Sharpest Re-sharpened Knife and How You Did It

T

Ten_Mile_Knives

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Feb 9, 2018
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What is the sharpest you've ever gotten a knife, what steel, what was your sharpening procedure?

Sharpness is pretty subjective here, I guess if you have some scientific evidence that only helps.

For me it was an S30V fixed blade I made, I used a Lansky system up to 1000 grit and then a clover lapping compound (not sure what grit/micron) on the Lansky strop. My general sharpness test is to slice a Styrofoam cup set upside-down at an angle from one edge of the base to the opposite edge of the lip. The fewer little foam particles that get torn out the sharper the knife.
 
that's a good test will have to try it.

if you want a real test though get single ply toilet paper. if you can get thru that without tearing you are pretty damn sharp. I have one S30V blade with claw curvature that I sharpened on clamp system and it starts the cut clean but the paper starts to bunch just a little and starts tearing half way through a little. if I get a strop and compound I know I can get through clean .
 
Sharpest knife in my possession is a Santoku pattern kitchen knife that will shave arm hair reliably. I have no idea what flavor of steel it is. I bought it at some department store, that might even still be around.

I have an old Norton oilstone, which was where I started. I wasn't worried about preserving the factory edge, so after a couple sessions with the stone, it ended up being a nice convex secondary bevel, at maybe 15 degrees per side.

After working up a burr on each side, I have a strip of denim which is loaded with red polishing compound, and an old piece of rubber conveyor belt skirting that made it's way home from where I work.

It was scrap, anyway.

The denim goes on top of the skirting, and I strop the knife across that.

I've gotten my Columbia River Batum to shave hair, by the same process. I'm not going to brag about it being the "most Roadkill" way of sharpening a knife, but it's pretty janky. Still, if it's ugly, and it works, then... it's probably still ugly.
 
personally I got my para2 s30v so sharp the hairs on my arm jumped off in fear :eek:

about 15 degrees per side and stropped with green compound.

however, it was too sharp o_O

yep, too sharp...

it cut wood great, shaved hair and filleted paper but when I tried to cut some paracord it almost wouldn't.

it was pretty cool but not usable for what I need.

So I went back to a fairly toothy "working" edge like the rest of my knives ;)
 
Sharpest I've ever had is a tie -- my new (to me) M390 Para 2 and my ZDP-189 Delica. For the Para 2, I sharpened on the KME from 100 grit thru 1500 grit diamond, then use the diamond lapping films down to 0.1 micron. It will pass the hanging hair test (HHT-3, http://www.coticule.be/hanging-hair-test.html).

For the Delica, I sharpened freehand from DMT Course thru EEF, then Spyderco Ultra-fine ceramic, then diamond strops at 1.0, 0.5, 0.25, and 0.1 micron on wood. Finished with a few strokes on plain leather. It will also pass HHT-3.
 
This is the kind of sharpness i like. Its toothy and it shaves and you can shave wood with it also (its not too coarse).
You can cut all kinds of thin paper with dull knives, but it wont cut the papertowel. The other thing i like about it is when the knife looses ability to shave it still retains the teeth and keeps cutting the papertowel. Like my vg10 delica stays sharp and useful long after it can't shave anymore after cardboard cutting. At higher polish level the knife will stop biting the papertowel and you can only push cut it. Its a good medium too feel how coarse your edge is and to know when you have apexed the edge.
I use diamonds and they leave coarse scratches that i guess after i touch it up with brown spyderco rod are still aggressive enough and not fully removed. Sometimes i will use 1micron diamond compound on strop for just a few passes. cpm m4 gets very sharp.
 
My sharpest edges, and brainlessly easy to produce ever single time isn't on knives at all but on my hand tool woodworking plane blades using this jig and a set of Shapton Pro stones.
As far as steel it doesn't matter in the least they will all turn out this sharp.
This plane blade is A2.

Once I finish on the last stone, usually an 8,000 but I occasionally fool around with a 15,000, the edge is so sharp that as I take it to my arm hair the hair pull them selves up roots and all and leap off my arm and try to hide under each other in the corner of the room. Which never works.

