How to polish edge & remove burr w/o paper wheels?

V

Vulcanite

Joined
Jan 16, 2009
Messages
293
I am trying to get set up to put really good convex edges on my knives. I have a belt sander already. I hear the paper wheels are the best for polishing & removing the burr from a edge, but that you have to use a belt anyway for making the convex edge. Plus, I would like to avoid buying another piece of equipment if I can right now. Since I will have to shape the convex edge w/a a belt anyway I need to know the next best method to a slotted paper wheel is to polish the edge & remove the burr.

I will "work up the burr" w/ a 400 grit belt I guess.

Then what do I use to polish the edge & remove the burr:
-felt belt
-cork belt
-a leateher hand strop
-a rubber mouse pad
-a combination ot these???
 
When I do a convex edge on a belt, it usually goes something like Belt>1-2 passes per side on a ceramic rod>CrO loaded leather strop.
 
I go to a leather belt on the sharpening machine - maybe with compound.

Work with a very light touch against the platen.

Keeps from buying more equipment
 
what grit do you all use to shape the edge.

I ultimately want the edge to be highly polished so I don't want to scratch it w/ too coorse a belt when shaping it.
 
You can finish wth a 1200 grit aluminum oxide grinding belt. With this grit no strop in needed and you have a mirror finish.
 
I have heard from knife makers (like Koster) when you get the burr, you can scrape it off, by running it on the counter, or cutting wood, or plastic.

I do most of my edges by sand paper/mousepad, then go to my strop bat to finish it up.

My one and only belt sander convex edge I did at 120 grit, then on to the strop. It pops hair just by looking at it. And a little slip cut me to the bone the other day on the thumb and severed a nerve. It is stupid sharp. I need to get a higher grit belt set up, and buy a leather 1x30 belt for power stropping to save me tons of time on the strop by hand.

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Since these photos, I have polished up a bit higher to remove more of the scratches. Using a higher grit would have saved that work, but I only had a 120 grit belt on hand.




proof that it is sharp.
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For ridiculously polished convexed edges, I use the Lee Valley belts in 320x, 500x, 1200x, then power strop with a 1x30 leather belt and some white compound from Sears. Keeping the angle the same allows you to go back to the 1200x, then strop for future sharpenings, rather than through all 3 steps. This is essentially a mirror polish and is sharp beyond reason. You can get a very sharp edge going from a 120x or 220x belt to a power strop on a belt sander, but the whole edge wont be mirror finished. I found an 80x or 120x belt at about 15-18 degrees, followed by the sharpmaker at 20 degrees on all 4 stones, then hand stropping gives a very polished and sharp edge, but again, the whole bevel will not be polished. If your not set on a convex edge, then some honing films in 15 micron, 5 micron, and 0.3 micron from the local woodworking shop will give a very polished edge as well, since the 0.3 micron final stage is finer than chromium oxide strop/honing compound, but only by 0.2 microns.
 
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