Sharpening to the mirror edge, ARRGGGGHHH HOW????

Don Rearic

Don Rearic

Joined
Oct 8, 1998
Messages
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We have all seen sharp knives that make the hair on your arm flee in fear...

Then we have seen edges that will do that and a little bit more...when you look at the actual edge, it looks like a mirror.

How do I, not being a knifemaker or having the tools of that Craft, do that? Is it possible or is this a degree of polishing that cannot be attained without a shop???

[This message has been edited by Don Rearic (edited 12-08-2000).]
 
Don the way I do it is put a fairly decent edge on the blade first with a worn out 400 or 600 grit belt. This edge you would not be able to shave with (at least not without a lot of bandaids
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). Then to hone (and to get that mirror effect) I run the edge back and forth across a hard felt buffing wheel loaded with green compound. This edge will make the hairs "flee in fear". Hope this helps.

Hugh

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Scraped, burnt, sliced, smashed. AHHHH, knifemaking!!!!
 
ditto......you need a belt sander to do that don......not something everyone has....especially.....you need a variable speed belt sander.....I grind the initial bevel with a fresh 220 belt after finishing a knife...then go to a very dull 400 or 600 belt.....doesnt matter cause when they are super dull they are pretty much the same, then as hugh said ...hard felt wheel with green chrome....then i put it on my regular hard sewn buff wheel and give it a few strokes to make sure all the burr is gone.. then i try to find some hair on my body... just to check.....
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BTW Don...just where is Denial!?

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http://www.mayoknives.com
Jer 33:3

[This message has been edited by tom mayo (edited 12-08-2000).]
 
Denial is a State Tom! Some think it is a river, it is actually a State.

I know how to use knives well...don't know a whole lot about knifemaking really. I know that Jerry H. has tried to tell me things and I'm in awe of it all anyway...I have the highest regard for what you guys do.

I have a Spyderco Triangle Sharpmaker and the Pro-Filer Ceramic Stones from them and I do like to use a leather strop as well...but please excuse me when I say the following.

Imagine I am holding a glowing ball of a radioactive substance...my hands are out to you...

"What is this strange 'green chrome compound' you speak of?"

Looked like a Star Trek episode...
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If I buy a small jar of this strange, magical potion and rub it onto a leather Barber's strop, can I expect to get a mirror finish or do I need the other doo-dads that you guys speak of?
 
As an afterthought, for someone who does not have knifemaking equipment, could you accomplish the same thing with a Dremel and a hard felt wheel? Do they even make a hard felt wheel for a Dremel?

I hate to sound like an amateur but I am in this regard...I would like to be able to do this to some of these factory knives.
 
Hi Don
The mirror-polished edge is really hard to do without a heavy buffing wheel on a high-powered buffer.
You might want to just ask one of the makers for their mailing address and a cost to sharpen your knife once a year or so...

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Proud Member
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In my experience a morror polished edge can be achieved by any abrasive/polishing system with grits above 1500 to 2000. The reason I mention this is that you could use very fine bench stones to polish an edge to a mirror finish. From my experience stones leave an edge that is more acute then buffing will. I have brought knives to a polished edge but tend to bring them back with a coarser grit to get some bite back into the edge. Polished edges seem to slice and shave, but don't shear through most materials as well.
 
I've got a method that requires no power tools and works great. I sharpen with a V type sharpener, the kind with white ceramic rods. These are supposedly about 1200 grit. Then I replace the rods with wood dowels that fit in the holes. The dowels are coated with very fine abrasive like green compound (chromium oxide, available from Lee Valley Tools). You have to draw the blade upward when using the dowels, opposite to the downward draw used with the ceramic rods. It also helps to use something coarser than green compound first. Green is so fine, it's really the last step. I use "Yellowstone" compund mixed with the green. I don't know where you can get it anymore. There are probably lots of other good compounds around 2000 grit. Anyway, it's easier than it sounds. Try it!
 
well....i didnt read all the posts...but yes you can get a mirror finish without all that stuff....it will just take a while thats all. I can get a dull knife hair popping sharp in under a minute....way under....so I am not ABOUT to spend and hour or two or three sharpening a knife...it would take away from my computer time!!!!
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take it to the FINEST stone you can and then polish it.....any way you can....green Chrome rouge is knifemakers standard buffing compound.....think it must ring in around 500 or 600 grit......it works great...If you buy it get the flaky kind not the greasy kind....any more help email me....
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Thanks for all of the help guys.

Hey Tom, Dude, I would wonder about your sanity if you went out of your way to make your job harder! HA HA HA

I, on the other hand, do not have a shop and just wondered how you guys do that sort of stuff. Maybe I will give it a GO! Thanks!
 
