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The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need.

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  #1  
Old 07-11-2007, 09:20 AM
Paul Gibson Paul Gibson is offline
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Putting a hair popping edge on a knife

What technique do most of you use to put a wickedly sharp edge on? Water stones (what I'm currently using) take ages, and I wonder if there might be an easier/sharper solution. I'd love to get an edge where the hairs just leap out of the way.
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  #2  
Old 07-11-2007, 11:54 AM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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You'll probably get a very wide variety of answers to this question but they will all boil down to one thing: get the edge very, very thin and sharpen it in any way you can that guarantees that the angle you set is maintained on each and every stroke. That's all there is to it but that's a lot. The slightest wobble or the slightest curve to whatever you're using to sharpen with (as in a dished out stone) will prevent the formation of the edge you want.

Such edges are very cool to play with but have little real world application beyond maybe a sushi knife or a scalpel since they are not very durable. Tai Goo in the Outpost Forum said he was able to split a single hair 15 times with one of his edges.....


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  #3  
Old 07-11-2007, 11:54 AM
AcridSaint AcridSaint is offline
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Assuming you've got a belt grinder, you can put a wire edge on your knife with a wheel or a slack belt, edge facing down. You can see or feel the wire edge one the opposite side of the one you're grinding, as soon as you have it all the way across, turn the knife and to the opposite side. Then strop or buff off the wire. This works rather well, I learned it from Alan Folts and do it on an 8" wheel. I've also done it on my 4x36 in the slack section and it works ok, but not as well as the wheel in my opinion. If someone had a cheapo 1x30 with a larger slack section it might work better. You want to do the grinding slow if you can, so you don't heat up the edge.


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  #4  
Old 07-11-2007, 06:38 PM
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Mungo Park Mungo Park is offline
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I have found, if you are doing it by hand, as you get closer to finished use lighter strokes and alternate sides more frequently. When done remove the wire by stroping it on some cardboard at about a 30 degree angle, should get you a little closer anyways. Gets me hair shaving sharp anyways. I do this after the above mentioned with the belt grinder.
Cheers Ron.
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  #5  
Old 07-11-2007, 10:01 PM
Raymond Johnson Raymond Johnson is offline
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Hey Paul
Your question make my finger hurt! The version mentioned by acridsaint works well and Alan is an old friend of mine. I don't know if I taught that to him or he to me. Not that it matters.He was sharing my shop at one time and we learn a lot from one another. I have never seen anyone polish copper or nickel silver so smooth. I still have a dent in a motor housing where he hit it with his hand. There is a description of the process in David Boye's book. I think every knifemaker should have this book. My current process for sharpening working knives is 50 grit, 120 grit, sometime 220, but not offten, and then buff with a white compound of 600 grit. Sometime I grap the 1400 white compound. The buff will leave a polished area on the blade that looks like a temper line, but it's fake. You can polish it out or leave it. I like to leave it on working knives.
As for thin blades, they can be practical as long as they are used for there intended purpose. I mean you can go way to thin or you can just go maybe 10% thinner than your normal knife. I like thin blades and might make them a little thinner than I should sometimes, but that's just me.
Hope this helps


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  #6  
Old 07-12-2007, 02:16 PM
Paul Gibson Paul Gibson is offline
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Yup, this is mainly just a "to see if I can do it" kind of thing. Not expecting a really durable edge. I tried kind of a combination of what everyone here recommended - and it worked! I think my ultimate problem is that my stones are dished and I need to resurface them - but the way I ended up doing it was much much faster.

I used some cardboard wheels that I bought for this purpose from a kind of home made system that a guy sells at Smoky Mountain Knife works. I figured that that would be similar to using the 8" wheel like Acrid was talking about. One of the wheels has a fine grit on it, and the other has an ultra fine polishing compound. I had never really had much luck with it before, but the trick turned out to be:

1) I wasn't keeping my angle as constant as I needed to (thanks Ray!)
2) After I got done on the wheel, I gave it *light* strokes on the strop alternating more often. (thanks Ron!)

I think I must have been pressing too hard and turning the edge over on the strop. I was amazed by how little pressure was needed. At any rate, all said and done I was able to get it to shave without having to touch the skin - and I can't imagine ever having to actually need to get a knife that sharp. So I'm happy!

Thanks all!
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  #7  
Old 07-12-2007, 02:31 PM
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NJStricker NJStricker is offline
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If you use convex edges, you can try this:

http://www.barkriverknives.com/home.html

Look at the lower right corner for the link to convex sharpening.
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  #8  
Old 07-12-2007, 03:02 PM
AcridSaint AcridSaint is offline
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Glad things worked out for you Paul. Raymond, any friend of Alan's is a friend of mine. I try to get over to his shop just about every weekend. I don't get much work done here at home. Alan's been a great friend and teacher in the while I've known him.


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  #9  
Old 07-12-2007, 05:30 PM
Raymond Johnson Raymond Johnson is offline
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Cap Hayes
Ask him about how a anvil will slide in the back blue volkswagen trucks. It scared the crap out of both of us. And don't believe him if he tell about my drinking large amouts of yukon jack. It was moderate amounts, for a horse
Alan took me to my first sca event and I have never been the same.
Well wish him my best and learn all you can from him.
Have fun.


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