Why sharpen to such high grits?

I've found for my uses that somewhere in the middle makes me happy. I tend to use on the the spyderco fine rods for touch ups. It's not such a super high grit but still gets me that scary sharp feeling. I mostly cut open bags of plumbing fitting and open a bunch of boxes. I used to cut through cardboard all the time but found that just cutting all the tape, I can fold the box up and not completely demolish my knifes edge.
Now for the really high grits........because sometimes it's just nice to see that mirror finish on the edge :)
 
I probably represent some demographic of the people sharpening at unnecessarily high grits, and it's for no other reason than that is where iam in the learning process.

At first I couldn't get sharp blades at all. Then it was on and off, one edge would come out well, the next not so much. The first few times I really achieved a good sharp result, I had gone through all the levels of stone I had available, and finished on strops. For a long while after that I just continued to sharpen all the way up as high as possible just because that was the only reliable way I knew to make my blades shave hair cleanly.

Then I learned that it was possible yo get similarly sharp results at lower grits which would still shave hair but remain toothy - I held blades others had sharpened like this, but I couldn't reproduce it. I finally realized that my problem is that I am bad at fully removing the burr at lower grits, and the reason I seemed to have to go up to such high grits for decent results was that the process of doing so was removing the burrs I created at the lower grits. I still suck at getting low grit burrs off. If I want a tooyhy edge now i progress up to a fine grit for a clean apex, then drop down to a low grit again for a couple soft passes. This extra step isn't always worth it for me so I just leave them polished for now.

So me and many other silent sharpening grasshoppers like me use high grits not due to theoretical advantages, but rather because we arent yet skilled enough to get nice edges at lower grits.
 
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FlameCycle said:
I probably represent some demographic of the people sharpening at unnecessarily high grits, and it's for no other reason than that is where iam in the learning process.

At first I couldn't get sharp blades at all. Then it was on and off, one edge would come out well, the next not so much. The first few times I really achieved a good sharp result, I had gone through all the levels of stone I had available, and finished on strops. For a long while after that I just continued to sharpen all the way up as high as possible just because that was the only reliable way I knew to make my blades shave hair cleanly.

Then I learned that it was possible yo get similarly sharp results at lower grits which would still shave hair but remain toothy - I held blades others had sharpened like this, but I couldn't reproduce it. I finally realized that my problem is that I am bad at fully removing the burr at lower grits, and the reason I seemed to have to go up to such high grits for decent results was that the process of doing so was removing the burrs I created at the lower grits. I still suck at getting low grit burrs off. If I want a tooyhy edge now i progress up to a fine grit for a clean apex, then drop down to a low grit again for a couple soft passes. This extra step isn't always worth it for me so I just leave them polished for now.

So me and many other silent sharpening grasshoppers like me use high grits not due to theoretical advantages, but rather because we arent yet skilled enough to get nice edges at lower grits.
Click to expand...

If all you need yet to learn is removing a burr, you got the game won.
 
In a lot of cases, purely for aesthetics. For those who care about aesthetics but realize it's not a great edge for their needs, they will put on a skinny microbevel with a coarser grit for better performance.
 
I can shave my face with my Izula I finished at 600 grit. I don't know where this foolishness of needing high polished edges to be able to shave came in at. The edge of a straight razor isn't finely polished so it cuts hair better, it's finely polished so it doesn't abrade the face so much while doing it.
 
FlameCycle said:
I probably represent some demographic of the people sharpening at unnecessarily high grits, and it's for no other reason than that is where iam in the learning process.

At first I couldn't get sharp blades at all. Then it was on and off, one edge would come out well, the next not so much. The first few times I really achieved a good sharp result, I had gone through all the levels of stone I had available, and finished on strops. For a long while after that I just continued to sharpen all the way up as high as possible just because that was the only reliable way I knew to make my blades shave hair cleanly.

