How Do I Get To 50 BESS?

N

NorCalQ

Joined
Dec 13, 2018
Messages
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I've been using a TSProf K03 and Kadet to get in the 65 to 90 BESS range, but just can't get below that. I strop down to .1u with leather. What do you guys do to get in that double edge razor range?
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I can't get there either ... except with a straight razor. :)

I think a lot of it comes down to edge angle. Mucher easier to get those ultra-low scores if you're sharpening at 12° or less per side.
 
I guess it’s just a goal after seeing a pro sharpener get there with his multiple Tormek setup. Knife Grinders I believe. Closest I’ve ever gotten is 65
 
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How many dps and what steel? I got to 40 but it was 10 dps and Hap40. Try finishing with bare leather. The problem with diamond is the foil burr, which I still had when I got 40 so I think there is room for improvement, when I have time.
 
I’ve never tried to get to 50.
My normal sharpening jobs don’t require an edge like that.
I guess it would be interesting or fun to try to see if I could.
What steel are you using?
 
8Cr13 MOV, D2, 440C are what I have. No high end steels. I'll have to try reducing my dps, as I usually sharpen around 15 or 16. Finishing with bare leather may also help. I'm not a pro sharpener, so the low BESS is just goal for the fun of it.
 
IME those steels will definitely have a foil burr if using diamond on your strops. Keep in mind you can either polish the bevel or improve the apex with a strop, but normally not both.
 
Also, I maintain the same angle throughout the process. Do you change the angle while stropping?
 
I think to get very low numbers on that tester, you'd want to do some combination of:

o Start with a knife that had a very thin edge, maybe a hollow grind.
o Start with a blade steel/heat treatment that allows sufficient edge stability to grind really thin and still have something left to form an apex.
 
I often lift the angle by .1-.2 degrees after the 40 micron stone to make sure I am reaching the apex and not just polishing the bevel with the finer stones, but don't change the angle after that. Strops are softer than stones so every time I have looked at what I am doing under the microscope when stropping I am reaching the apex.

It doesn't take much to convex the apex when stropping with sharp abrasives like diamond using very firm dry leather. IME anything more than 2-3 passes with a diamond-loaded strop and you start to noticeably convex the apex. If you strop enough to start to polish the bevel then you have removed a fair amount of the apex and what is left is very convexed. This is all with less than Maxamet steel. Maxamet and ceramic blades respond a bit differently.

A bare leather strop burnishes the last few thousandths of the bevel right at the apex very nicely leaving a nice clean edge. I am sure paper or wood would do the same but I haven't played with them and my microscope together yet. Wood is naturally very abrasive.

Shawn has mentioned earlier that he got the best BESS scores using water-based sprays when stropping. I have found oil or wax based compounds make the strop stickier which is the last thing you want in a strop. It may not feel like much but I have chipped sections out of the blade on my Maxamet knife when using oil based diamonds on smooth, hard leather. This in turn will cause the strop to convex the apex more than if it slid across the blade with less pressure.

I am not saying I know much but these are just a few things I have discovered when playing with strops.
 
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