No but seriously the edge, as viewed with a high power jeweler's visor, will shave little curls off a single hair while it is still in my arm; several curls off the same hair without cutting it in two. That's easily tree topping sharp and ZERO STROPS.
Every single time.
Jigs rule ! ! ! !

AND, AND, AND are you ready ? This level of hair whittling on blade geometry up to and including 54° inclusive !
That's 27° per side.
I have to say it again : JIGS RULE !

And this is a heavy use; highly practical edge on the plane blades. See the work being done below. Now granted; one edge / sharpening did not do all that. But the surface left on this seriously tough and hard bubinga wood is ready for finish right off the blade (no sanding required AT ALL) the surface of the bare wood will reflect light as if it has finish on it.

My knives off my Edge Pro are about that sharp give or take but it takes a lot more concentration and farting around resetting it for each stone thickness.
I love the Edge Pro, don't get me wrong it's just that the wood working jig is stupid simple and RIDGID ! ! !
It really doesn't matter the steel on the Edge Pro, from SAKs to S110V and every thing in-between. I do use a full spread of diamond on the Edge Pro for the high vanadium alloys. For most of the other alloys I use the Shapton Glass Edge Pro stones up to 4,000. The 4,000 produces edges less technically polished but still easily hair whittling as described above.
In a word " :thumbsup: "
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Just mounted some black and translucent Arkansas stones to blank wicked edge paddles and used these to strop newly reprofiled edges on a svord peasant and opinel 8. Dipped the opi in hot wax and cleaned the wax off in a shoebox and it cleanly cut the tissue paper in the shoe box=) the svord was popping hairs off my arm and went through a slightly raised mole so cleanly I didn't notice until it was bleeding.

I'm getting better results with these than diamond paste on proper leather strops. These are both easy to sharpen carbon steels and can't wait to try the diamond/ark oil combo on something tougher.
 
I do best with M4. Spyderco GB & Advocate and Mini Ritter Grip in M4 using Wicked Edge
 
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My Spyderco Militaries in S90V and CPM M-4 will dry shave my face. Edge Pro professional with Shaptons up to 30K, then stropping with .5,.25 and .1 CBN to mirror polish.
 
it cut wood great, shaved hair and filleted paper but when I tried to cut some paracord it almost wouldn't.
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I don't know. I just don't have the problems with polished edges that others seem to so I keep using them. This is my Case Slimline Tapper. The edge was sharpened on the Edge Pro to a polished edge using a progression up to Shapton Glass 4,000. I have used it at work all week but lightly just on plastic bags and light work. It still feels really good on my fingernail but we are talking Case SS here so . . . play dough right ?
I do admit that, for me, the Case Slimline Trapper possesses a bit of magic . . . YMMV.
 
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There is diamond and/or CBN paste for stropping to at least 500,000 grit. Maybe even finer by now
 
Ben Dover said:
There is diamond and/or CBN paste for stropping to at least 500,000 grit. Maybe even finer by now
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At that point I figure you might as well just blow on the blade and call it good. :p
 
Two friends that sharpen microtome blades routinely go to 100,000 grit.

I sharten and polish my "Bragging rights" blades to 100,000 (.25 micron)

For practical sharpening, even razors, I see no need to go past 12,000.
but for "braggin' rights" well.....................:p
 
Mazel tov. I wish I had your patience and drive. (Although I have enough issues with being too regimented already.)

(I'm still pretty much a "good enough" sort of lazy good for nothing...in this arena.)
 
Ben Dover said:
My Spyderco Militaries in S90V and CPM M-4 will dry shave my face. Edge Pro professional with Shaptons up to 30K, then stropping with .5,.25 and .1 CBN to mirror polish.
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Ben, as I understand, the Shaptons will cause Vanadium tearout in the supersteels, and although the Shaptons used alone may result in extreme sharpness, the Vanadium tearout will result in an edge that does not retain the "supersteel durability". Do you rely on the CBN stropping to shape the Vanadium in your final edge? Also, if a toothy edge is desired, when do you stop with the Shaptons and finish with diamond/CBN?
 
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