Initial Sharpening

G

gredpe3

Joined
Sep 22, 2012
Messages
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I am struggling to get that first edge,the knife is done heat treat ,final sanding,handles are on.how do i get that half dime to dime thickness worked into a edge without heating it up. My belt grinder is the Craftsman that goes 900 mph,so im not even trying it.
 
That thickness needs to be sanded down to less than .010" in the post HT sanding. Many to about .005". Once the bevels are sanded to the final grit ( and the edge is reduced), the sharpening is pretty basic.
1) Set the edge on a coarse stone or DMT plate. This is done at the final edge angle, or a little higher.
2) Refine the edge on a medium to fine stone. This is done at the desired edge angle.
3) Finish the edge on a fine/extra fine stone at the angle used above. ( Some skip this step)
4) Strop the edge about two or tree strokes on a charged leather strop ( mounted on a board) to break off the wire.


TIP:
Tape up the blade all except the last 1/4" by the edge. This will prevent an accidental scratch in your nicely sanded bevels.
 
The after heat treat sanding can be accomplished on a belt sander; but most of us do it by hand, using a flat bar or something similar. A foot long section of 1 inch wide by 3/16" thick barstock, works well. Wrap the bar with sanding paper and use the end for handles. You cat put a lot of pressure on the paper using the bar. I start at 80 grit.
 
Good idea Fred,i have some scrap steel i can make a block with.i will give it a try.
Thanks again, Eddie
 
Fred.Rowe said:
The after heat treat sanding can be accomplished on a belt sander; but most of us do it by hand, using a flat bar or something similar. A foot long section of 1 inch wide by 3/16" thick barstock, works well. Wrap the bar with sanding paper and use the end for handles. You cat put a lot of pressure on the paper using the bar. I start at 80 grit.
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What grit do you work up to before you start using stones? 220?
 
Try the craftsman out. Go easy and be careful. It takes some practice, but once you get the hang of belt grinder sharpening, you'll have a hard time looking back. What used to take me an hour on a diamond plate and stones, literally takes me 3 seconds on the ol Coote. I've also completely ruined a knife in that amount of time too, but its been great more times than not. Try your grinder! My edges usually don't require but a pass with a 400 grit belt, a pass with an 800 grit belt, then a light stropping. The grinder produces very neat and uniform edges. You can do a convex edge on the slack portion too, which makes things more versatile.
 
Im still green on the grinder,so now that im getting decent grinds for a beginner.maybe i am being to carefull and dont want to screw it up.I have some mild steel for brackets and such,ill give it a try on some,without all the time invested in a build.
 
USCG_Cannon_Cocker said:
What grit do you work up to before you start using stones? 220?
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I use a 9 inch rev. horizontal disc, with a 1 degree pitch as well as a flat bar. The combination of the two makes stones unnecessary. The last grit I use on the disc is 800; from there its small block sanding.

Fred
 
I practiced on a bunch of old knives and junk steel and got the hang of it pretty fast. You're probably going to ruin a knife sometime in your knifemaking journey. It's just part of it. I've had some heartbreaks, but the knowledge and the confidence the mess ups gave me is worth more to me than any finished knife. Practice on some scrap, butter knives, old junk kitchen knives, and you will soon get a feel for it. There's nothing more frustrating for me than to try to take an unfinished edge, half a dimes thickness to a stone of any kind. I ruin knives and get less than satisfactory results much faster that way. I'd rather spend literally 3 seconds and get a clean professional result that's sharp as a razor.
 
Josh Mason said:
I practiced on a bunch of old knives and junk steel and got the hang of it pretty fast. You're probably going to ruin a knife sometime in your knifemaking journey.c It's just part of it. I've had some heartbreaks, but the knowledge and the confidence the mess ups gave me is worth more to me than any finished knife. Practice on some scrap, butter knives, old junk kitchen knives, and you will soon get a feel for it. There's nothing more frustrating for me than to trunfinished edge, half a dimes thickness to a stone of any kind. I ruin knives and get less than satisfactory results much faster that way. I'd rather spend literally 3 seconds and get a clean professional result that's sharp as a razor.
Click to expand...

I've come to the same conclusion; with a stone, the longer you work at it the more distorted the edge becomes. With the disc it happens in seconds.
 
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