Kme system

J

Jeeeen!

Joined
Aug 10, 2022
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I usually use stones to sharpen my knives. But recently got a shirogorov and want that super crisp mirror edge.
So I'm considering a guided system.
Watched some Shabazz videos and decided on KME.

Now, I notice the kit only goes up to 1500 grit, which seems low for polish, as my water stones go up to 8000, and know chefs who go up to 20,000 grit for their very nice knives.

I found some chosera stones that fit the KME, 5,000 and 10,000. Is the 10,000 overkill?

What do yall go up to in grit for mirror polished edges?
 
If you have not ordered the KME yet, you may want to consider that it is much easier to find many different kinds of stones in the EdgePro size (1"x6") than in KME size (1"x4").

I have never pursued the mirror edge, but I always assumed that people didn't just get there with stones, but by finishing on strops pasted with diamond.
 
UncleBoots said:
If you have not ordered the KME yet, you may want to consider that it is much easier to find many different kinds of stones in the EdgePro size (1"x6") than in KME size (1"x4").

I have never pursued the mirror edge, but I always assumed that people didn't just get there with stones, but by finishing on strops pasted with diamond.
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I found a decent amount of the chosera for the kme, enough for me.

I've gotten a lot of my kitchen knives polished just with my 4000 and 8000 water stones.

I have never used a strop or diamond paste. Maybe one day, when I have more time to tinker with my knives I suppose.

I'm just wondering if 5,000 grit is enough or if I should try the 10,000 as well.
 
Jeeeen! said:
I usually use stones to sharpen my knives. But recently got a shirogorov and want that super crisp mirror edge.
So I'm considering a guided system.
Watched some Shabazz videos and decided on KME.

Now, I notice the kit only goes up to 1500 grit, which seems low for polish, as my water stones go up to 8000, and know chefs who go up to 20,000 grit for their very nice knives.

I found some chosera stones that fit the KME, 5,000 and 10,000. Is the 10,000 overkill?

What do yall go up to in grit for mirror polished edges?
Click to expand...
Mileage will vary. I have a 5000 grit King that gets a better polish than a 10,000 grit Yaxell stone. My King takes longer to get all the way to polish, but it can produce a mirror edge.
 
JTB_5 said:
Mileage will vary. I have a 5000 grit King that gets a better polish than a 10,000 grit Yaxell stone. My King takes longer to get all the way to polish, but it can produce a mirror edge.
Click to expand...
Maybe I'll skip the 10k for now and try the 5k and see if I like that.
 
Personally I wouldn't go with anything over 5k. Instead, I'd get a couple of kangaroo strops and CBN emulsion in 1.5µ and .5µ. Or you could do the diamond lapping films.
 
Something to consider: start with the diamond plates, spending the most time with the 1500. From there, go to the lapping films. The glass plates are the same thickness as the diamonds, so there is no adjustment needed. I have had great results from this method. Diamond plates can leave scratches at lower grits that may take a lot of work to completely polish out, so it is best to either break them in on blades you won't be polishing, or accept a certain level of "character" in the final result. I can tell you that knife civilians will still be impressed and performance will not be hindered.
 
mouseshadow said:
Something to consider: start with the diamond plates, spending the most time with the 1500. From there, go to the lapping films. The glass plates are the same thickness as the diamonds, so there is no adjustment needed. I have had great results from this method. Diamond plates can leave scratches at lower grits that may take a lot of work to completely polish out, so it is best to either break them in on blades you won't be polishing, or accept a certain level of "character" in the final result. I can tell you that knife civilians will still be impressed and performance will not be hindered.
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Ah I'm not sure I'd these come with glass plates, or I have to buy them separately?

Yeah I don't want to start too low, unless I have to reprofile the edge. It's a brand new shirogorov.

I also ordered a 5000 chosera stone, maybe I should of ordered a 1000 as well..
 
Show us some picks when you get shirogorov edges the way you like. KME has glass plates, diamond sprays and films, Kanagroo strop along with the chosera stones if memory serves.
 
