Sharpening my first custom.

dipbait

dipbait

Joined
Feb 9, 2008
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I recently acquired my first custom. It wasnt sharp at all , and had a noticeable burr. I touched it up and got it sharp in no time. I used the shallowest angle on my ceramic sticks and put a small secondary, or it might be called a microbevel on it. Heres the question.

The edge on the knife isnt polished smooth. It is rough. When running it over the sticks the roughness can be felt. Will this make a difference in its cutting abilities? With the smooth secondary bevel I added , it is pretty dang sharp. When shaving hair it grabs and severs it effortlessly.

Should I leave it rough ?
 
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Depends on the steel but most steels peform better when they are polished.
 
I have never handled a blade of O1 so I cannot tell you if it would work better toothy or polished. I would bet it would perform better polished though.

I would start by rebeveling the edge to your liking then sharpen in a few different ways to see what works best.
 
Cuz , I have two preset angles on the ceramic rods. That makes sharpening easy. Now Im gonna have to try and use some skill with a fine diamond stone. :( Where did I leave my sharpie?
 
If it's hardened properly, O1 should take a nice fine edge. Do you like the way it cuts better, after polishing it?
 
I cant answer that yet. I have not noticed a difference in shaving hair or cutting newsprint.

It should be hardened properly. It came from a highly regarded and recommended maker. I was looking forward to a super sharp cutting edge. My sharpening skills are decent but not great.
 
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Sounds encouraging. You've chosen a good steel to learn on; O1 has a very good reputation for not being terribly hard to get a good edge on. Just keep it clean and dry, maybe even oiled, because it also has a reputation for corroding.
 
dipbait said:
Cuz , I have two preset angles on the ceramic rods. That makes sharpening easy. Now Im gonna have to try and use some skill with a fine diamond stone. :( Where did I leave my sharpie?
Click to expand...

dipbait said:
That didnt take long. Shes nice and shiny now.
Click to expand...

You might want to add a stropping regimen to your toolbox of sharpening tricks.

It can be as cheap as scrap leather and polishing compound on up to a store bought strop and specialized stropping compounds.

Stropping will probably even refine that O-1 after your fine diamond hone.
 
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