Sandpaper?

R

ryts100

Joined
Feb 19, 2009
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If I were to sharpen my knives with sandpaper, what grits would be best? Also, would it be better to just place the sandpaper on a table and sharpen off that, or put a piece of leather/mousepad/etc under it?
 
What grits depends on how dull or if your rebeveling . Just sharpening not so dull; start w/ 300 and on 200 grit intervals go up to 1K then strop . Get some plate glass to put wet dry paper on . This will give you a level/flat surface to work off . DM
 
I use emory paper, not sand paper. I tape my paper to a wood pallet, like a paint stirrer to keep it and therefore the bevel flat. I use 400, 600, 1200 and the strop on leather. Can shave with any knife I sharpen like that. Also, clamp the wood stirrer to a bench to prevent it from sliding around (C-clamps or spring clamps work nicely). Only time I use a coarse stone is if the blade has been damaged, nicked, etc (mostly on old pieces I pick up and recondition). Keeping a blade sharp is a lot easier than sharpening a dull one.

Rich S
 
Rich S said:
I use emory paper, not sand paper. I tape my paper to a wood pallet, like a paint stirrer to keep it and therefore the bevel flat. I use 400, 600, 1200 and the strop on leather. Can shave with any knife I sharpen like that. Also, clamp the wood stirrer to a bench to prevent it from sliding around (C-clamps or spring clamps work nicely). Only time I use a coarse stone is if the blade has been damaged, nicked, etc (mostly on old pieces I pick up and recondition). Keeping a blade sharp is a lot easier than sharpening a dull one.

Rich S
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What's the difference between emory paper and sandpaper?
 
Also, if I'm sharpening with the sandpaper on a mousepad, should I use a edge-trailing or edge-leading motion?
 
Sandpaper is made with ground sand (silicon dioxide); emory paper is made with corundum (aluminum oxide); it works much better on metal. Sandpaper for wood, plastic, etc - emory for metals.

ALWAYS sharpen moving AWAY from the edge, otherwise you'll cut the paper and anything it's laying on, if not yourself. Also I wouldn't use a mousepad unless you want a convex edge. For a flat bevel, you need a hard, flat surface.

Rich S
 
Rich S said:
Sandpaper is made with ground sand (silicon dioxide); emory paper is made with corundum (aluminum oxide); it works much better on metal. Sandpaper for wood, plastic, etc - emory for metals.

ALWAYS sharpen moving AWAY from the edge, otherwise you'll cut the paper and anything it's laying on, if not yourself. Also I wouldn't use a mousepad unless you want a convex edge. For a flat bevel, you need a hard, flat surface.

Rich S
Click to expand...

Can emory paper be found where sandpaper is found? I.e. Osh?
 
I use a Sharpmaker and occasionally use sandpaper in addition to the diamond rods to help in re-profiling bad edges.

I use 100 grit sandpaper for this application, though I've read that others used 80 to 200 grit.

Because I use the Sharpmaker and want to maintain the correct angle I cut out a strip of sandpaper and attach it to the rods with rubber bands or twist ties. And unlike Rich S above I sharpen into the edge. In fact, sometimes I'll go up an down on a particularly bad spot. I haven't had any trouble with cutting the paper, but I don't use a lot of pressure either.

So if you just want to sharpen a knife that already has the correct edge profile then use the higher grits like David Martin suggested above, but if you need to re-profile a bad edge use lower grits like 80 to 200.

Hope this helped.
 
Most any hardware store or Wally world (Walmart, etc) carries emory paper; look for the black paper near where the sandpaper is in the store. I usually buy a variety pack that has grits from 320 to 1200 in one package. Ask in the paint department for a couple wooden paint stirrers. Most places will give them to you free.

Rich S
 
Rich S said:
Most any hardware store or Wally world (Walmart, etc) carries emory paper; look for the black paper near where the sandpaper is in the store. I usually buy a variety pack that has grits from 320 to 1200 in one package. Ask in the paint department for a couple wooden paint stirrers. Most places will give them to you free.

Rich S
Click to expand...

Alright, thanks for the help everyone.
 
Most auto supply stores and lumber yards have wet/dry paper in various grits.

I use it only on convex edges.

It works well for me if I back it with thin, hard leather instead of a mousepad, and keep it wet, washing off the swarf fairly often. :thumbup:
 
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