I use a lighted magnifier to examine my edge as I am sharpening. I discovered that I can see a small burr before I can feel it. So using magnification, I don't have to remove as much material as I would if I went by "feel". I also count my strokes on each side of the blade to keep the edge centered.
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How do I remove chips in the microbevel (Endura 4)?
- Thread starter jcw122
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That's a good idea, I'm actually using an 17mm camera lens in reverse, gets ridiculously close up but also very shallow DOF.
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Leaving the chips is not bad advice. Especially when they are near the tip they can even prove useful like tiny (assuming the chips are small) serrations.
It's hard to do that if you're a nut though... I have a very small chip in one of my knives (barely see it) and I'm gearing up for a full re-profile job. I say gearing up because it's a high wear pm steel. Took me two days once to re-profile a short blade in s30v. Yuck.
It's hard to do that if you're a nut though... I have a very small chip in one of my knives (barely see it) and I'm gearing up for a full re-profile job. I say gearing up because it's a high wear pm steel. Took me two days once to re-profile a short blade in s30v. Yuck.
Yeah VG10 took me a while, even with low grit diamond hones. I can't imagine having to deal with S30V or ZDP-189. I'm still trying to figure out how to make the edge sharper...everything looks OK upon magnification, but the cutting isn't as a nice as I'd like.
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If I correctly read/understood your earlier posts, you mentioned rebevelling at 40°. Edges can still be quite sharp there, but it places a premium on getting the apex as perfect as possible. If it isn't, the wider geometry of the edge is going to start impeding the cutting performance. I know it'll take a lot of work, but you might still consider rebevelling to 30°. As the edge angle becomes narrower, the thinner profile of it will improve cutting quite a bit, even if there may still be some small flaws or imperfections (burrs, etc.) on the apex. Cutting 'tests' like paper slicing show a big improvement when edge angles get down in the 30° ballpark, especially. And if the geometry is proven good at doing that, it'll also translate into better slicing with other tasks and materials.
Spyderco's VG-10 is usually very ductile, and that means refining an edge takes a lot longer and needs a lighter touch while doing so. I think every Spyderco VG-10 blade I've rebevelled has benefitted from taking the refinement in measured steps, over a period of time. I spend quite a lot of time refining edges this way, and if done patiently, VG-10 just seems to keep getting sharper and sharper. But it takes a while. If attempting to go about it more aggressively (too coarse grit, too much pressure), the steel always tends to make more burrs in the process of trying to remove others. The burrs need to be very gently filed away, instead of bending back/forth to try to make them break off (they usually won't).
David
Thanks for the input again Dave. As I do more reading, I think I simply haven't created a burr to ensure that the edges have met close enough, at least that's my assumption. My plan right now is actually to make it sharp at 40*, just to get the process down, refine the edge, then create a microbevel at 30*.
Sorry I misstated that, I'm currently at 30, wanting to make a 40 micro bevel later.
This is a pretty disheartening process, I can now get a small burr, but even after moving to remove it or sharpen the other side, it now just seems more dull. I just don't understand what I'm not doing right or if I'm skipping something. I'm also confused as to why I can feel the burr but not see it under magnification.
This is a pretty disheartening process, I can now get a small burr, but even after moving to remove it or sharpen the other side, it now just seems more dull. I just don't understand what I'm not doing right or if I'm skipping something. I'm also confused as to why I can feel the burr but not see it under magnification.
Jason B.
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Using a bright light source to view the edge will quickly show even the smallest of burrs. If you have a small burr in some cases it can feel dull or sharp, all depends on the situation.
If a edge is giving me trouble and I suspect a small burr or edge defect I will run the tip of my fingernail down the edge "feeling" the apex. A clean apex will feel smooth, one with burrs or other problems will feel bumpy.
If a edge is giving me trouble and I suspect a small burr or edge defect I will run the tip of my fingernail down the edge "feeling" the apex. A clean apex will feel smooth, one with burrs or other problems will feel bumpy.
I took my 350 lumen flashlight to the knife with magnification....I don't see any issues and don't see a burr on either side. I also tried the fingernail thing and it felt smooth to me.
At this point I'm almost ready to give up, I just don't understand this process...I fixed the angle of the bevel, I made a burr to make sure the edges meet, and then removed the burr (I guess?). Maybe I dulled the blade by removing the burr? I really wish there were better guides out there.
Should I just try making another burr? What do I need to do correctly after that?
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If there's no sign of a burr, and it's not cutting well, then it's likely the edge is rounded somewhat. Just a little variation in angle, as the work is being done, will do it. That's something that also happens to everyone, when getting a feel for all this. Hang in there.
David
BluntCut MetalWorks
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Yes, create another 'visual confirmed' burr. Then try: fold the burr using a wood stick, then do regular sm stroke to cut the burr off. See this video - http://youtu.be/l2ynSDYEUYI - just substitude freehand with sm.
Well, I gave it another shot tonight. I successfully created a burr along the entire edge, which I'm happy about! BUT I can't seem to get the burr to flip over using the 2*4 of wood that I have in the manner that that guy does it.
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That's exactly what I would expect from VG-10 on a Spyderco blade. I seldom see anything different with this combination.
It's good that you now have a visible, bonafide burr. But, I'll re-emphasize what I posted earlier (post #25), about the ductility of VG-10 and how tenacious the burrs will be. I've never had much luck in trying to bend/break them off with wood or other similar methods. More often than not, I've used ceramics to very lightly file them away. And lately, I've also had good luck with using white compound (aluminum oxide) on thin cardboard over glass or other very firm/hard backing, to strop them away. The combination of relatively aggressive compound and a very firm substrate is much more effective with burrs like these.
Edit: With some steels, wood can work. But I usually opt for something harder than a 2x4, which is likely too soft a wood (pine/fur/spruce/etc). I had used the edge/corner of my red oak strop block occasionally for such tasks, but I'm relying on that method less and less lately. Too much variability in effectiveness, and even the oak won't work with VG10, in the times I've tried it. Those burrs are too tough for it, if they're very big at all, and certainly if they're big enough to see and feel.
David
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That's exactly what I would expect from VG-10 on a Spyderco blade. I seldom see anything different with this combination.
It's good that you now have a visible, bonafide burr. But, I'll re-emphasize what I posted earlier (post #25), about the ductility of VG-10 and how tenacious the burrs will be. I've never had much luck in trying to bend/break them off with wood or other similar methods. More often than not, I've used ceramics to very lightly file them away. And lately, I've also had good luck with using white compound (aluminum oxide) on thin cardboard over glass or other very firm/hard backing, to strop them away. The combination of relatively aggressive compound and a very firm substrate is much more effective with burrs like these.
Edit: With some steels, wood can work. But I usually opt for something harder than a 2x4, which is likely too soft a wood (pine/fur/spruce/etc). I had used the edge/corner of my red oak strop block occasionally for such tasks, but I'm relying on that method less and less lately. Too much variability in effectiveness, and even the oak won't work with VG10, in the times I've tried it. Those burrs are too tough for it, if they're very big at all, and certainly if they're big enough to see and feel.
David
OK great....that's really interesting how brutally tough the steel is, and I like being able to see how still a thin edge of it like the burr can be. Very cool. I'll keep working and report back!
BluntCut MetalWorks
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Sure you can - even with 2x4 soft pine. Yes, scrape up health dose of pine dust.
In that video, I used an oil branch, nice small grain and firm. If you noticed, I used enough pressure to produced some wood dust. Sometime I use pine, hard plastic, etc... use appropriate pressure per material enough to roll the burr/wire-edge over.