[Gottagofishn]

These days I sharpen on a 1x30 variable speed bench sander (Rikon) set at the slowest speed with belt grease. I polish the finish on my kitchen knives as I’ve read a refined edge stays sharp longer and it gives me something to do if they do get dull.
My question is, what grit do you finish knives on for other folks… both kitchen and field knives?

 

[Gottagofishn]

Wondering what others use to strop with when sharpening with belt sanders? I have been using a couple different belts, one with green rouge and .5 polycrystalline diamonds and one with Tormek honing paste with .25 Polly diamond paste. They both work well to polish but the one with green rouge works a tad better to remove the burr as the belt is a little more ridged.

 

[Gottagofishn]

Sorry for all the different posts but all different topics.
I picked up an Edge-On-Up scale for Christmas. It has a piece of media (thread of some kind) that you cut through. It measures the force it takes to cut through the media. Until I got that I would test knives by cutting through magazine paper or rolling papers to test for sharpness. And of course my forearm has no hair left. Anyway, the Edge-On-Up has changed the way I sharpen and more importantly it changed the way I finish with strops.
It is an excellent addition to my shop that I would recommend for any serious knife sharpener. It will really open your eyes and save you time, at least it did for me.

Edge-On-Up Professional Edge Tester

A Standard Test for Sharpness How sharp is the edge? That is both the most important question a sharpener can ask, and possibly the hardest to answer. There are tests like cutting paper or shaving hair that are often used to demonstrate sharpness, and they are helpful to a point, but they lack...

www.sharpeningsupplies.com

 

[Gottagofishn]

Anybody use a belt sander 8000 grit and a leather belt to finish?

Wondering where you buy your 8000 grit belt from and if it’s aluminum oxide or something else?

 

[$diesel$]

Pretty sweet tester, ggf.
I like the vid with the guys thumb all bandaged up, lol. Done that too many times to count.
I have never bought 8000 grit, but i buy my finer belts from Super Grit.
I bring my blades up to 600 g for satin finish and 1500 g for a mirror finish, then on to the buffers.
As for as edges are concerned, i go up to 600 on my worksharp, then onto the water wheel. I remove any burr and finish with white rouge on my other worksharp with the stropping attachment.
I believe that the fiber belts will give you the edge your looking for. 8000 g sounds extreme to me.
Good luck with it either way, brother.

 

[Ten Bears]

Wondering where you buy your 8000 grit belt from and if it’s aluminum oxide or something else?

I am getting info from Youtube before buying.

 

[Lazy 8]

Pretty sweet tester, ggf.
I like the vid with the guys thumb all bandaged up, lol. Done that too many times to count.
I have never bought 8000 grit, but i buy my finer belts from Super Grit.
I bring my blades up to 600 g for satin finish and 1500 g for a mirror finish, then on to the buffers.
As for as edges are concerned, i go up to 600 on my worksharp, then onto the water wheel. I remove any burr and finish with white rouge on my other worksharp with the stropping attachment.
I believe that the fiber belts will give you the edge your looking for. 8000 g sounds extreme to me.
Good luck with it either way, brother.

Y'all got some good advice here. I use my thumb nail to test for sharpness. 90 degrees to my thumbnail and drag it across. If it bites good I'll then go less than 90 to see if it still grabs a little. I don't do the hair thing.

 

[$diesel$]

Youtube is a great source of info, brother.
You might want to check out Kyle Royer's belt test on youtube, illuminating.
This young man, in my opinion, makes some of the finest knives i've ever seen. He's very smart and research's everything. You can't go wrong with his advise.
I slide mine across printer paper and if it flows through effortlessly, that's good enough by me.
No hair shaving here either, Lazy.

