Micro Serrations

Nosetotail

Nosetotail

Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
398
So I get it that The Toolshed is inundated with sharpening questions, but I'm going to try again. I have an Endura with ZDP on order and all I know about sharpening is how to use my DMT guided sharpener of which I have had good luck with. However I am probably going to reprofile the edge and I am interested in sharpening the blade leaving the "micro serrations mentioned several times on this site."

Specifically, should I be able to reprofile my edge with the DMT or should I look for another method? My dad has a bench belt sander and I have a small craftsmen bench grinder. I know that bench grinding is very risky so I'll probably be more inclined to use the belt sander.

Next, how fine or how coarse, depending on your point of view, should I finish with to have a good sharp edge with the micro serrations? Lastly, can I just use my crusty black Walmart Dickies belt for stropping or should I look into buying a strap and abrasive?
 
Belt sander, carefully, probably not the first knife you want to try it with. As you leave the finish more coarse it will slice better for longer but degrade much faster when push cutting. What finish is optimal depends on how much of either you do generally and the edge angle. It can go all the way from x-coarse to x-fine.

-Cliff
 
Nosetotail said:
So I get it that The Toolshed is inundated with sharpening questions, but I'm going to try again. I have an Endura with ZDP on order and all I know about sharpening is how to use my DMT guided sharpener of which I have had good luck with. However I am probably going to reprofile the edge and I am interested in sharpening the blade leaving the "micro serrations mentioned several times on this site."

Specifically, should I be able to reprofile my edge with the DMT or should I look for another method? My dad has a bench belt sander and I have a small craftsmen bench grinder. I know that bench grinding is very risky so I'll probably be more inclined to use the belt sander.

Next, how fine or how coarse, depending on your point of view, should I finish with to have a good sharp edge with the micro serrations? Lastly, can I just use my crusty black Walmart Dickies belt for stropping or should I look into buying a strap and abrasive?
Click to expand...

If your edge is not rounded it is always micro-serrated depends on what size of teeth you are looking for. Polishing blade on leather or buffing wheel can round this teeth, but if you careful with leather or if you use hard surface stone with fine abrasive it will be always teeth - abrasive left grooves on edge surface and when both this surfaces joins on the very edge - they form teeth.

Diamond stones are best for this to my experience.

Do not sharpen with belt sander - you may overheat very edge it is microns in size - easy to loose HT on very edge itself. I never use sander on edge only for regrinding thinner out edge, but I try not to affect edge itself - it can not absorb heat of the friction.

I suggesting you to have diamond sharpening stones from DMT. 1200 grit make pretty good edge, there is also 8000 grit. Read Michael Lovett post in this thread http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=478431&page=2 - very interesting.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
My DMT guided sharpener has diamond stones but they are only about four inches long and about one inch wide and I'm wondering if I need to work with more surface area for the reprofiling or if these stones will work effectively. I might go ahead and order another brand new ex coarse just to have that hyper aggressive grind you get with a new diamond stone.


I just wish I had a reference for what the grit on these particular stones are. However I admit that I haven't searched beyond the catalog portion of their website. Though I am assuming that their coarse/fine designation matches the grit of their other stones.

Now I'm a bit foggy on what you mean when you mention using a hard surface stone with fine abrasive. Are you saying there is a smooth stone that I add abrasive to, and if so how fine abrasive should I use. I can get a shaving sharp edge with my coarse stone and I'm thinking I'd like to stick with that size teeth for a while but I'm unclear if I should polish with the 8000 or the hard stone and abrasive, or will this knock those large teeth down, or should I just stop after the coarse stone. I go pretty easy with one stoke per side several times, so I'm pretty sure I'm not leaving a burr and I don't feel one with my finger nail.
 
Nosetotail said:
My DMT guided sharpener has diamond stones but they are only about four inches long and about one inch wide and I'm wondering if I need to work with more surface area for the reprofiling or if these stones will work effectively. I might go ahead and order another brand new ex coarse just to have that hyper aggressive grind you get with a new diamond stone.
Click to expand...

Bigger surface you have - better. I have 11.5"x2.5" and 8"x3" - all work pretty good. DMT seems to be more aggressive then EzeLap. You better get DMT Extra Extra Coarse it is very aggressive.

Nosetotail said:
I just wish I had a reference for what the grit on these particular stones are. However I admit that I haven't searched beyond the catalog portion of their website. Though I am assuming that their coarse/fine designation matches the grit of their other stones.
Click to expand...

I can help - I just got those stones and have little DMT Info paper with it:

XX - Extra Extra Coarse - 120 Mesh - 120 microns - Silver
X - Extra Coarse - 220 mesh - 60 microna - Black
C - Coarse - 325 mesh - 45 microns - Blue
F - Fine - 600 mesh - 25 microns - Red
E - Extra Fine - 1200 mesh - 9 microns - Green
EE - Extra Extra Fine - 8000 mesh - 3 microns - Tan

Nosetotail said:
Now I'm a bit foggy on what you mean when you mention using a hard surface stone with fine abrasive. Are you saying there is a smooth stone that I add abrasive to, and if so how fine abrasive should I use.
Click to expand...

Point is that if you use diamond stones it will be "microserration" all the way from 120 to 8000 grit.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
Thank you. I thought you were describing a different stropping method using a hard surface and abrasive. I have the X,C,F, and E in the guided stones. I think I'll look for the XX for my guide and see what happens. If I use the guide on a bench stone, it will put slightly more of an angle, although I could do the bulk of the work with the bench stone and then finish with the guide stones. I just need to find something to protect the end of my guide on the bench stone.
 
Crap. Those DMT bench stones are expensive. I think I have to decide if I want that XX for a grind job I may only do once, or an X that I can use more often.
 
Well I decided that If I'm going to buy a bench stone, I should get one that I would use more often so I went with a brand new X guide stone and a brand new C 6" bench stone. I'll probably start a collection of the bench stones, but I think I'll use the coarse the most often followed by a fine, and I have all the grits in my guided stones.
 
I've found the DMT x-fine stone to leave a nice razor finish which still slices aggressively... At least on my Native and my Imperials.
 
That is what I'm trying to figure out. If I get my edge sharp with the coarse and don't leave a burr, then finish with the fine or extra fine very lightly, will that make smaller serrations or hone the serrations that are already there?
 
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