give a hand satin finish after i strip my esee

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noob93

Joined
Feb 6, 2016
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okay so iv been around lurking in the dark here for the last 5 years or so(Yes im aware that sounds a bit creepy):rolleyes:. Anyhoo i got an esee izula here right now that im pretty unhappy with. (A) The grind could have been better and (B) the coating drives me nuts and i would like to strip it. Now iv tried to call esee as i know their usually pretty good but i live in canada and im pretty sure its long distance (Im also thinking its a little softer then it should be probably around 54rc) . So iv always been around knives and always had a knife but maintenance never fell on my lap too much, so things like sharpening or regrinding even wer never honed or even properly learned. Those im looking to work on as i have a lightfoot on the way. So i guess i have two questions here. Should i attempt to give this esee a reasonable finish after i strip it and if so how? Number 2 would be what would you guys recommend for a reasonable sharpening system for a guy that travels often. The knife i have coming is a medium edc made of cpm 154. Thanks for any help in advance :).
 
Welcome to BF!!!!


As for if you should strip it and how polished you should get it what look do you like? Scroll through pictures of before and after and see what you like

As for how to polish it get sandpaper starting at 80 grit all the way up to desired grit and spend a lot of time on each grit just polishing it out it'll take a lot of elbow grease but you'll get there
Sharpening system recommendation

I personally would recommend buying a whetstone and a cheap knife to learn on its a great skill and leaves you with a great feeling when your done I'm sure people will recommend Norton stones the seem pretty solid I actually have one on its way right now you could try a shapton stone there nice but I guess the question is what's your budget?

Sharpening systems would be lansky for lower budget and wicked edge for higher budget
 
Thank you for your help and warm welcome. I dont mind if it looks a little scratchy or anything but ill probably try to get it right as it is an interest of mine. I initially learned on a whetstone actually but its been many years since i used one. I know that if i got it right the knife would be pretty damn sharp even then. So then i guess the question becomes what grits and where i can find something decent here in canada as our dollar is not so nice right now. Any further suggestions on that would be muchly appreciated.
 
Which grit to start with depends on how rough the finish is after stripping.

80 grit is pretty coarse and you probably won't have to start that low unless there are serious grind marks. No sense adding deeper scratches and making more work for yourself.

Good info in the link James w provided.

Here's a YT vid by Nick Wheeler that provides great basic sanding techniques.
[video=youtube;4I4x4QLpfnk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I4x4QLpfnk[/video]
 
thank you for that. Great video and exactly what i needed! Anyone know where I can find a reputable Online retailer for sharpening supplies here in the great white north?
 
I did this to my izula kind of . I hated the coating as well as the geometry. I didn't strip it but I got the coating off with a coarse WaterstoNE . Basically using the Carter method .

He lays a knife flat on a stone and sharpens or thins the whole grind and it removes your coating . Thing is with stones the first time you do this more than likely you'll have high and low spots in the finish just where the knife was not ground even if you keep at it you can get them even but it takes awhile .
 
ya i could do it that way the only thing that keeps me unmotivated to do it is the fact that the grinds are so thick and im wondering if i should just flip it for something else at this point. I had a guy sharpen it up and it hardly sliced thick computer paper fresh off the grinder.
 
I never had a problem with my izula being thick? Different strokes for different folks I guess.

On the matter of stripping, stripper is easier than sanding. After stripping work your way up to maximum 1000. I would only go to 600 personally bcasue yu dont want to polish it. IF you want make a sanding block.
 
ya I dont have stripper il just end up sanding er. you gotta remember that not all izulas are going to be the same. Theres always variations even with production. Iv had like 4 crkt m21s over the last few years and one of them was noticeably different in the grind and geometry.
 
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