grinding extremely thin flat grinds to zero...

ScottRoush

ScottRoush

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Jan 10, 2010
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I've got some projects coming up that require a full flat or hollow grind all the way to zero. Straight razor, wood working knife. How do folks handle heat to the edge when doing this sort of grinding? I have a KMG with VFD and can grind slow and I often grind to zero on the edge for my other work.. but I usually take it back a hair and then convex.. so I'm not worried about micro-tempering effects at the very edge.

Is getting set up for wet grinding the best way to go?
 
Take it slow on your VFD and set your final edge by hand on well lubricated stones or a DMT plate. I do this for almost everything and have noticed a difference. There will most likely be no burr to deal with if you keep it wet. I believe the burr is a product of micro-tempering.
 
On my razors I will use an ice cube as a push block, passes are only a couple seconds. I take my edges down to .003" or so depending on final edge angle I am using. I agree with Rick on final edge setting on a well lubed stone, I use a Norton IB8 to set the bevel of my razors, then switch over to lapping films. Just be careful of "tin foiling" the edge of the razor on the stone.


-Xander
 
From my experience grinding razors and kitchen knives, I have always needed to raise a burr on the edge to get a satisfactory edge. This includes when using water stones. A full flat grind at a shallow angle will give you an edge that is not stable for most any cutting tasks (the tinfoil edge referenced above), except maybe a razor but you don’t want a full wedge grind on a razor either because you will have to hone the entire bevel instead of just the bevel near the edge and spine.

In my opinion, detecting micro tempering is more about the technology and sensitivity of current analysis equipment and not something that has a real world impact on the quality or performance of an edge. YMMV
 
You could make a simple water drip coolant system. Basically anything that will hold water with a small hole that drips water on your blade or belt close to it. That's what the Lewis razor maker uses
 
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