I've really been getting into sharpening with ever coarser grits lately in response to Mr. Grepper's quest for tooth. It's been an interesting study.
I know Mr. Grepper and others are mainly focused on belt grinders, but the only way to get a clean edge with a coarse belt will be by honing on a stationary belt. Even a Kally vaporizes steel instantly at 150 grit, and it's totally impossible to get a clean edge. The worst part about even trying this on a grinder is how quickly you will run out of blade. It might not mean much on cheap knives, but you won't get many sharpenings on a Spyderco before you will notice your blade shrinking (been there, hate it).
*This might be possible with a super low speed Viel!* Parts for mine are coming soon via Mr. Rupert, and I'm truly looking forward to finally meeting Mr. Viel on steroids!
Anyway, I don't know if y'all sharpen freehand, but I can get a totally clean edge on very coarse stones. Last night I used a 140 grit Atoma diamond plate to sharpen a "known" blade. I've been using this knife for several years. It's good old 52100, with my normal heat treat.
I have to admit, it was not easy getting a totally clean edge off a stone this coarse. It definitely requires all the skill I possess, and took me about half an hour to accomplish for the first time. I honed at 90* to the entire edge on the Atoma with Zero pressure. I removed the very minor wire edge/burr by slicing through leather, and I "stropped" on my palm to remove leather debris, and anything that didn't look like clean teeth at 30x magnification.
I was stunned with the result. I would not have guessed how sharp 140 grit can be. Push cutting paper? Sure enough! Unbelievable! Bess scores with my KN100 were kinda ragged though, from 130s to 180s along the length of the blade. This was after slicing and push cutting a few feet of thick cowhide.
I'm going to EDC this knife full time, and only touch it up on the 140 Atoma. Nothing else. No refining or "cleaning up" of the actual scratch pattern will occur. I'm going to let nature run it's course, and let the chips fall where they may.
I'm using 52100 because it's what I normally use, and I'm not going to waste time on steel that won't hold up to this difficult mission. This is one of the most challenging and unique tests I've ever done. It certainly ranks right up there with splitting hair, but with the added practicality of holding up and touching up under normal use.
I did receive a large box of belts from Tru-Grit today, with the 1x42 Blaze and Cubitron IIs in there somewhere, but I also ordered two different types of 60 grit stones last night. IMHO, stones are way more accurate and manageable for a project like this. I don't want to grind on my knives with these coarse belts until I have a machine that's capable, but I'm really looking forward to it!
I know Mr. Grepper and others are mainly focused on belt grinders, but the only way to get a clean edge with a coarse belt will be by honing on a stationary belt. Even a Kally vaporizes steel instantly at 150 grit, and it's totally impossible to get a clean edge. The worst part about even trying this on a grinder is how quickly you will run out of blade. It might not mean much on cheap knives, but you won't get many sharpenings on a Spyderco before you will notice your blade shrinking (been there, hate it).
*This might be possible with a super low speed Viel!* Parts for mine are coming soon via Mr. Rupert, and I'm truly looking forward to finally meeting Mr. Viel on steroids!
Anyway, I don't know if y'all sharpen freehand, but I can get a totally clean edge on very coarse stones. Last night I used a 140 grit Atoma diamond plate to sharpen a "known" blade. I've been using this knife for several years. It's good old 52100, with my normal heat treat.
I have to admit, it was not easy getting a totally clean edge off a stone this coarse. It definitely requires all the skill I possess, and took me about half an hour to accomplish for the first time. I honed at 90* to the entire edge on the Atoma with Zero pressure. I removed the very minor wire edge/burr by slicing through leather, and I "stropped" on my palm to remove leather debris, and anything that didn't look like clean teeth at 30x magnification.
I was stunned with the result. I would not have guessed how sharp 140 grit can be. Push cutting paper? Sure enough! Unbelievable! Bess scores with my KN100 were kinda ragged though, from 130s to 180s along the length of the blade. This was after slicing and push cutting a few feet of thick cowhide.
I'm going to EDC this knife full time, and only touch it up on the 140 Atoma. Nothing else. No refining or "cleaning up" of the actual scratch pattern will occur. I'm going to let nature run it's course, and let the chips fall where they may.
I'm using 52100 because it's what I normally use, and I'm not going to waste time on steel that won't hold up to this difficult mission. This is one of the most challenging and unique tests I've ever done. It certainly ranks right up there with splitting hair, but with the added practicality of holding up and touching up under normal use.
I did receive a large box of belts from Tru-Grit today, with the 1x42 Blaze and Cubitron IIs in there somewhere, but I also ordered two different types of 60 grit stones last night. IMHO, stones are way more accurate and manageable for a project like this. I don't want to grind on my knives with these coarse belts until I have a machine that's capable, but I'm really looking forward to it!