Jeeeen! said:
Ah I'm not sure I'd these come with glass plates, or I have to buy them separately?

Yeah I don't want to start too low, unless I have to reprofile the edge. It's a brand new shirogorov.

I also ordered a 5000 chosera stone, maybe I should of ordered a 1000 as well..
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Unless you are changing the bevel angle you may just need a few more minutes to get from factory finish to polish with the 5000.
 
Jeeeen! said:
Ah I'm not sure I'd these come with glass plates, or I have to buy them separately?
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You have to buy the glass plates separately.

I've had the basic KME system for a few weeks, now. A couple of things...

The 140 grit stone is a lot more aggressive than I expected. It doesn't take long to develop a burr all along the edge. So I try to be gentle with it.

After the 1500 grit stone, I simply move over to my home made strop. Just some tough (maybe 8/9 oz) leather glued to a scrap piece of plywood, and some green compound. When I'm finished, the bevel looks pretty darn mirror like, to me. But admittedly, I don't inspect them with a magnifying glass. The knife is very sharp, though.
 
KME sells lapping film and glass blanks separately or together. If you buy them together you get one blank and 5 slips of lapping film for $25.
 
Blade Lab said:
KME sells lapping film and glass blanks separately or together. If you buy them together you get one blank and 5 slips of lapping film for $25.
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Still unsure what a lapping film is.

I know know about slips of gold plated latinum 😅
 
Jeeeen! said:
Still unsure what a lapping film is.

I know know about slips of gold plated latinum 😅
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Basically it's a sticker with diamond powder in it. Not sure what the substrate is. Maybe silicon?

Each film is good for 5-10 knives. Then you peel it off the glass slide and replace it with a new one. They produce a very nice mirror bevel.
 
Jeeeen! said:
Still unsure what a lapping film is.

I know know about slips of gold plated latinum 😅
Click to expand...
This is the kit
8c7qUbG.jpg


This is what it can do.

https://imgur.com/Vt6MMHV

Just work progressively down the grits and you will achieve a bright mirror easily with this kit. Remember to work all scratches out before starting with lapping and use an only downward, away from the edge strokes just like stropping to not cut the film.
 
Kmikaz3 said:
This is the kit
8c7qUbG.jpg


This is what it can do.

https://imgur.com/Vt6MMHV

Just work progressively down the grits and you will achieve a bright mirror easily with this kit. Remember to work all scratches out before starting with lapping and use an only downward, away from the edge strokes just like stropping to not cut the film.
Click to expand...
Ok I will have to try those!
 
So I practiced the KME on my pm2. It got burr on every plate, all the way up to 1500. Removed burr.
Feels sharp, but was having issues slicing paper? Not sure what I did wrong, the burr is gone but why is it tearing paper?
 
Jeeeen! said:
So I practiced the KME on my pm2. It got burr on every plate, all the way up to 1500. Removed burr.
Feels sharp, but was having issues slicing paper? Not sure what I did wrong, the burr is gone but why is it tearing paper?
Click to expand...
Sometimes, a few passes on a strop helps after a fresh sharpening.
 
If it's not slicing paper cleanly there are only three explanations: 1) you didn't fully apex the blade, 2) you didn't completely remove the burr, or 3) you rounded the apex when you were trying to remove the burr.

My guess in this case would be No. 2. Just because you can't feel a burr doesn't mean that it's gone. If you created a very large burr, you can break it off, leaving a burr root that isn't sharp. If you're sharpening a very wear-resistant steel (m390 and up), I'd recommend adding a micro-bevel around .5° higher than the sharpening angle. Ideally you'd do that with a strop or film with 1-3 micron diamonds. Or, if your highest grit now is 1500, I'd do 1-2 passes per side at +.5° using VERY light strokes. I mean as light as you can get while still making contact with the blade.

For less wear-resistant steels, like 14c28n, 154cm, n690, AUS8-10, etc., I'd recommend the above but at +1-2° above the sharpening angle instead of .5°.

Adding the microbevel does two things. First, it should cut off any remaining burr and burr root, and second, it should make the edge a little more resistant to chipping.
 
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