sharpening wow's myself

[Dennis Taylor]

I picked up a few old carving knives from a auction a week or so ago, and tonight sit down a tried to sharpen them, I am using a corian base & wet & dry sandpaper, and the blades looked pretty bad, so I started with 220 grit, the sides are flat, I have used to sheets of 220 grit, and have done both sides, but can't seem to get a bur to roll over.....if you look into the edge, you can see a glint of light, so I know it needs more, is this something normal, or did I just get a weird knives?......my fingers are worn out from the 220, maybe I should start at 150?....tks...Dennis

[Dan S]

A courser grit may be faster but the 220 should work. Is the paper getting worn? If I need to do major work on an old tool I dig out my belt sander. It turns slow and won't heat the steel too much if I am careful. This is really cheating but it does work.
On the brighter side, If the steel is that hard it should hold a nice edge.

Dan

Dan

[doris]

i have reshaped the whole bevel on my carpenter chisels to make them good for carving...i started on 60grit sandpaper, (made a jig to hold the chise in the right angle i wanted all time). then i used 100, 150, and then 400, 600, 1200...took about 30 minutes alltogether, made me a blister though, next time i wear a glove to avoid that... oh, and only with the 400 i was looking to remove the line of light completely which shows the tools yet not sharp. on the coarse grits i only focused to get the belvel right and make the eddge smaler and smaller when going to the next grit

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

If you are still at 220, jump to 400, 800, 1200 and 2000 then strop.....you don't need to worry about a burr. As long as you keep the blade flat....you are just at the first step, keep going.

[Thomp]

Originally Posted by Dennis Taylor

I picked up a few old carving knives from a auction a week or so ago, ---snip--- but can't seem to get a bur to roll over.....if you look into the edge, you can see a glint of light, so I know it needs more, is this something normal, or did I just get a weird knives?......my fingers are worn out from the 220, maybe I should start at 150?....tks...Dennis

dennis,

i think your learning a great lesson, (seeing the dull glint! is a good start)_ your knives should be alright, it is just a slow process if your not real aggressive to begin with,,
as long as you have a glint of light reflection on the sharp edge your not done sharpening yet,

i start with 100 grit wet dry unless im removing nicks,
your getting close though, 10 strokes on the right 10 on the left, repeat... check, repeat.
remember to check wear on the wet dry often, as it wears out .

wore out sandpaper means , your wasting effort... change out the wet dry sandpaper when you notice wear, its the cheapest part of this operation, keep the abrasive wet to float off the smutz,

one suggestion. i put my index finger on top the blade near the edge as i draw the blade down the wet dry abrasive dragging the cutting edge behind, it keeps the blade in full contact with the abrasive,
most blades do flex or bend a small amount if you apply pressure from the handle alone, and the work shows more close to the handle than the mid point or tip of the blade...

[Buckskin]

I have reconditioned some old/found pocket knives and it just takes time and effort when working with flat stones and sand paper. Keep at it, and you will enjoy the results of your effort.

[FK]

Use a eye loop magnifier and check the edge under 10X, you will be able to observe immediately the progress on your edge. Many also mark the edge with Sharpie marker, this will also give visual feedback on progress.

Regards,
FK

[Dennis Taylor]

Well, with the information at hand, I used a mag lamp to see the edge which really helped a lot to see the edge...I left the 220 and went to 320/400/600/800/1000/1500.......stropped & buffed......wow! looks great!....BUT the edge(blade) chipped right off!...just kind of broke away, very small but won't cut.....did I go to fine?....my recourse?...tks..Dennis

[Claude]

Sounds to me as if the metal is too brittle, which could be the result of the alloy used, or it could be that it needs to be re-tempered... Just in case, send a private message to Rick in Seattle to make sure he gets the info and ask his advice (he's busy and may not be able to read every thread in the forum...)

Claude

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

Unless you've used some power sharpening method and gotten it hot, I think it will be fine. You've just got the bevel too long. Raise the back edge of your tool/knife slightly higher and resharpen. It won't take very long. Eventually you'll reach a point where it won't chip out. Make sure you give it a REAL GOOD STROPPING after your done with the stones/sand paper/whatever you're using. You have gotten passed the problem area most beginner sharpeners have. Way to seep a bevel. All you need to do now is tweak it a bit and you'll be golden.

Optimising bevels for different woods:
Basswood and other softer woods - The tool can be sharpened with a longer bevel. (I like to add a VERY SMALL secondary bevel. Maybe just by elevating the blade a bit and giving it a couple licks on the strop)
Harder woods - Require a more acute bevel. The more acute bevel will work on basswood also, just not as "slick." You probably couldn't tell the difference if you are doing larger carvings vs the smaller hand held ones.