 

[Gottagofishn]

I picked up a Wen 10” wet/dry stone last year. I wasn’t impressed with the quality but it does work with a little fiddling. Right now I only have three kitchen knives sharpened with it. Last night I was testing sharpness with my BESS tester and seeing what impact stropping on a hanging strop with no honing compound would have on knives in the drawer and found something interesting. To start with, stropping really made a difference lowering the BESS score (lower is better). Sometimes up to 85 points!
The interesting thing was that out of all the knives I tested, those sharpened on the Wen scored better (about 30 to 40 points) than those sharpened on the bench sander. Scores on the Wen knives were in the 140 range ( utility razor blades score around 200 ) while those sharpened on the Rikon are in the 180 range.
A double edged razor blade tests around 50, high end cutlery around 300 and dull knives 500 and up.

 

[Lazy 8]

I picked up a Wen 10” wet/dry stone last year. I wasn’t impressed with the quality but it does work with a little fiddling. Right now I only have three kitchen knives sharpened with it. Last night I was testing sharpness with my BESS tester and seeing what impact stropping on a hanging strop with no honing compound would have on knives in the drawer and found something interesting. To start with, stropping really made a difference lowering the BESS score (lower is better). Sometimes up to 85 points!
The interesting thing was that out of all the knives I tested, those sharpened on the Wen scored better (about 30 to 40 points) than those sharpened on the bench sander. Scores on the Wen knives were in the 140 range ( utility razor blades score around 200 ) while those sharpened on the Rikon are in the 180 range.
A double edged razor blade tests around 50, high end cutlery around 300 and dull knives 500 and up.

It sounds like you have it down to a science.
If I've used my knife during the day, I'll pull out the strop loaded with the green oxide and give it a half dozen or so passes. Then I'll do the same with the bare horsehide. It works for me.
I'm glad you found a technique that works for you.
Keep 'em sharp!

 

[$diesel$]

Good job, fishn. Like Lazy said, what works for YOU.
I'm glad you found the wen and strop method. It works very nicely. 🤙

 

[Gottagofishn]

Good job, fishn. Like Lazy said, what works for YOU.
I'm glad you found the wen and strop method. It works very nicely. 🤙

On the Wen… do you grind with the wheel course and then grate the wheel fine or just use one or the other? Last time I used it I grated it fine. The knives came out sharp but imperfect grind marks. I’m thinking I’m going to set it back to course and see if I can clean them up a bit and then set it to 1000.
Al

 

[Lazy 8]

I'd practice on some inexpensive knives first.

 

[Ten Bears]

I am getting info from Youtube before buying.

Got my HF 1 x 30 belt grinder. Belts are on order. 220 and 400gr. Report to follow.

 

[Dovans]

Picked this up for 20 bucks at an auction. Buck... says 125 on knife.. maybe its the model?

 

[1basshunter]

This is my every day work knife.

 

[Jim white]

Got my HF 1 x 30 belt grinder. Belts are on order. 220 and 400gr. Report to follow.

HF 1×30 🤔

 

[Gottagofishn]

Got my HF 1 x 30 belt grinder. Belts are on order. 220 and 400gr. Report to follow.

Best practice… hit the dollar store and pick up a handful to practice on. A light touch will give you a flatter edge and stay cooler as you grind. You need to move the knife fairly quickly across the belt or you will screw up the temper on the apex even if you dip them in water. I’ve been using belt grease lately as that’s supposed to help reduce the heat, messy though. Ceramic belts run the coolest grinding but I haven’t found them over 120 grit.

 

[$diesel$]

On the Wen… do you grind with the wheel course and then grate the wheel fine or just use one or the other? Last time I used it I grated it fine. The knives came out sharp but imperfect grind marks. I’m thinking I’m going to set it back to course and see if I can clean them up a bit and then set it to 1000.
Al

No, i only use the course side to re flatten my stone. I use my worksharp to get me to the stone.

 

[$diesel$]

Got my HF 1 x 30 belt grinder. Belts are on order. 220 and 400gr. Report to follow.

I just bought the same one, TB. Haven't use it yet, but i bought it to help me clean up my plunge lines. Looking forward to your review, brother.