Skipping a grit in sharpening?

einsteinjon

einsteinjon

Platinum Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2008
Messages
1,828
I am just about to order a Gatco Edgemate Pro, and the finest grit it comes with is a "320-400 grit fine" stone. The site also has the 1200 grit ceramic stone. I know there is also a 600 grit ultra fine that gatco makes, but the site I want to order from doesn't carry it (I have a gift certificate for the place). If I were to sharpen a knife and go directly from fine to the 1200 grit ceramic (skipping the ultra fine 600 grit), will I see poorer performance, both in ease of sharpening and quality of the edge? Or will it be ok to do, and maybe just take a little more work with the 1200 grit? Should I go to the trouble of ordering the ultra fine 600 grit somewhere else, or will I be fine without it?

Thanks :thumbup:
 
It'll just take a longer while for the 1200 grit to the cut down to the marks that the 400 grit made. It's fine, but it'll take longer.
 
THG said:
It'll just take a longer while for the 1200 grit to the cut down to the marks that the 400 grit made. It's fine, but it'll take longer.
Click to expand...


A LOT longer.
 
knarfeng said:
A LOT longer.
Click to expand...

Oh, yeah, definitely. These are the steps I take to reprofile my knives:

1. 60 micron DMT XC Black
2. 25 micron DMT F Red
3. 9 micron Spyderco White Rod (Fine)

Step 1 is for reprofiling, Step 2 is for a finer edge, and step 3 is to get a clean edge. It's not very hard to go from 1 to 2, but 2 to 3 is a devil. I don't really spend too much time on 2 to 3. After using the Red Fine DMT stone, I just keep using my white rod thereafter to maintain the edge. Eventually the scratch marks from the red go away and I have an uber fine edge. It takes weeks or months, though.
 
I keep a DMT Fine / Ultra-Fine in my back pocket. I never let a knife get so dull that a fine / ultra-fine will not re-sharpen it quickly. My view is that if I use the knife for anything at all, I am going to stroke it a few times on the ultra-fine, minimum. Once I get a knife to shaving sharpness, I do not let it stray far from that before stroking it!:D

When I buy a new knife, when it needs sharpening the first time, it gets the full treatment. Coarse, medium, fine, ultra-fine. After I have taken that time to get it right, I NEVER let it stray far from that perfect edge.

The gold handled DMT double-sided diamond hone is your friend. Get one and do not leave home without it.
 
I have the GATCO Professional. I bought the kit from Cabelas but I bought the extra fine and the ultimate finishing hone direct from GATCO.

I find that I get the best results when I go down the grits without skipping. I find that the instructions that come with the kit are pretty much right on. They suggest 8 to 10 passes with each grit. When it comes down to it I would not omit the extra fine. It is worth the money.

I have found that if you keep up with maintenance and do not let a blade get dull then the extra fine and ultimate finishing hone are sometimes all you need to touch up an edge.

I am sure you could get along with the stones included in the kit. I am sure that you will be able to sharpen good enough. Knowing what I know now and having my expectations of sharpness elevated I would not go without the extra fine nor the ultimate finishing stones.

The two higher grit hones will not wear out on you with normal use. I am now in need of replacing my extra coarse and coarse stones. If you are looking to spend extra gift certificate money I would buy an extra one of those two.

I also added a stropping step after the ceramic finishing hone. It adds a bit of refinement and polish to the edge.

Good Luck
 
Skipping from 400 to 1200 won't be as much more a jump than 600 to 1200. Still a lot of work.

400 stones do a nice microserrated saw edge, great for rough work EDC's and larger fixed blades. A 600 just touches that up a little smoother. A 1200 is nearly mirror polished - and frankly, the edge may not last as long for EDC. It will be extremely thin and really test the resistance to folding and abrasion for that metal. In my experience, a 1200 edge is great on pocket jewelry and impressing coworkers, but not so resilient on cardboard, pallets, strapping, or webbing. It sure will shave dead skin off your thumb, but won't get a bite on lots of other stuff. Then it goes dull before you expect it.

Goes back to the unasked question - what are you cutting with it? Sharpen accordingly.
 
why would it be thin? if the angle is the same, the thickness is the same. The only thin part is the width of the apex, and a higher finish makes that more durable, as a rough low angle finish has finer/deeper microteeth that break away faster.
 
Last edited:
Sounds like some good advice here. I am looking for it to sharpen users/EDC pocket knives not much longer than 4", so "pocket jewelry," as tirod3 put it, isn't exactly necessary for me I guess, as far as looks go. But I thought it gave better edge performance to use the finer grits. Am I indeed better off finishing at the 400 grit for a user and leaving a slightly rougher edge?
 
tirod3 said:
It will be extremely thin and really test the resistance to folding and abrasion for that metal.
Click to expand...


He never referenced any specific blade or steel.

I will have to disagree with you. I have found in my use in kitchen cutlery, skinning and field dressing deer sized game, EDC... that a polished edge has never let me down. It is not so much in my mind a polished edge but more of a refined edge. It is in my experience a sharper edge. I have never understood why sharper would not be better.

A more refined edge has a bit of a ways to go untill it is degraded down to what others call a toothy edge. From there the polished edge lasts as long if not longer than the toothy edge.

If you are finishing your edges to a nice sharp refined edge then it is easier to maintain than the toothy. You go to the ceramic or the strop and you are good to go.

Sharp is sharp, sharper is better.

If I want a serrated edge I will buy a knife with a serrated edge. The toothy edge seems a bit lazy. Like you stopped halfway through the job and didn't finish.
 
einsteinjon said:
Sounds like some good advice here. I am looking for it to sharpen users/EDC pocket knives not much longer than 4", so "pocket jewelry," as tirod3 put it, isn't exactly necessary for me I guess, as far as looks go. But I thought it gave better edge performance to use the finer grits. Am I indeed better off finishing at the 400 grit for a user and leaving a slightly rougher edge?
Click to expand...

Might be something you have to decide for yourself. I prefer polished, refined, and shiny. With the GATCO, extra fine stone and ultimate finishing it really doesn't take that much more time to polish them up.

A stopping step really refines it further. I have tested edges between steps and the extra hones and stroppin really make a difference.
 
hardheart said:
why would it be thin? if the angle is the same, the thickness is the same. The only thin part is the width of the apex, and a higher finish makes that more durable, as a rough low angle finish has finer/deeper microteeth that break away faster.
Click to expand...

That's what I thought. If you've got a finer edge, the micro "teeth" are smaller and more uniform, therefore giving you better edge stability.

That has been my experience since finishing on my Spyderco white stones (as opposed to the DMT Red, that's 25 micron vs 9 micron).
 
With the tests that I've seen higher initial sharpness equates to longer edge holding. A lot of it has to do with how thin your edge is (thinner will hold the edge longer), however, you still need to keep durability in mind. A thin edge doesn't do you any good if it's got chips all through it.
IMO a high polish is the best way to go, unless you know the edge is going to get all dinged up first.
 
Once you have your initial angle set up, it will not be a factor.

I skip the medium grit most of the time on my Lansky.

Profile with the coarse, take your time with the fine and all future sharpening should be OK with the fine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top