Sharpening my knife

M

Mrvince

Joined
May 16, 2015
Messages
4
Alright, so I searched a tutorial on how to sharpen a knife razor sharp and a video popped up saying to use a 80 grit sand belt and get an edge on your blade then to use a leather belt for the final edge. Well I ended up buying the sanding belt tool, and the belts however my knife didn't get sharp. My knife actually ended up slipping 4 times and making cuts on the leather belt, I'm sort of disappointed due to them being sort of expensive for sharpening 1 knife. I didn't use the 80 grit sand belt because my knife was already pretty sharp but I thought it could get sharper. So I just ended up using the oil stone and that did a good job, however what did I do wrong? I used a 10 degree angle when trying to use the leather belt.

Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTQttzLrdtU
 
Look into a worksharp ken onion sharpener. It uses the same principal only it has adjustable guides to prevent slippage. What you are attemptiing is free hand sharpening on a grinder and there is a learning curve. It will take practice and a few belts.
 
Dry grinding with a belt or wheel will soften the steel !! I've known this for a long time but I saw on the Helle catalog that they tell you the same thing - about time these companies tell you important things . Sharpen under flowing coolant/lubricant or a stone with lube. I suggest you learn to do it with a stone and lube instead of a "system" .
 
mete said:
Dry grinding with a belt or wheel will soften the steel !! I've known this for a long time but I saw on the Helle catalog that they tell you the same thing - about time these companies tell you important things . Sharpen under flowing coolant/lubricant or a stone with lube. I suggest you learn to do it with a stone and lube instead of a "system" .
Click to expand...

Are you sure you understood the information correctly? I was under the impression its not the actual grinding that causes the steel to go soft but the heat that can be generated from doing so. I have seen tons of maker grind dry on heat treated steel fro sharpening to regrinding the whole blade. I understand the point of the water is to reduce heat as well as wash away abraded material but i dont know if water is absolutely necessary. If what you say is absolute then many many makers are doing it wrong.
 
PURPLEDC said:
Are you sure you understood the information correctly? I was under the impression its not the actual grinding that causes the steel to go soft but the heat that can be generated from doing so. I have seen tons of maker grind dry on heat treated steel fro sharpening to regrinding the whole blade. I understand the point of the water is to reduce heat as well as wash away abraded material but i dont know if water is absolutely necessary. If what you say is absolute then many many makers are doing it wrong.
Click to expand...

Dry grinding can cause the metal to lose temper, but only if you grind fast enough to get it hot. If you grind very slow, you shouldn't lose much if any temper. 80 grit is a heavy grit to use for sharpening though, that is even heavier a grit than most natural Arkansas stones. The sharpness you are getting are micro-serrations from the grits of the belt. A straight razor is sharpened on the lightest grits by using leather with abrasive pastes or ceramics, but still provides the sharpest edges. Ceramic stones can give you a higher, finer grit of 1000-2000. To achieve an even finer edge, I would try an angle guide or make a jig of some sort. Keep in mind that sharpness comes from keeping the same angle. If you sharpen the knife one side at a time you will get a "roll" in the steel. I bet even with the grinding not being perfect, this method produces a pretty wicked edge.

I wish I could find some sanding belts with 2000+grit to make finish sanding easier, as well as a few other handy things. I have the 3 x 18 size.. Never found a place that sells 2000+ belts for it. That would make a great way to refinish a knife quickly.
 
Zemapeli said:
Dry grinding can cause the metal to lose temper, but only if you grind fast enough to get it hot. If you grind very slow, you shouldn't lose much if any temper. 80 grit is a heavy grit to use for sharpening though, that is even heavier a grit than most natural Arkansas stones. The sharpness you are getting are micro-serrations from the grits of the belt. A straight razor is sharpened on the lightest grits by using leather with abrasive pastes or ceramics, but still provides the sharpest edges. Ceramic stones can give you a higher, finer grit of 1000-2000. To achieve an even finer edge, I would try an angle guide or make a jig of some sort. Keep in mind that sharpness comes from keeping the same angle. If you sharpen the knife one side at a time you will get a "roll" in the steel. I bet even with the grinding not being perfect, this method produces a pretty wicked edge.

I wish I could find some sanding belts with 2000+grit to make finish sanding easier, as well as a few other handy things. I have the 3 x 18 size.. Never found a place that sells 2000+ belts for it. That would make a great way to refinish a knife quickly.
Click to expand...

Thats what I thought. I didnt think grinding was the problem but the heat that can come with it. I just didnt want people assuming they had damaged knives or were damaging their knives by grinding steel.

As for the belts I know some guys take their old worn out belts and either reverse them and use different grit strop compounds. Also know some guys use a cork belt with compound.
 
mete said:
Dry grinding with a belt or wheel will soften the steel !! I've known this for a long time but I saw on the Helle catalog that they tell you the same thing - about time these companies tell you important things . Sharpen under flowing coolant/lubricant or a stone with lube. I suggest you learn to do it with a stone and lube instead of a "system" .
Click to expand...

I've been doing it with a stone all of my life, I just wanted to try something new and faster as this seemed pretty cool.
 
Zemapeli said:
Dry grinding can cause the metal to lose temper, but only if you grind fast enough to get it hot. If you grind very slow, you shouldn't lose much if any temper. 80 grit is a heavy grit to use for sharpening though, that is even heavier a grit than most natural Arkansas stones. The sharpness you are getting are micro-serrations from the grits of the belt. A straight razor is sharpened on the lightest grits by using leather with abrasive pastes or ceramics, but still provides the sharpest edges. Ceramic stones can give you a higher, finer grit of 1000-2000. To achieve an even finer edge, I would try an angle guide or make a jig of some sort. Keep in mind that sharpness comes from keeping the same angle. If you sharpen the knife one side at a time you will get a "roll" in the steel. I bet even with the grinding not being perfect, this method produces a pretty wicked edge.

I wish I could find some sanding belts with 2000+grit to make finish sanding easier, as well as a few other handy things. I have the 3 x 18 size.. Never found a place that sells 2000+ belts for it. That would make a great way to refinish a knife quickly.
Click to expand...

I guess I can try making a jig for it, also I'll pick up some sanding belts for it that are finer.
 
The leather belt has 2 sides, they look different. I'll try reversing it after I make a small jig for it, and hopefully it comes out good.
 
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