Sandpaper grits

T

Trancxiloj

Joined
Aug 14, 2008
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Sorry if this has been done before, but today I decided to sit down and see if I could sharpen a really dull knife (my Kershaw Vapor that rusted a few hours after I got it) with sandpaper taped down to a table. To make a long story short, this was my first time freehanding, and I actually got it somewhat sharp. My question is, though, should 400 grit be enough to get it scary sharp? I used 80, 120, 200, 320, and 400, because those are the only grits I have at the moment :o I can *almost* push cut paper, but not quite. Thanks for any replies in advance.
 
i just posted this video in another thread in this forum, but it might help you too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWQZ_yEyVM8

it focuses on using a stone, but it stresses the fact that you need to raise a burr all along the edge before moving on to a finer grit.

you should be able to slice paper at 80 or 120 grit. if you skip to a few light strokes on 400 grit, then you should be able to shave hair pretty well.
 
I have no problem raising burrs on both sides. It's just that I can't push-cut or shave after finishing at 400 grit, and I'm not sure if I should be able to at that point, or if I need to use something finer. I can slice through paper with no problems though.
 
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try using some really light passes on the 400 to reduce the burr size as much as possible. you should be able to shave and push cut (or at least draw cut) paper from 400.

regardless of my finish grit i finish with a strop to take off any burr that is possible to get off, to give the edge that extra bite.

you could also try stropping on some bare cardboard. i have also heard of using a shiny magazine cover. try both, they can't hurt, and they just might do the trick for you.
 
If draw cutting is just basically slicing, I can do that. And to strop, do I hold the knife at the same angle and just trail the edge, or do I raise the angle/lower the angle?
 
for stropping i normally raise the angle a tiny bit or press a little harder at the same angle.
 
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