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What compound should I use

S

smo1898

Joined
Nov 14, 2014
Messages
54
Most of my knives are s30v, and I'm looking for a good compound to get that beautiful edge. Embarrassing as it may be but I've been using some cd/dvd scratch out stuff I found in my closet as a polisher, surprisingly it worked somewhat well. It gave me a reflective edge (not quite mirror) and would shave hair very easily, but its time to upgrade to the real deal. Any recommendations on what to get? Is diamond paste the way to go? Or the more standard rouge bars?
 
I have been using Tormek pa70 white compound on my leather strop. I got it from Amazon.com. It is in a yellow tube. it works really good.
 
Even though I do not have any direct experience myself, it seems that the general consent is that at some point u need an abrasive that actually "cut" the very hard carbon-molecules (Vanadium + carbon = vanadium carbides) once u get down to that "grit" level. Also it seems that the higher the Vanadium content is in the steel and therefore the Vanadium-Carbide molecule content, the more difficult it gets to grind/sharpen the blade. I think it is fair to say that the higher the Vanadium content, the better the steel/heat treat and the finer the abrasive in use, the more likely u need diamond/CBN abrasive/compound to get the job done properly.
 
smo1898 said:
Most of my knives are s30v, and I'm looking for a good compound to get that beautiful edge. Embarrassing as it may be but I've been using some cd/dvd scratch out stuff I found in my closet as a polisher, surprisingly it worked somewhat well. It gave me a reflective edge (not quite mirror) and would shave hair very easily, but its time to upgrade to the real deal. Any recommendations on what to get? Is diamond paste the way to go? Or the more standard rouge bars?
Click to expand...

Try diamond compound or paste on balsa, basswood, maple or similar wood, at 3µ and 1µ grit size (in sequence), if you're looking for both mirror polish and the finest apex possible. CBN would also work for that. Any other compound won't be hard enough to refine the vanadium carbides, which means your edges won't get as fine/thin as they could be, being limited by the size of the carbides themselves (2-4µ average, in S30V). The 'near mirror' you describe is what other less-hard compounds will do with S30V, and the haze left behind is typical of such compounds used on it; it's the visual indication the compound is struggling with the carbides.

Make sure your bevels are fully refined down to the 5-10µ level (roughly equivalent to the EF DMT @ 9µ) before using the diamond paste, if you really want the best mirror and the fine edge which comes with it. If ready for that, the 3µ diamond really brings up the shine FAST, and the 1µ will refine it further.


David
 
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