Whats the easiest way to reprofile?

[yamato]

would it be a paper wheel or belt sander? which would be more versatile. I am tired of stones as it takes a lot of effort to reprofile.

Another thing that i had wanted to ask was how is the mirror like shine achieved?

is stock removal done with a belt?

thanks

 

[Cliff Stamp]

A belt sander is a lot faster for removing a lot of material. It is mainly for shaping while the paper wheels are for sharpening. A mirror finish is usually applied with a buffing wheel.

-Cliff

 

[LedSled]

IMHO, a small belt sander would be the most versatile, especially if you can build a fixture to mount it on it's back with about a 15 degree tilt. I use a cheap 1x30 from Harbor Freight.

Do be careful not to burn the your knives' edges. It's easy to do, especially with the coarser grits you'd use for stock removal. Always keep the edge moving rapidly on the belt; don't let it linger. Use a light touch, with dunks into a water bucket after each pass. If at any time the blade gets more than moderately warm to the touch, you're risking the temper.

Lee Valley sells 3M's mylar backed belts, which have worked very well for me. They (as well as Moon's Saw Shop) also carry Surgi-Sharp's leather belts, which I charge with Hand American's fine-grit pastes. They'll give your edges that mirror finish, terrifically sharp.

All for not a whole lot of money.

 

[KeithAM]

I'll just echo what others have said. I got the Harbour Freight 1 x 30" belt sander about a week ago, with some belts from Lee Valley. What took 20 minutes or longer on a DMT extra course diamond bench stone (220 grit) takes a few minutes on a belt sander.

 

[Shann]

I'm thinking about getting one of those Harbor Freight 1X30 belt sanders. It will be used mainly for sharpening and some reprofiling.

What assortment\grits of belts and compounds are needed to get started? One of the belts I plan on getting will be a leather one.

 

[yamato]

is that what knifemakers use to put that very nice and neat bevel on knives?

I will get a belt grinder. really tired of using a stone.

 

[richard j]

yamato. i have 3 different grit cardboard wheels that i use for sharpening wheels. some knives i do reprofile on the wheels depending on the blade thickness but if i cant do it on the wheel, i'll use my belt sander. i have 3 short vids that i made showing how fast an edge can be worked up on a knife with the wheels, if you want to see them, drop me a line. if you have dialup it will take a while to download the second and third. since buffing is similar to working up a burr, i dont show that part in my vids. (i forgot i had your email addy already, vid 1 is on the way).

 

[KeithAM]

I'm thinking about getting one of those Harbor Freight 1X30 belt sanders. It will be used mainly for sharpening and some reprofiling.

What assortment\grits of belts and compounds are needed to get started? One of the belts I plan on getting will be a leather one.

I started with 2 each of 180, 320, 500 and 1200. They seem to cover my needs. I also have a leather belt and bar of chromium oxide on the way, also from Lee Valley.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=48040&cat=1,43072

 

[LedSled]

I also have a leather belt and bar of chromium oxide on the way, also from Lee Valley.

I sent my own chromic oxide bar back to Lee Valley for a refund. The stuff is really made for felt buffing wheels and using it on moving leather scattered sticky little crumbs all over my shop. It stuck to the walls, the floor ... I'm still cleaning up the mess months later.

I've been real happy with Hand American's chromic oxide paste. Same abrasive, same grit. They also have some nice, slightly coarser pastes that I use. Keith De'Grau and Lee Pinkstaff are nice fellows, very service-minded.