Using wet/dry sandpaper

[pinkfloyd101]

I was going to try the option of using strips of wet/dry sandpaper on top of my strop for my knives. I heard it works great and is cheap compared to stones. What grits do you think i will need? I was thinking 400, 800, 1500, 3000, and then finish with my 1 micron strop. What do you think?

 

[chococrazy]

Just go with the highest you can find.
Then go lower cascading.
600 is probably as low as you'd need since 400 wouldn't be needed for just sharpening well actually neither would 600 but it would help.

 

[me2]

Sandpaper is how I got my first hair whittling edge. I went 120, 220, 320, 400, 600, then stropped on leather loaded with white buffing compound. I was rebeveling an Old Timer Peanut folder to full convex, so I had a lot of metal to take off. For short term use/initial outlay of funds it is cheaper. For long term use a stone is cheaper. A good stone can last a decade or more and cost as little as $15 - $20. Try a Norton Coarse/Fine followed by your strop. Of course, if its the convex edge you're after, then the sandpaper over strop is a good way to go.

 

[kennyj]

I wouldn't go below 600 grit unless you're trying to do some serious reprofiling or removing a really badly deformed edge. In which case, the lower you can go, the better it'll work.

Do be careful at the lower grits though, you can very quickly do a LOT of damage if you're a little off somewhere. I just made a nice idiot mark in the DLC on my RAM and wore the thumbstud down a bit because I wasn't paying attention. Don't be like me.

 

[looker]

I’ve had good results with 600,1000 wet/dry and 5000,10000 micro sandpaper on top of a piece of glass. They’re cheaper initially, but stones are better over the long haul and can be used with a leading or trailing edge stroke. You have to use a trailing edge stroke or be very careful of not ripping the sandpaper with a forward edge stroke.

 

[kennyj]

I've never had a problem with using leading-edge strokes on sandpaper. How hard are people pushing down? Maybe I'm just using too acute of an angle for it to be an issue...