the count
Member
For a couple of years now I have been on a quest for extra sharp and/or mirror polish edges. In my arsenal I have (not a full list) Japanese wet stones, diamond files, oil stones, worksharp electric sharpening system, ceramic rod and a apex edge pro.
While I do get my knives pretty darn sharp (easy register tape slicing) with one method or another I have never succeed to get a blade arm hair shaving sharp. Some say to strop after everything else. Stopping usually has the opposite effect with me... no idea why. If I get a blade that is shaving sharp from the factory I do not mess with it.
The edge pro is a good system but tricky with any knife that has a curved blade and/or is not with a full flat grind.
The worksharp with the 20 degree guide is really foolproof. But again, it will not get my knife arm hair shaving sharp. The purple belt gives a nice finish but not even close to mirror polish.
Now to clean up a myth...a mirror polish edge does NOT necessarily mean the blade is razor sharp!
So long story short, this is what I do:
If the knife needs sharpening (really dull) do whatever works for you before you start with the polishing. Then, using blue painters tape cover up as much of the blade so only the portion is visible that you want to get polished. The better you prep the better the result will be. I use a pencil or toothpick to move the tape around a bit if needed.
I have a dremel with those 1" diameter felt wheels. I use one with green compound (somewhat coarse), and the others with white and red (finest).
Holding the wheel at about a 30 degree angle to the blade I give each side about 2 minutes on a slower speed steadily moving along the edge. Take care to hold everything tight. Then wipe clean and switch to the next compound. After the red the edge will be amazingly reflective! It will also probably be pretty dull! This is where I found a ceramic rod to be the ideal instrument to give the edge a good burr. Depending on the steel I might give each side 10-20 strokes. Angle does not seem to be too important here. I am in the 25-30 degree range. Finish off with a few really light strokes on a hong steel rod. And presto, mirror finish and sharp. Test on register tape.
While I do get my knives pretty darn sharp (easy register tape slicing) with one method or another I have never succeed to get a blade arm hair shaving sharp. Some say to strop after everything else. Stopping usually has the opposite effect with me... no idea why. If I get a blade that is shaving sharp from the factory I do not mess with it.
The edge pro is a good system but tricky with any knife that has a curved blade and/or is not with a full flat grind.
The worksharp with the 20 degree guide is really foolproof. But again, it will not get my knife arm hair shaving sharp. The purple belt gives a nice finish but not even close to mirror polish.
Now to clean up a myth...a mirror polish edge does NOT necessarily mean the blade is razor sharp!
So long story short, this is what I do:
If the knife needs sharpening (really dull) do whatever works for you before you start with the polishing. Then, using blue painters tape cover up as much of the blade so only the portion is visible that you want to get polished. The better you prep the better the result will be. I use a pencil or toothpick to move the tape around a bit if needed.
I have a dremel with those 1" diameter felt wheels. I use one with green compound (somewhat coarse), and the others with white and red (finest).
Holding the wheel at about a 30 degree angle to the blade I give each side about 2 minutes on a slower speed steadily moving along the edge. Take care to hold everything tight. Then wipe clean and switch to the next compound. After the red the edge will be amazingly reflective! It will also probably be pretty dull! This is where I found a ceramic rod to be the ideal instrument to give the edge a good burr. Depending on the steel I might give each side 10-20 strokes. Angle does not seem to be too important here. I am in the 25-30 degree range. Finish off with a few really light strokes on a hong steel rod. And presto, mirror finish and sharp. Test on register tape.
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