Vertical flat grinding on a wheel?

Kevin McGovern

Kevin McGovern

Joined
Jul 31, 2015
Messages
3,118
I was playing around with a reject kitchen knife just now. I like to vertical grind kitchen knives when finishing to get the scratch pattern running the length of the blade. I did an experiment with my 12" wheel and used a 160, 45 trizact, then scotch brite belt. this thing was a straight mess when I started, but this is the finish I've been looking for in kitchen knives. Anyone else do this? Is there any issue with doing this? I'm thinking if the bevels are ground in flat conventionally, this won't really alter that geometry, as I'm just looking at this method for the finish. I also blended the plunge in nicely. Opinions, as always, appreciated.

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I do it for polishing fillet knives with a cork belt, and haven't found anything wrong with it.
As long as you can get the grind even I don't see any reason why not to
 
Agreed, I dont see a problem.
As scratches are a stressriser, one may argue better strength with them oriented lengthwise...
 
How is it different than using your platen vertically?
 
kuraki said:
How is it different than using your platen vertically?
Click to expand...
For me: Easier access and control, as I don't have to use a magnet or worry as much about dinging up the handle. It also doesn't heat up nearly as quickly and I can see what's going on much easier. I just put a finish on 3 santokus and a petty and it was way faster, and better results. I wasn't chasing lines/ scratches near as much. I took them to a 45 trizact, then hit the tang flats with the same on my flat platen to make sure they were dead flat then a very light pass on the wheel with a scotch brite. (I need to clean up my mark).

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Makes sense to me. Can't deny that scratch pattern is nice either. If you hot blued it, it'd look like a 60's Sako barrel.
 
I notice a lot of makers on Forged in Fire finish grinding their blades like that. Looks like you made it work just fine.
 
I've never tired it, but man, I don't think I could get an even grind on a wheel vertically. Hat's off to you guys.
I grind a lot lengthwise on a flat platen with no magnet. I used to use one, but I switched to a hardened platen and can't get away with it.
So just learned to do it without.
Do you grind convex? Seems like that would compound the challenge on the wheel.
 
this is a really inovative way to clean up the blade and one I would like to investigate further. I havent used a trizac or cork beot so far so have a bit of learning to do. I have been getting all my belts from USA knifemaker and I see the trizac A45 is a 400 grit but dont see them having the sctochbright belts. Where do you get them from and as I understand it there are different grades of the scotchbright belt so which grade are you using to get that finish.
 
I've had that belt so long I'm not sure where I got it. Most likely trugrit. It's the brown, which I believe is a medium.
 
Kevin, if you haven't bought the grey scotchbrite belt yet, you should.
I think you'll really like the scratch pattern.
Anymore my brown one just hangs on the wall and the grey one gets to have all the fun.
 
I buy them from try grit. Brown is real coarse and only gets used for heavy deburring in my shop. I used the maroon (medium) to finish a few blades, but since I really just don't like satin finishes, it'll probably see deburring duty too.... I'd be inclined to use a gray one myself. The last scotchbright wheel (actually a standard abrasives convolute, generic equivalent) I bought was the gray, and it's disappointingly fine... It'd be great for finishing work, but I normally use them for deburring
 
For ricasso less knives its my way to go!


Pablo
 
I usually take mine up to 400 cork belt then handsand at 400 then 600. Doesnt take too long even on my bigger knives (280mm cutting edge). Also handsand at 400 followed by grey scotch brite used as you mentioned looks very nice.
 
Bill Moran used to do that, as does Charles Ochs.You have to be careful with the "dimples and waves" You can get them on a wheel even with finer grit belts. The trick seems be constant, fast motion.
 
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