Polishing stone?

[cybrok]

Hi

I've seen it when people were talking about razors or Japanese kitchen knives.

People talk about 8000-12000 grits stones when you get into polishing.

What do they mean by "polishing" a blade? And why would I want to "polish" a blade or razor?

 

[kelbro]

To avoid razorburn.

 

[Lurker]

The polishing is of the edge, not the entire blade. It just refers to the sharpening process of going to finer grit levels, but taking it so far that the result is so smooth it is like polishing. At this level the edge has almost no micro serrations and this makes the edge more durable and it is appropriate for push cutting.

 

[Zeasor]

...and shiny, gleaming (polished) bevels are so "purdy" to look at.

 

[thombrogan]

Reduces friction. On a very thin blade (such as a razor blade or many Japanese-style kitchen knives), polishing makes cuts require less force to accurately perform their task. On thicker blades, a little bit of friction is often desireable, so not everything benefits from a polished edge (despite my hopes and wishes).