how fine a grit

RescueRiley

RescueRiley

Joined
Mar 22, 2006
Messages
5,944
Wanted to edge up my f-1 a little I did a bit of batoning and alot of whittling in some very hard locust wood lastime I was out for a few....It was still sharp but just needed a little touch up beyond a loaded strop.... the finest paper I could find is 600 so I hit it up with a mousepad and than a strop it's good and sharp but I can't get that hair popping goodness...how fine a grit do you usually go without going overboard??? Thanks
 
600 and a loaded strop should get you there. Could be your technique or too steep an edge.? Your blade should be flat when pulling it gently with a bit of pressure across the mouse pad or strop.

Sometimes I will polish and edge with 2000 grit paper when I am energetic.

Skam
 
I bring my SAKs up to 1500 (wetdry paper on top of stropping leather) with a few light passes on a loaded strop after... But those are light duty - high sharpness blades for me. My Native (hard use, low sharpness...relatively) typically goes to the XF DMT (1200 grit) as a finishing touch... Though I've taken to maintaining it on arkansas now that the blade is showing wear (tip is almost coming out of handle... I need to grind down the false edge side).
 
My convex setup for the Bark Rivers starts at 800 grit, then 1000, then 2000, followed by a loaded leather strop. If I had that F1, I'd be starting at 1000 grit. Going from 600 grit to a strop doesn;t make sense to me, there are too many grits inbetween.
 
I generally use a butcher's steel to get a shaving edge. I find that using a medium hone stone, and then going to the steel is sufficient if necessary....although I'd prefer to use a finer stone before I use the steel - if there is a suitable stone available and I have the time to use it.

600 grit should be fine enough to get a durable edge. Might have to strop it or use a steel to get to the easy shaving stage though.

I've used knives a lot for several decades, and I can still have trouble getting a shaving edge at times. But I find a knife is generally plenty sharp enough if it catches on my thumbnail as I lightly slide the blade sideways over the nail. This nail test should be done in several places along the edge. If a place is found where the blade skids over the nail without catching, it may be possible to actually 'see' the blunt part of the edge with your naked eye if the light is good.
 
I strop on my everyday leather belt, without any loading.
Takes some time but makes thing sharper and hair poping.
I was able to restore sharpness even on a 3G steel fallkniven H1.
Only problem is that this edge doesn't seem too durable.

I think M.Kochanski states in one of his books the belt loading properties should rather be about building an heating up rather than being actually abrasive. Don't know the justification for that statement.

Edit:
my bad, it was H1 of course, not A1
 
I never go past 400. I like a toothier edge though.

If you want finer sandpaper though, go to an autoparts store.
 
I use 1000 then a loaded leather strop for polishing. If I have to "repair" an edge I'd move down to to 400 or 600 grit.

I'd use higher grits but the local auto parts store doesn't carry them.
 
Try the auto section of Walmart. I generally go up to 2000 grit, as that is the finest that I have found so far. Gives a nice mirror like edge, that cuts as well as it looks.
 
I like a toothy edge as well, so I've dropped using anything finer than 600 grit. Usually a couple of passes on the W/D and finishing with a leather belt does the trick.
 
Buck268 said:
I bring my SAKs up to 1500 (wetdry paper on top of stropping leather) with a few light passes on a loaded strop after... But those are light duty - high sharpness blades for me. My Native (hard use, low sharpness...relatively) typically goes to the XF DMT (1200 grit) as a finishing touch... Though I've taken to maintaining it on arkansas now that the blade is showing wear (tip is almost coming out of handle... I need to grind down the false edge side).
Click to expand...

before you reshape the blade try taking a tiny bit off the kick. be careful or you will drop the point and edge too far. good luck.
 
I use a red and green DMT Diafold, 1000 grit paper and cardboard to sharpen my Moras prior to killing chickens.

I use the red side if I have prior damage from bones, then the green side to sharpen.
To finish them I use the 1000 on a mouse pad or folded dish towel then strop with cardboard.

We will use 3 knives in the processing of 90 birds.
One for killing and head removal, and the other 2 for gutting.
The killing knife sometimes needs to be sharpened after using it, but the others only need to be stropped and put away.
 
I go all the way to 3000 grit on my busse's but I like seeing the shiny edge gleaming in the sunlight :)
 
Thanks guys by keeping the spine closer to the paper I was able to get the edge I want.... Thanks....
 
A. G. Russell said:
before you reshape the blade try taking a tiny bit off the kick. be careful or you will drop the point and edge too far. good luck.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the advice, and I did think about it; recall though that the Native's kick is part finger guard/choil and part kick. I don't know, though. When it becomes a problem I'll do something.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top