coarse or mirror polished edges ?

[STAK]

:spyder: I was considering lately about the mirror polish edges and if that can be relative to the steel of the blade :eek: . . . . I reprofiled several SPIDIES with different blade steels to a variety of angles up to 6000grit with my EDGE-PRO (RPO) . . . . Some of them, mostly 'high-steels' or 'super-steels', have been coarse polished by me up to 600grit because i think they work better as they cut more aggressive, and some of them, mostly 'regular-steels', have been mirror polished by me up to 6000grit because i think they work longer as they don't have much 'saw-teeth' :cool: . . . . What do you think about this ? :) . . . . :spyder:

[.357 mag]

I like polished edges!!!

[Dr. Snubnose]

I think you got it right...mirror polish for long lasting results and coarse for a little more aggressive toothy feel cutting....I like both....but I love it the most when the whole edge and bevels, the whole knife for that matter is all high mirror polished...but that's just for the eye candy appeal of it....Doc :D

[Ankerson]

Someplace in the middle is really the best balance from the testing that I have done, right around the 16 Micron level, that's semi-polished.

[Frapiscide]

I like polished edges. They tend to last longer in my work and look more handsome.

[phaust]

Depends on the steel. D2 I will only go coarse and finish with a few passes on a strop, at most going to a red dot DMT stone (25 micron according to DMT) and then hit it with chromium oxide on leather. A steel like ATS34 or VG10 I will put a mirror finish on.

[STAK]

I like polished edges!!!

:spyder: Me too, and all of us IMO :D . . . . Thanks for your thoughts :) . . . . :spyder:

[STAK]

I think you got it right...mirror polish for long lasting results and coarse for a little more aggressive toothy feel cutting....I like both....but I love it the most when the whole edge and bevels, the whole knife for that matter is all high mirror polished...but that's just for the eye candy appeal of it....Doc :D

:spyder: Realy Dr, if i had the tools and the time to spent, i should mirror-polished a few of my blades . . . . And then the only thing i could do with them :confused: just touch and stare :eek: . . . . Thanks for revealing to me that dream :) . . . . :spyder:

[STAK]

Someplace in the middle is really the best balance from the testing that I have done, right around the 16 Micron level, that's semi-polished.

:spyder: Can you convert Micron to grits so i can understand that semi-polished edge you are talking about? :confused: . . . . You are always like 'secret from the source' :eek: . . . . Nice talking to you :) . . . . :spyder:

[STAK]

I like polished edges. They tend to last longer in my work and look more handsome.

:spyder: Totally agree with you :D . . . . She's got the looks :cool: . . . . :spyder:

[STAK]

Depends on the steel. D2 I will only go coarse and finish with a few passes on a strop, at most going to a red dot DMT stone (25 micron according to DMT) and then hit it with chromium oxide on leather. A steel like ATS34 or VG10 I will put a mirror finish on.

:spyder: I do exactly the same , except for the strop-thing :rolleyes: . . . . I usualy put a micro-bevel on all my blades free-hand, so when the edge needs some sharpening i do again the same, using SPYDERCO fine and ultrafine rods :) . . . . :spyder:

[dbcad]

I'm not as experienced as many folks here, but it makes sense to me that a polished edge will cut better if only due to decreased friction of the media being cut across the edge.

I am continuously striving for more polished edges. With time I'll develop the skill and have the materials to achieve it to my satisfaction, I'm not there yet :) This is only my choice. Others have their preferences and those preferences are equally valid :)

[ChapmanPreferred]

It depends on how much time I have to devote to sharpening.

Lately I have been favoring a more coarse edge that has been power stropped.

:)

[STAK]

I'm not as experienced as many folks here, but it makes sense to me that a polished edge will cut better if only due to decreased friction of the media being cut across the edge.

I am continuously striving for more polished edges. With time I'll develop the skill and have the materials to achieve it to my satisfaction, I'm not there yet :) This is only my choice. Others have their preferences and those preferences are equally valid :)

:spyder: Truth is that a coarse edge will cut better and more aggressive, because if you can see the edge under microscope, it is like having 'saw-teeth' or better SPYDER-EDGE :eek: . . . . A high polished edge will cut easier and with less pressure but not as aggressively as coarse-edge does . . . . IMO it depends on your EDC tasks and/or how you like your blade finish to be :cool: . . . . Thanks for being here :) . . . . :spyder:

[DaHolla]

It depends on how much time I have to devote to sharpening.

Lately I have been favoring a more coarse edge that has been power stropped.

:)

What exactly is "Power stropped"?

[STAK]

It depends on how much time I have to devote to sharpening.

Lately I have been favoring a more coarse edge that has been power stropped.

:)

:spyder: So true :D . . . . Time is difficult to find , specially these days :eek: . . . . Thanks for your reply :) . . . . :spyder:

[ChapmanPreferred]

I use a slotted paper wheel with an abrasive paste or compound on the surface. It is rotating away from the edge at 3450 rpm. I typically do not leave a burr when I use the Sharpmaker however I work up a burr with an abrasive of some sort, and I am certain not to have one once I'm finished with the strop.

