Sandpaper sharpening

miso2

miso2

Joined
Nov 19, 2014
Messages
2,633
Hi all,

I am currently experimenting to sharpen my knives with sandpaper glued on Edge Pro blanks. So far, I really like the result. Very quick and efficient with fresh sandpaper.

If you practice something similar, please let me know your settings and tricks.
Thanks!
 
I've used it, but only to put a mirror polish on edges.
1200 grit wet/dry silicon carbide. Works great.
 
Pretty much what the polishing tapes are. Are you using the Polish Tape Blanks so they are 1/4" thick?
 
D Diemaker
Yes. I use a couple of them. Polishing tapes are OK, but they are mostly aluminum oxide.
Sandpaper gives me silicone carbide and low grit (<#1000) options.
Oh and they are CHEAP!
 
Check out the links through my signature. Wet/dry is occasionally underrated for sharpening. Has limitations and bonuses that can be managed.

The negatives are no different than those for lapping films and softer waterstones - really does a great job with some familiarity, especially on HSS and other higher alloy steels compared to AlumOx abrasives.

Edit:
best results from using dry and cleaning the paper often with an eraser or synthetic cork. On a system where the swarf can fall away instead of gravity clogging the paper you can go longer without cleaning. Light applied pressure also crucial to long life of paper. If you press too hard or try to jump too far in a progression, life of paper will suffer.
 
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miso2 said:
Hi all,

I am currently experimenting to sharpen my knives with sandpaper glued on Edge Pro blanks. So far, I really like the result. Very quick and efficient with fresh sandpaper.

If you practice something similar, please let me know your settings and tricks.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

Nah dude, nah.
 
Not as a primary means of sharpening, but I have stropped on Trizact 3K and 5K sheets.
 
HeavyHanded said:
Check out the links through my signature. Wet/dry is occasionally underrated for sharpening. Has limitations and bonuses that can be managed.

The negatives are no different than those for lapping films and softer waterstones - really does a great job with some familiarity, especially on HSS and other higher alloy steels compared to AlumOx abrasives.

Edit:
best results from using dry and cleaning the paper often with an eraser or synthetic cork. On a system where the swarf can fall away instead of gravity clogging the paper you can go longer without cleaning. Light applied pressure also crucial to long life of paper. If you press too hard or try to jump too far in a progression, life of paper will suffer.
Click to expand...


Thank you, HeavyHanded. Indeed, I checked out your Washboard sharpening web site. Very nice.
So far, I have tried only wet sandpaper from #240 to #800. Instead of cleaning them, I replace them often.
Seems quite efficient.
I will dull a knife completely and see how long it would take to get back a polished edge from #240 to #2,000, and then diamond strop at 1 micron.
 
miso2 said:
Thank you, HeavyHanded. Indeed, I checked out your Washboard sharpening web site. Very nice.
So far, I have tried only wet sandpaper from #240 to #800. Instead of cleaning them, I replace them often.
Seems quite efficient.
I will dull a knife completely and see how long it would take to get back a polished edge from #240 to #2,000, and then diamond strop at 1 micron.
Click to expand...

If the knife is really dull, drop right down to 120 grit to start. That first bit of work is 80% of all cumulative wear on all your papers.

Once the bevel is set the wear on following grits in the progression is pretty mild. I believe this is where people struggle with killing paper rapidly, trying to make it do too much work at a given grit.

In all reality, if people aren't doing a ton of sharpening the use of wet/dry is a great option. Can't be beat for convenience and the price compares pretty well too. When preparing edges for testing I prefer it to using stones, as SiC wet/dry tends to make a very consistent edge in terms of characteristics across a wider range of steels than AlumOx or diamond abrasives.
 
For hogging off metal at very low grit of 220 or lower, more durable aluminum oxide options can be found in other types of sandpaper (aside from wet/dry types) found at the home center, and in particular, sanding/grinding belts cut at the seam and laid flat. Some 'toughened' varieties of belts and papers utilize zirconia-alumina abrasives (zirconia is the toughening agent), which I've found are very, very fast at hogging away metal at low grit, and also a lot more durable and much longer lasting than comparable SiC wet/dry papers, as the aluminum oxide abrasive isn't nearly as friable as silicon carbide. Grit sizes get down to 150, 120 and even 80, which can work fast to do heavy grinding work. I used a 150-grit zirconia-alumina belt (3" x 21") cut, laid flat and glued onto a 24-inch board, to regrind a broken tip on a ZDP-189 blade. Took about 15-20 minutes working the spine side, using tip-trailing strokes along the length of the belt.

At medium-to-higher grits from ~ 220 up through 1000 or so, I'd still prefer the SiC for refining to cleaner edges, especially on somewhat wear-resistant steels. Very wear-resistant steels with fairly heavy vanadium content will always refine/polish better using diamond/cbn options.


David
 
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Thank you for the input, David. I will see if Zirc Alumina options are available in my area.

For heavy reprofiling, I am thinking of using primarily #150 diamond stone, But if there is good <#150 paper, it would be great.
 
I've been taping 1000, 1500, and 2000 grit to my WE paddles until my ceramics come in. It worked pretty well. I also decided to keep the convex edge on my Lionsteel TiSpine so I've been maintaining with 3000 Trizact sheet with good success.
 
I don't get much use from most sand paper. As I tend to cut into it and my sheet is ruined. Now on the belts, (some of my used or damaged belts early on) I can use with good success. And, I have the zirconia belts which are very good when used like a stone. Laid over wood or glass. Agreed, the aluim. oxide are much better, longer lasting & not as friable as SiC grit. I'll grant the SiC grit will cut the vanadium steels better,- s30v, s60v, ect.. So, on those I just bite the bullet and use my stone. DM
 
I did some convex sharpening with sandpaper on the Wicked Edge a few years back...taped it to the leather with "removable double stick tape”. From 120g-2000g, if I remember right. Worked great.

UoRW0x2.jpg


Sandpaper works well to sharpen... but keep in mind it seems cheap but over time will probably cost more than a decent stone, and because it wears down, you have to pay attention to the “level of finish” you’re actually getting. Stones are usually more consistent. (And can be a bit messy).

But on the EP, especially with finer grits... it can be a bit cheaper & easier way to get a polished bevel, if that’s the direction you’re headed.
 
cbwx34 cbwx34
Thank you for sharing your experience. The edge looks great! May I ask why you gave up on it?

I am not going for a polished edge, but am trying just for experimentation.
The main reason I am testing sandpaper sharpening is that with stones I have to make sure their flatness and surface freshness every time. These issues would be negligible with sandpaper, if I can mount them flat on a hard surface with removable glue.
 
miso2 said:
cbwx34 cbwx34
Thank you for sharing your experience. The edge looks great! May I ask why you gave up on it?

I am not going for a polished edge, but am trying just for experimentation.
The main reason I am testing sandpaper sharpening is that with stones I have to make sure their flatness and surface freshness every time. These issues would be negligible with sandpaper, if I can mount them flat on a hard surface with removable glue.
Click to expand...

Mostly just an experiment.

I think you’ll find, after a while, that sandpaper is more “fussy” than maintaining a stone. My experience anyway. Coarse grits can wear quickly, tear one, and you have to stop and replace, etc. Keeping a stone “flat and fresh”... is pretty easy, once you get in the habit.
 
Thanks for the heads-up.
I have not done any heavy sharpening with low-grit paper yet, so I have to see if I find the same.
If it doesn't work well, I would try coarse stones (~#240)-fine paper (>#400) combination.
 
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