What grit abrasive do you use for a "toothy" edge???

[Maximumbob54]

I was going to make this a poll but I suspect there will be too many answers to have enough options. Previously I had thought anything under 600 grit would be a toothy edge.

Ignore if a certain steel cuts better or lasts longer with or without, this is purely what you would refer to as a toothy edge.

 

[SharpBits]

I would agree with your under 600 grit range, although I use Spyderco brown stone which I think is around 600. I should try lower grits.

Also, I guess it would be important to list which of the several grit standards everyone is using.

 

[Horsewright]

Knives when they leave here heading for their new homes have been sharpened to a 220 grit on a worn silicon carbide belt. I cut the initial secondary bevel with a new 120 grit ceramic belt and then refine it with the 220. The apex of the edge is then lightly buffed with green scratch remover. This polishes the apex slightly and removes the burr. I'll run it briefly over a loose buff with pink scratchless on it but this is more to remove any left over gunk from the other buffing then to achieve any further sharpness.

This produces an edge that will slice paper and I do require three slices without any drag or tearing along the entire length of the edge but it also has the muscle of the toothy edge behind it to cut string, rope, feed sacks and any other jobs around the ranch or real life. I obviously didn't make these knives but a rancher friend dropped them off for a lil spa day:

Years ago I was a polished edge guy but as the decades pass by I have become strongly convinced of the practicality of a toothy edge

 

[Alberta Ed]

I've found that D2 cuts best with a toothy edge produced on a 220 grit (DMT extra coarse); on most other steels I don't go beyond a 600 grit (DMT fine).

 

[bmo419]

Been using a 400 grit generic diamond plate lately, or the 40-45 micron equivalent for other grit standards.

 

[Skywalker31]

Usually in the ~400-500 grit range for me, often finished with a couple passes on Spyderco medium ceramic benchstones or sharpmaker rods.

I'm sure it's an issue with my sharpening technique and how cleanly (or not) I'm apexing, but with ~200 grit edges I often find I still have small hangups when trying to cleanly slice receipt paper. 400-500 grit and I'm slicing cleanly but still have enough teeth to catch and bite when trying to cut smooth/slick stuff.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

ANSI 120 grit for setting the scratch pattern, then ANSI 400 for crisping up the apex without erasing the scratch pattern. Or I just use my American Mutt bench stone, which is mixed grits all at once.

 

[me2]

DMT Blue Coarse or Black Extra Coarse or a Norton Coarse India. In some cases I’ll just use a coarse/fine Handi-File for machetes. Most knives are too hard for a file though.

 

[BJE]

Knives when they leave here heading for their new homes have been sharpened to a 220 grit on a worn silicon carbide belt. I cut the initial secondary bevel with a new 120 grit ceramic belt and then refine it with the 220. The apex of the edge is then lightly buffed with green scratch remover. This polishes the apex slightly and removes the burr. I'll run it briefly over a loose buff with pink scratchless on it but this is more to remove any left over gunk from the other buffing then to achieve any further sharpness.

This produces an edge that will slice paper and I do require three slices without any drag or tearing along the entire length of the edge but it also has the muscle of the toothy edge behind it to cut string, rope, feed sacks and any other jobs around the ranch or real life. I obviously didn't make these knives but a rancher friend dropped them off for a lil spa day:

Years ago I was a polished edge guy but as the decades pass by I have become strongly convinced of the practicality of a toothy edge

That is some good honest patina on those case trappers.

 

[Horsewright]

That is some good honest patina on those case trappers.

Yes indeed. I cleaned the dried blood off the other one though before sharpening. It'd just been used at a branding a couple of days before.

 

[BJE]

Shouldn’t the Spey blade be used? Isn’t that what it was designed for, not just spreading peanut butter on bread lol.