[STAK]

Someplace in the middle is really the best balance from the testing that I have done, right around the 16 Micron level, that's semi-polished.

:spyder: Just found it, 16 Micron is around 1,125 grit . . . . Nice combination of coarse and polished edge :cool: . . . . My former EDC MANIX2 154CM HG has 1000grit polished edge (almost 18 Micron), and works just fine :D . . . . :spyder:

[jackknifeh]

:spyder: Truth is that a coarse edge will cut better and more aggressive, because if you can see the edge under microscope, it is like having 'saw-teeth' or better SPYDER-EDGE :eek: . . . . A high polished edge will cut easier and with less pressure but not as aggressively as coarse-edge does . . . . IMO it depends on your EDC tasks and/or how you like your blade finish to be :cool: . . . . Thanks for being here :) . . . . :spyder:

This is correct IMO especially about the coarse (toothy) edge. I think that has a great advantage with string/rope. Same theory as the serrated edge without the serrations. Also, a toothy edge is great in the kitchen for tomatoes and such. The tiny teeth will cut the skin of a tomato better than a non-toothy edge. Even though it may be razor sharp and will do the job a toothy edge will do better for thin skinned food. I am NOT a chef and only know a little abot food prep.

One thing that I'm worried about (a little) with higher end steel is chipping when using a toothy edge. Example: ZDP-189 chips easier than some steel so if you sharpen a ZDP blade with a toothy edge it seems to me that the teeth will chip off a lot quicker than a VG-10 blade for example leaving a duller edge. I haven't tried testing this theory but it seems possible. I have an Edge Pro also and was surprised to be able to get a hair popping edge after using the 220 stone. That stone left a toothy edge that would perform like an edge sharpened to 1000 grit or higher it seemed. The mirror bevel is a different issue that it seems to me has little to do with cutting performance on a daily basis in the real world (for my anyway). I love the mirror bevel look though so I usually put one on my knives. I haven't gotten very good using the EP tapes so I use strops with DMT diamond paste down to 1 micron after using the 1000 grit stone.

So, it seems possible to me that a GREAT edge would be the result of sharpening a knife putting a mirror polish on the back bevels of whatever angle you want, then raise the angle between two to five degrees and put a small edge bevel using the 220 stone to put a toothy edge on the blade. Mirror bevel to reduce resistance (even if only a little) against what you are cutting and a toothy edge to cut aggrssively. On a Sharpmaker I think you could use the 30 degree angle for the mirror bevels and the 40 degree angle and use the coarse stones.

I'm no expert and am learning every day but this makes sense to me. :confused:

Jack

[STAK]

This is correct IMO especially about the coarse (toothy) edge. I think that has a great advantage with string/rope. Same theory as the serrated edge without the serrations. Also, a toothy edge is great in the kitchen for tomatoes and such. The tiny teeth will cut the skin of a tomato better than a non-toothy edge. Even though it may be razor sharp and will do the job a toothy edge will do better for thin skinned food. I am NOT a chef and only know a little abot food prep.

One thing that I'm worried about (a little) with higher end steel is chipping when using a toothy edge. Example: ZDP-189 chips easier than some steel so if you sharpen a ZDP blade with a toothy edge it seems to me that the teeth will chip off a lot quicker than a VG-10 blade for example leaving a duller edge. I haven't tried testing this theory but it seems possible. I have an Edge Pro also and was surprised to be able to get a hair popping edge after using the 220 stone. That stone left a toothy edge that would perform like an edge sharpened to 1000 grit or higher it seemed. The mirror bevel is a different issue that it seems to me has little to do with cutting performance on a daily basis in the real world (for my anyway). I love the mirror bevel look though so I usually put one on my knives. I haven't gotten very good using the EP tapes so I use strops with DMT diamond paste down to 1 micron after using the 1000 grit stone.

So, it seems possible to me that a GREAT edge would be the result of sharpening a knife putting a mirror polish on the back bevels of whatever angle you want, then raise the angle between two to five degrees and put a small edge bevel using the 220 stone to put a toothy edge on the blade. Mirror bevel to reduce resistance (even if only a little) against what you are cutting and a toothy edge to cut aggrssively. On a Sharpmaker I think you could use the 30 degree angle for the mirror bevels and the 40 degree angle and use the coarse stones.

I'm no expert and am learning every day but this makes sense to me. :confused:

Jack

:spyder: Very interesting, all the things you wrote Jack :) . . . . Very true about tomatos, a mirror polished edge won't cut any tomato skin, ropes too . . . . This is what i usualy do, either my blade has a mirror polished edge or a coarse edge, i put a micro-bevel using SPYDERCO FINE rod so i have this toothy edge on, to some of my reprofiled blades :D . . . . Nice talking to you Jack :) . . . . :spyder: