How To Steps after reprofiling.

C

Chuck Asher

Joined
Jan 3, 2002
Messages
41
I just reprofiled my Tarani Karambit in s30v to an inclusive edge angle of 22 degrees (11 degrees per side) on a TSPROF Blitz 360 with an 80 grit curved diamond rod. What should I do next? Deburr or start refining the edge, and then deburr at the end of the refining process?

Any suggestions on this whole process would be appreciated. Deburring methods, steps in refinement, grit progression, etc.
 
I de-burr after each stone -- before going to the next stone -- using short, light, leading-edge strokes.

I think you get a better edge, one that is free of stressed and degraded metal. If you wait until the end, you can leave weakened metal as a kind of root burr built into the apex.

I also strop after complete de-burring. Stropping can straighten what's left of a burr, making the edge seem sharp, but not strong.
 
Thanks for the help - I intend to take it. Three questions, however. First, what grit stone do you use for deburring? Second, how do I complete deburring? I've read that stropping can take a burr "root" and sharpen it to a sharp, but weak edge, just like you said. And third, how can I ensure that the burr root is removed?
 
I use a Wicked Edge, mostly; so I go through the normal stone rotation for that system: 100 (if needed), 200 (if needed), 400, 600, 800. That's usually plenty, but I typically finish with a progression of higher grit stones and diamonds down to a half micron, if I want a highly refined edge, which I usually do. I always strop at the end. But you could stop at 600.

Once you reach the apex, the stone will create a burr. When I've finished with each stone, I de-burr by cutting off the burr with a short, light, edge-leading stroke. The burr curls off to the opposite side that you last sharpened. So a very short, edge-leading pass on the burr side will cut it off. If you keep going, you'll just create a new burr on the other side.

So at each new grit level, I de-burr the edge. At the end, I strop on a clean apex.

I think an educated thumb is good enough to tell if your burr is gone, unless you've just straightened it out, say by stropping.
 
A technique that I use to deburr is after the finishing stone, I increase the angle by 2 degrees. Then, using only the weight of the stone and holder, I make two light passes per side. This should shear off any wire edge. It will not produce a micro bevel because of the light force and limited number of strokes. For a really stubborn burr, you can also make a few moderate "cuts" to a wooden dowel at 40 to 45 degrees. The wire edge will hang in the wood and be pulled off. Hope this helps.
 
For S30V I wouldn't polish it much. I would take it to somewhere between 120 grit and 240. *Maybe* as high as 400, but I think that's too high. 200-ish is probably just about right for S30V.

Note that this will be VERY sharp if you deburr it properly. It will easily slice phonebook paper and will shave hair from your arm. But will be very toothy so it works well with everyday cutting tasks.

So if you have something like a 120 grit and 200 grit stone, I would raise a burr with each one of those, then carefully deburr with the 200. At that point it should be nice and toothy, yet very sharp. Especially at 11 dps! The bevel should be rather wide; probably around 1/4" wide in fact.

Good luck!

Brian.
 
I just re-read your post and see it's a Karambit. As such, it's not usually an everyday utility blade. So your use might be different and might require a different kind of finish. If this is to be used as a "fighting knife", I'm honestly not sure what finish to recommend. I would lean towards toothy though so that it will tend to hook into material better and cut through it, as opposed to sliding over slick or tough fabric with a highly polished edge.

I had the pleasure of taking 24 hours of training with Tarani about 15 years ago. He was a great instructor, taught us all a lot, and was more scary with a blade than anyone I've ever seen. He used me as a training dummy during a karambit demo (with a metal training blade). He killed me so many times, so fast, it was unbelievable.

Which brand blade is yours? I think Buck made one a while back, as did Strider, and also 5.11. Maybe there are yet other Tarani branded karabits?

Brian.
 
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