Then I learned that it was possible yo get similarly sharp results at lower grits which would still shave hair but remain toothy - I held blades others had sharpened like this, but I couldn't reproduce it. I finally realized that my problem is that I am bad at fully removing the burr at lower grits, and the reason I seemed to have to go up to such high grits for decent results was that the process of doing so was removing the burrs I created at the lower grits. I still suck at getting low grit burrs off. If I want a tooyhy edge now i progress up to a fine grit for a clean apex, then drop down to a low grit again for a couple soft passes. This extra step isn't always worth it for me so I just leave them polished for now.

So me and many other silent sharpening grasshoppers like me use high grits not due to theoretical advantages, but rather because we arent yet skilled enough to get nice edges at lower grits.
Click to expand...

Focus on reducing the pressure used on your coarser hones, as well as controlling the angle so the apex won't roll into the abrasive during honing. In tandem, those two things will make a BIG difference in the size of the burrs you're making with coarser hones, and even virtually eliminate them, when your technique becomes well-tuned.

As mentioned, if burr removal (or reduction) is the only obstacle you're fighting, you're very close to being there. :thumbup:


David
 
There are many counter-examples to the idea that higher grit hones produce sharper edges. For example, I've produces edges from a DMT 325 that were more refined than those from a GMN 20k.

However, high grit hones do provide a controlled and repeatable method to produce a sharp blade.
 
I'm with WHP, 600 but then I do a light hone with a Smith's Ceramic 1000 grit stone. Cuts anything I've ever wanted to cut.
Great discussion and good points made by all.
Rich

____________
There's intelligent life in the universe;
I just don't know where.
 
I have a variety of sharpening devices as I suspect everyone who gets into this hobby accumulates over time I started many years ago with a medium/coarse ~Indie oilstone, that was enough for my needs at the time. as things have progressed I've got into the Lansky guide rod and hone system and I've bought many add-ons. The finest grit of these is the 2000 sapphire which produces a good polished edge.
I'm always looking for quicker ways of getting an edge sharp and had a gift certificate for a big U.K. knife store so I got a Lansky 4 rod turn box with ceramic rods of 600 and 1000 grits. this is a good way of keeping knives in a sharp state but the guided system is the one I use if re-profiling, sometimes I'll polish the edge sometimes not, it's good to have the option.
I use a fair bit of 550 Paracord and for cutting this I'll either keep a lower grit toothy edge when rough cutting the starting lengths, slicing through in a pulling motion in the air as opposed to final trimming against a cutting board using a higher polished edge, sometimes even a ceramic knife. These higher finished edges I find much better - steel or ceramic - for push cutting through the550 Paracord without twisting the finished strand by a sawing motion.
It's all depending on what you want to cut, a "Traditional" style of knife, a Trapper pattern with two blades, it needn't be expensive - a Rough Rider Trapper is enough for what I use on this particular task. If I'm taking photos of a knife I'll usually sharpen it to a polished edge, 2000 grit then as high as 12000 with Micromesh on a 12"x18" granite tile.
 
I make and sharpen mostly culinary knives and as has been described here, it depends on the end use?

Husking a pineapple? A toothy edge of 120 grit and buffed then lightly stropped is the ticket to get through that fibrous outer husk. Then finish up the served cuts with a 600 grit edge.

Potatoes/tubers and the majority of veggies, I find that a 600 grit then buffed and stropped works great, Now when we get to the red meats a 600 grit is fine but one thing I' learned from a Sushi chef years ago, the more you disrupt the cells of fine fish some vegetables and meats you lessen the taste.

Over the years that piece of information has been proven to me more and more. I take edges from 7 down to 3 micron then buff with fabuluster white on a soft muslim buff..
 
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Obsessed with Edges said:
Focus on reducing the pressure used on your coarser hones, as well as controlling the angle so the apex won't roll into the abrasive during honing. In tandem, those two things will make a BIG difference in the size of the burrs you're making with coarser hones, and even virtually eliminate them, when your technique becomes well-tuned.

As mentioned, if burr removal (or reduction) is the only obstacle you're fighting, you're very close to being there. :thumbup:


David
Click to expand...
Thank you, I will!
 
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