11-09-2017, 02:44 PM
Thanks Grepper. We listen and talk to Grepper frequently because he has a lot to tell and we have a lot to learn. For us it's all about the burr and burr removal and Grepper can sniff out those last vestiges of burr from a mile away. As you can see his process is almost beyond simple but don't overlook the fact that he is also a skilled practitioner using well designed modifications to his Kally. For us, the secret to achieving that last 30 - 50 points of improvement is to get rid of that bubbly line of crud (crud; technical term for what we think represents some element of the burr) that resides only on the burr side of the edge. It's only visible to us with the aid of an optical microscope. We're still not certain why it's there or how it is formed but there is little doubt, it's there and affects the sharpness of the edge. This line of crud may be removed easily or, in some cases, might take a case of dynamite to remove. Once you dynamite the edge a significant portion of the tooth will be gone. Grind pressure seems to be a key preparatory element and that's why Grepper advocates for a couple of light passes before active burr removal steps are taken.
Grepper uses a little different set-up than we do and that, coupled with an advanced skill level, likely contributes to the ease and speed with which he turns out excellent results. We have to work at it a little harder around here. We use a guided system with our Kally as well but a little different than Greppers. We think his system is better (he's better as well) and will be rectifying that deviation soon. In the mean time, here's how we pick up and loosen the crud before the active deburring process begins. Once the grinding process is finished we turn the Kally motor off and flip the knife over to the side where the burr has formed. It's still in our angle guide. We then pull the belt down manually, belt lightly touching the edge, inch and a half or two of belt at a time, then slide the knife over, inch at a time, in the guide until we reach the other end of the blade. When we use this method we avoid chasing the crud from one side of the edge to the other (don't yet know why). Then deburr on the leather belt or a Sharp Pad. Crud and burr are gone. We make sure the edge is aligned and straight with a few strops on a Sharp Pad and we're looking at an edge 140 - 200 depending on the knife. Be it 140 or 200, if you lay your thumb on the edge a shiver will go up your spine due to the combination of sharpness and tooth in the edge.
So what's the best way? Without a doubt Greppers instructions are the ones to follow. We only propose this deviation if you're having trouble in removing crud while preserving the tooth. Thanks to Grepper and Napaknives for this thread!
Grepper uses a little different set-up than we do and that, coupled with an advanced skill level, likely contributes to the ease and speed with which he turns out excellent results. We have to work at it a little harder around here. We use a guided system with our Kally as well but a little different than Greppers. We think his system is better (he's better as well) and will be rectifying that deviation soon. In the mean time, here's how we pick up and loosen the crud before the active deburring process begins. Once the grinding process is finished we turn the Kally motor off and flip the knife over to the side where the burr has formed. It's still in our angle guide. We then pull the belt down manually, belt lightly touching the edge, inch and a half or two of belt at a time, then slide the knife over, inch at a time, in the guide until we reach the other end of the blade. When we use this method we avoid chasing the crud from one side of the edge to the other (don't yet know why). Then deburr on the leather belt or a Sharp Pad. Crud and burr are gone. We make sure the edge is aligned and straight with a few strops on a Sharp Pad and we're looking at an edge 140 - 200 depending on the knife. Be it 140 or 200, if you lay your thumb on the edge a shiver will go up your spine due to the combination of sharpness and tooth in the edge.
So what's the best way? Without a doubt Greppers instructions are the ones to follow. We only propose this deviation if you're having trouble in removing crud while preserving the tooth. Thanks to Grepper and Napaknives for this thread!