Don,
Another option is to pick up an Edge Pro from Ben Dale. When you finish up with the 3000 grit polishing tape you get that mirror edge you're looking for.
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Semper Fi

-Bill
 
The Edge Pro system uses a set of water stones in different grits bonded to an aluminum plate. You also get a blank plate with peel and stick 3000 grit polish tapes.
The mirrored edge looks great and gives us novices a professional edge. DaveAZ
 
Don,,,,,,,,,,I don't always do this as it is a little time consuming, but a japanese 6000 grit water stone , will give you that polished hair flying, scarry and scary edge.
The late Bob Engath shares his knowledge at a web site dedicated to him. Bob lists in detail the use of these stones and also sites to purchase. Bob never has stopped giving away what he has been given. You'll find what you need from this generous man.
Buff with care
 
Two folders I handled once that had absolutely scary edges were a M/A MicroTech SOCOM and a Chris Reeve Sebenza.

The edges were like glass. They were very sharp indeed.

While my Emerson Production Commanders and LaGriffes are quite sharp, I want to bring them up to the max and test them at that level. Then, if as one Member suggested I might very well back the edge back down with a more coarse stone/device.

I have a Pat Crawford WORTAC that has an absolutely terrifying edge that falls short of the "mirror edge" that we are discussing here, yet it is so sharp...so I understand what you guys are saying about the "level" of sharpness and thanks for sharing with me your knowledge and pointing me in a few different directions.

I appreciate it.
 
Don, I have been woodcarving seriously for several years. One of the most important aspects of wood carving is learning to achieve and maintain a 'mirror' polished edge.

All you really need is a piece of scrap leather (glued down on a board, or simply layed down on any flat surface). I coat the smooth side with green chromium oxide polish (which I believe is around 10,000 grit). After sharpening on an ultrafine ceramic stone, I do a few stokes on the strop to align the edge. If you want a real mirrored edge bevel, you just need to keep stropping for a longer time until all of the marks from your stones are gone. Finishing the edge bevel on a ultrafine ceramic, or a 8000 grit Japanese water stone (gold) will get you very close to a mirrored bevel. Then stropping with polish will quickly finish of the edge.

You can get strops, and polishes at www.woodcraft.com or www.craftwoods.com

$5 for polish, and a 4 X 6 piece of scrap smooth leather from your local shoe repair shop, and a little hand-eye coordination are all you really need.

Frequent use of the strop while using the knife will keep an acute edge working many times longer before you have to go back to an abrasive stone. I almost never have to use anything coarser than a fine ceramic on my knives.

Paracelsus
 
Paracelsus,

We have to shorten your Member Name to "Para" for brevity.
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I have heard "Waterstones" mentioned several times. Are these the infamous, "Japanese Soap Stones" I have heard of in the past?

Leather Strops are like the "Secret" of the Knifeman...I learned that from my Father. I use a piece of belt but I would like to get a full length Barber's Strop eventually as well as securing a piece of leather to a block as you suggested.

Especially with chisel grinds, you just run the fine ceramic then strop the backside. Good deal.

I am wondering if the cutting performance of the Commanders will increase by doing this, time will tell.

As an interesting sidebar, do you just woodcarve or do you construct small boxes and whatnot as well?

You know, like presentation knife boxes!
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a lot of what i do is based on reading the book by jon jurasavitch (i have NO idea how to spell it) called the Sharper Edge or something like that......havent read it for over 15 years so forgive me....but he has a lot to technical info in there about what we are talking about....he tried all kinds of methods and looked at the results with hi powered microscopes......the guy knows what he is talking about....plus.....a big plus in my book.....it makes sense....Without any scratches in the edge there is LESS RESISTANCE while cutting.....the thinner it is the less resistance too....but that is a very broad statement as the edge needs to be geared toward the usage....you dont want an axe to cut tomatoes and the opposite of course applies.....this is a very interesting topic for me because I have always taken great pride in getting my knives very sharp....but I do one thing that some do not....I always finish with a hard stitched buff and green chrome....as i said above....I believe this makes a micro rounded edge and makes it much stronger than leaving a very thin waff of metal at the edge.... It works for me..... tm
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http://www.mayoknives.com
Jer 33:3
 
Tom,

That was the book that has the advertisement with the guy shaving his beard with a double bitted axe, right? Good book to invest in? What sharpening method does he recommend?

How is the Pro-Edge System as well?

Why is Hawaii so far away?

Why is the Pacific so wet...

Why do I ask so many damned questions...

Why haven't you caught the mouse yet?
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