How to get a Beautiful Mirror Edge

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ShepardCC

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Dec 4, 2012
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I've been trying to get beautiful mirror edges on my knives and I just can't. I can get them stupid sharp and almost mirror edged. But not like some I've seen on here.
So what do I need to do to reach this level?

I have a wicked edge sharpening system with these diamond stones: 50/80, 100/200, 400/600, 800/1000, and I have 5/3.5 micron leather strops.

Do I need other stones? Strops? Ceramics?

Thanks for the help :)
 
you're almost there. your next step you need to try is load your strop with a metal polish. this will still hone the edge, but at the same time give you that great polish. I use Flitz metal polish loaded on a regular leather strop
 
All I use are .

320,600, 800, 1000, 2000 grit wet/dry sand paper
followed with a strop with flitz on it
 
You pretty much need two more things beyond what you already have:

1. Paste/Strop or stones that get you to 1 micron or lower. The jump from 3.5 to 1 micron will be ok, though you will need to spend a good amount of time making sure that you are working out the 3.5 micron scratches.

2. Very few to no artifacts left over from lower grits.
 
Should I use fritz instead of the paste that comes with the strops?

Where do I get flitz?

Should I get the 1/.5 micron leather strops?
 
I really noticed a difference in being able to get a polished edge when I got the ceramics. I also noticed that it is much easier to get the highly polished look by scrubbing with them instead of just the usual Wicked Edge motion. After a bit of scrubbing up and down on each side I will then go to the one swipe at a time on each side method for a little while to make sure the edge is still aligned. I notice the most polishing effect from the 1200 ceramic. After the 1000 diamond stones the edge is a little shiny but I can still see many lines in it but as soon as I start the up and down scrubbing with the ceramic is starts really shining.
 
ShepardCC said:
Should I use fritz instead of the paste that comes with the strops?

Where do I get flitz?

Should I get the 1/.5 micron leather strops?
Click to expand...

Flitz is pretty cheap and can be found at like Home Depot last time I thought about looking for it. I've only bought it off of Amazon though.

I can't comment on the paste that came with your strops as I don't know what it is nor have I used it before.

I prefer DMT products like the 1 micron paste, as in my experience they work more quickly than something like Flitz. They are also pretty cheap--a tube of 1 micron paste is ~$12 and a canister of the 0.5 micron spray is ~$20.
 
ShepardCC said:
I've been trying to get beautiful mirror edges on my knives and I just can't. I can get them stupid sharp and almost mirror edged. But not like some I've seen on here.
So what do I need to do to reach this level?

I have a wicked edge sharpening system with these diamond stones: 50/80, 100/200, 400/600, 800/1000, and I have 5/3.5 micron leather strops.

Do I need other stones? Strops? Ceramics?

Thanks for the help :)
Click to expand...

Do you have a belt sander ?
 
I go from the 1000 diamond to the 1200-1600 ceramics. That REALLY gets it going. After that I switch to the 1 micron strop followed by the .5 micron strop. You have a mirror at 1 micron. Everything after that is gravy. I JUST posted two of my edges. One is BG42 steel, the other is S90V steel. That's an example of .5 micron polishing.
 
You are at about 4000 grit. Just a bit higher (5k or so) and you will be getting a coarse mirror finish. There are all sorts of mirror finishes from natural stone kurobikari finishes with a black haze to shiny mirrors from Aluminum oxide stones and compounds like CBN and diamond. A 30k Shapton pro stone will give you a mirror that looks like liquid mercury. When you start going to compounds beyond 128,000 grit you will be getting mirror finishes even when you look at the finish under a microscope, whereas a 10k finish under the same level of magnification will look quite coarse yet be a mirror finish to the naked eye.

---
Ken
 
Thank you everyone.

So I should do the diamond stones to 1000. I'll buy the ceramic 1200/1600 stones. Then leather strop with my 5/3.5 micron strop and then I'll buy and use the 1/0.5 micron strops.

Then I should have a nice mirror edge. Yes?
 
I don't personally use the 5/3.5's. I go from the 1600 to the 1.5-.5. I haven't found that to be too big of a jump. Purely personal, but yes, the combo you are looking at WILL give you mirrors. :)
 
ShepardCC said:
Thank you everyone.

So I should do the diamond stones to 1000. I'll buy the ceramic 1200/1600 stones. Then leather strop with my 5/3.5 micron strop and then I'll buy and use the 1/0.5 micron strops.

Then I should have a nice mirror edge. Yes?
Click to expand...

I was going down a path similar to what you outlined about a month ago. I got some advice here to try taping automotive sandpaper to the 1000 stones before stropping. I got some 1500, 2000 and 2500 grit sandpaper. I got out a Manix 2, set the bevel with the 800/1000 diamond stones to avoid deep scratches and then used the sandpaper before using the 5/3.5 strops. I was very happy with the results and the edges are the sharpest I have ever been able to get. Worked so well I used this same process on a CRK today. You can find a variety pack of 3M sandpaper at the auto store. Give it a try. You might like it and if not you are not out much.
 
The inherent problem with starting with Diamonds and chasing a mirror is that Diamond dig DEEP , you aren't going to go from a 1k diamond to a cheap 3k stropping compound and fully remove those diamond scratches in any reasonable amount of time.

Use the diamonds for establishing a bevel , doing repairs , and establishing geometry. Then forget the ceramics/strops/whatever , and get the chosera waterstones. Start with the diamonds then drop down to the coarsest chosera you get to make sure those diamond scratches are totally gone , otherwise even with a 1k waterstone , you may not remove the diamond scratches in their entirety.

Can you do it with diamonds/ceramics/strops? Yeah with enough time , but your going through 3 different abrasive types in a short order. I much prefer to have more overlap when changing abrasive types.
 
Cynic2701 said:
You pretty much need two more things beyond what you already have:

1. Paste/Strop or stones that get you to 1 micron or lower. The jump from 3.5 to 1 micron will be ok, though you will need to spend a good amount of time making sure that you are working out the 3.5 micron scratches.

2. Very few to no artifacts left over from lower grits.
Click to expand...

" Out if timber so crooked as that from which man is made nothing entirely straight can be carved."

- Kant
 
I use an Edge Pro with the stones that come with it and I have the 2000,3000 and 6000 Polishing tapes. This is how my ZT0600 came out.

 
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