 6, 3, 1, bare.
 
By hand - "meaning stropped freehand" on an aligner cvreated bevel.

I didn't use pressure except to hold the blade on the balsa. Funny thing is, I have some mirror edges from this without even trying, on Rowan 1095 4 fixed blades (ESEE) & Benchmade D2.

This Duratech 20 CV is a bear for me and it came to the point of wasting too much time when all I needed was a solid working edge on a hard use folder.

I got out the dia-folds and the xx-fine and did about 20 passes on each side. By is it sharp again and it didn't really put any marks on the blade. It's still an "almost" mirror finish.
 
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