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Fit & Finish Fit and Finish = the difference in "good art" and "fine art." Join in, as we discuss the fine art of finish and embellishment.

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  #1  
Old 06-25-2012, 10:49 PM
rdnkfireman2001 rdnkfireman2001 is offline
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Join Date: May 2012
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Final edge sharpening

Hey guys just another question . I have made 3 knives , and gotten them back form heat treat , i was wondering how you go about putting your final edge on your knives ? i have files , i have a lansky shapening set , and i have a 1 " x 30 " table top belt sander . I am attempting to put the final edge on my knives , but it has taken me days on the one im working on doing it with the lansky set , and im still not even close . I was wondering how could i go about perhaps some kind of jig for my little sander to do the bulk of it for me , so i can just finish them off with the lansky ? i havent used the sander on them since i got them back for fear of not having a way to ensure i ge the angle right , and even on both sides . Thank you in advance for your advice .

Justin
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  #2  
Old 06-26-2012, 12:09 AM
metal99 metal99 is offline
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I would use the belt sander with care not to over heat the blade. Dip it in water after each pass. There are people that have made jigs but with a little practice you'll nail it on the belt sander.
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  #3  
Old 06-26-2012, 03:18 AM
Ed Tipton Ed Tipton is offline
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Rdnkfireman2001...Welcome to the forum.
You've already discovered what it is to try and sharpen the blade after it has been heat treated. Once heat treated, the steel should be both hard and tough...so any attempt to sand, grind, file, drill, or otherwise move metal is going to meet with considerable resistance.
There are two things working against you here.
The first thing is doing everything in your power to obtain the best possible blade geometry prior to the heat treatment. Doing this assures that the amount of material to be removed post-heat treat is minimal. If the blade has been properly prepared, the edge geometry should be reduced to about the thickness of a dime (.030"), and all stress risers removed, and the finish nearly finalized, and all holes drilled. The heat treated blade will require some final stock removal...but it should be kept to the absolute minimum.
The second thing is you need to gain confidence and proficiency in grinding. There is only one way to do this and it is practice, practice, and more practice.
My suggestion would be to get a few sticks of mild steel and practice grinding until you get a feel for what it takes, and how fast it happens. Once you graduate to the hard stuff...things will slow down somewhat, but you'll get the idea.
You are correct in fearing the belt grinder. power tools do two things...they enable you to finish work easily and quickly...and they enable you to screw up a perfectly good blade just as quickly.....but in my opinion, they are necessary tools working with modern steels. Become familiar with the belt sander...it is your best friend, but respect it's double edged sword qualities.
Again....practice, and set the Lansky aside. You're no where near being ready for it yet.

Last edited by Ed Tipton; 06-26-2012 at 03:23 AM.
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  #4  
Old 06-26-2012, 08:52 AM
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TexasJack TexasJack is offline
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Originally Posted by Ed Tipton View Post
.... power tools do two things...they enable you to finish work easily and quickly...and they enable you to screw up a perfectly good blade just as quickly....
That.


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Old 06-26-2012, 09:48 AM
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Eli Jensen Eli Jensen is offline
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I'm not great at putting an edge on with belts. I use them to get as close as I can and then true it up with the Lansky. I have the Arkansas set so I feel your pain. I ordered an extra coarse diamond stone for it that should help get the base angle, and then true it up with the finer stones.
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  #6  
Old 11-23-2012, 09:45 AM
JETER JETER is offline
 
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try this system:

http://www.tormek.com/en/machines/index.php
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  #7  
Old 01-26-2013, 09:39 PM
thales thales is offline
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I use a combination of belt grinder and buffer. Before trying this on anything valuable, I would practice plenty on scrap steel and cheapo import knives. Some of those are practically impossible to sharpen by hand on stone and steel, but can come out OK using a belt grinder if you have practiced a bit.

Developing a smooth hand motion and consistent angle along the curve of the blade are crucial techniques. Don't let the blade linger, especially near the point, or it will likely overheat. Keep a big enough container of water right next to the grinder and cool the blade after every pass. If the edge is really coarse and poorly formed, you could start with a pretty big grit. If the edge is near a millimeter wide, I would start with about 120 grit, and use it only briefly before changing to finer grits, gradually progressing to 600-1000 or so, depending on how much trouble you want to take.

You need to be able to make and perceive the "wire edge" somehow, maybe through magnified vision or by touch. When you have gotten an even wire edge along the length of the knife, it is time to strop or buff the edge using white rouge or jeweler's rouge on a leather belt or buffing wheel. Either one works fine, and they both use pretty much the same grit. The idea here is that the device used to apply the grit is resilient and curves slightly around the edge as it is applied, so that the wire edge is removed leaving a very clean true edge.

I too have spent hours with one knife on a progression of stones trying to get that perfect edge. With the power tools I mentioned it takes five or ten minutes to get a hair popping edge. After a little practice, that is.
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Old 01-28-2013, 11:50 PM
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Quote:
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That.
Wisdom!


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  #9  
Old 03-07-2013, 08:08 PM
rachet197 rachet197 is offline
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set of DMT stones.
they have a extra extra coarse that is 100 grit!
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