getting that mirrored edge

Usually they say about 6,000 on a stone.

I have a rough/medium two-sided stone I use for setting the edge and a 2000 I use for finish work. Both make a slurry, which I wipe off with my finger and rub onto my leather strop (an old belt). When I have satisfied myself with the stone work, I strop on the belt with the leftovers from the stones rubbed into it.

After all of this, I have a mirror edge that shaves with only the weight of the blade.
 
my 2k grit seems to get a decent image, though not mirror perfect, stropping a lot helps bring out the detail in the picture
 
Spyderco's ultra-fine gives you a decent polish. A comparison with other types:

attachment.php



Edit - freehand vid:

[video=youtube;QNwP-2xBphI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNwP-2xBphI[/video]
 
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I've noticed a highly polished, but not mirrored edge at the 600 grit EP stone. 1000 grit gets it close enough to call it a mirror polish without the tapes. But, I take it up to 2k and 3k polish tapes for a more refined and mirrored edge.
 
Visible light has a wavelength of around 0.4 to 0.7 microns. Once the scratch pattern gets smaller than the wavelength of visible light, it will look optically smooth and like a mirror.

I suspect that grit particles make scratches significantly smaller than their diameter, especially for stropping. So stropping with compounds somewhere around 1 micron sounds about right.

In my (limited) experience, I'm going to around 2k on stones/sandpaper, then stropping with 0.5 micron and 0.25 micron diamond. This isn't an ideal progression (big jump between 2k grit and 0.5 micron), but it does manage to get me a mirrored edge.

Sincerely,
--Lagrangian

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"What grit sharpens the mind?"--Zen Sharpening Koan
 
Lagrangian said:
Visible light has a wavelength of around 0.4 to 0.7 microns. Once the scratch pattern gets smaller than the wavelength of visible light, it will look optically smooth and like a mirror.

I suspect that grit particles make scratches significantly smaller than their diameter, especially for stropping. So stropping with compounds somewhere around 1 micron sounds about right.

In my (limited) experience, I'm going to around 2k on stones/sandpaper, then stropping with 0.5 micron and 0.25 micron diamond. This isn't an ideal progression (big jump between 2k grit and 0.5 micron), but it does manage to get me a mirrored edge.

Sincerely,
--Lagrangian

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"What grit sharpens the mind?"--Zen Sharpening Koan
Click to expand...

Maybe it's not the whole abrasive that makes the scratch but rather just a part of the grain. Maybe it's just a corner.
 
Bear in mind that the mirror can be created even when the surface is still quite rough, if you have the right abrasive. If you form a dense slurry and work it just right, you can polish quite a bit right out of the EdgePro's Boride 320 and 600. The edge is still rough, but if you inspect it under high magnification the groves themselves are neatly polished inside by the abrasive action of the 'mud.'

Generally, I've found that I get a darn good polish to start around the 8K level and up for an 'honest' mirror that has scratches small enough to really shine. :)
 
I use a Spyderco Tri-Angle sharpener, finish with their fine ceramic rods, and strop with an old leather belt (no abrasive added), and I easily get a mirror finish--hair popping sharp.
 
Reasoned1 said:
I use a Spyderco Tri-Angle sharpener, finish with their fine ceramic rods, and strop with an old leather belt (no abrasive added), and I easily get a mirror finish--hair popping sharp.
Click to expand...

Is that so? I never would have thought that. Good work.
 
what people call mirrored edge is as subjective as how sharp an edge is.

and this perception can change depending on bevel width. on a very short bevel fine sharpmaker rods plus bare leather can look shiny, put the same finish on a scandi knife and you'll see way more scratches even if you make sure to erase all the scratches.

when i refinish my carbon steel kitchen knives i usually go to 600 wetordry plus some polishing compound on a rag. i can see mysellf in the blade. but i also can an obvious scratch pattern ... is that a mirror finish ?

i consider mirror an edge where i can't see scratches anymore, i'd call it good if i can see a faint scratch pattern when playing with the light like straight from my 10k SS. this won't happen with just the fine rods and bare leather.
 
pwet said:
what people call mirrored edge is as subjective as how sharp an edge is.

and this perception can change depending on bevel width. on a very short bevel fine sharpmaker rods plus bare leather can look shiny, put the same finish on a scandi knife and you'll see way more scratches even if you make sure to erase all the scratches.
Click to expand...

Yep. I realized that when I 'polished' the blades on my Opinels. Every single scratch will simply jump off that blade and slap me in the face, when I shine a decent light on it (and there are quite a lot of them). Impossible to ignore, when the shiny 'billboard' gets that big.
 
pwet said:
what people call mirrored edge is as subjective as how sharp an edge is.

and this perception can change depending on bevel width. on a very short bevel fine sharpmaker rods plus bare leather can look shiny, put the same finish on a scandi knife and you'll see way more scratches even if you make sure to erase all the scratches.

when i refinish my carbon steel kitchen knives i usually go to 600 wetordry plus some polishing compound on a rag. i can see mysellf in the blade. but i also can an obvious scratch pattern ... is that a mirror finish ?

i consider mirror an edge where i can't see scratches anymore, i'd call it good if i can see a faint scratch pattern when playing with the light like straight from my 10k SS. this won't happen with just the fine rods and bare leather.
Click to expand...

Yes, it takes me a lot of work and equipment(EP, stones, strops, diamond paste) to get a passable mirror. I'm really surprised by somebody who can do it with just fine rods and old leather belt.
 
Just the fine rods put a pretty nice finish on the bevel face, but the leather makes it pretty darn shiny without noticeable scratches, but it may be just shy of an actual "mirror" finish--I haven't done any reflectivity tests. : )

Also, I said I don't add abrasive to the belt, which is true, but it does load up some with steel particles over time.
 
Reasoned1 said:
Just the fine rods put a pretty nice finish on the bevel face, but the leather makes it pretty darn shiny without noticeable scratches, but it may be just shy of an actual "mirror" finish--I haven't done any reflectivity tests. : )

Also, I said I don't add abrasive to the belt, which is true, but it does load up some with steel particles over time.
Click to expand...

Let's see some pics. I don't do reflectivity tests either. if you can see your face in it, it's a mirror. If you can't, then it's not. Simple. I agree that the fine rods put a shiny finish but as mentioned in a previous post, it's kinda subjective. What may be a mirror for you may not be for others.

Something like this is what I call a mirrored edge. That's my shirt you can see on the bevel.

mirrors30v2.jpg



Another one.

mirror5160.jpg
 
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