Pro Pack ll Mirror Edge
- This topic has 17 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 09/28/2017 at 8:27 pm by
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To get a true mirror edge, you’d have to go through a progression, probably down to at least 3 microns. A set of glass or aluminum handles with 6 and 3 micron film is one possibility, but for a newbie, I’d suggest a pair of leather strops with the 5/3.5 micron pastes. Strops are thought to be capable of producing sharper edges and the price is reasonable at $40.
Most of us who have gone to film have set the ceramic stones aside. If and when you decide to go down the film path, you might start with the 1500 grit diamond stone with glass platens on the reverse side. Then you might elect to get one set of glass or aluminum platens to set you up for a total of 3 film grits and I’d recommend 6 micron for the back side of the 1500 stone, with 3 and 1.5 micron film on the next pair of handles.
Glass versus Aluminum? I have done a lot of glass/film work and accidentally ended up with a pair of the Aluminum handles. I had ordered a blank set of handles but got the Aluminum by mistake. I kept them, flattened them and used them with film. I liked them so much, I set all my glass stones aside and made a complete set of brass platens. I found I was scratching the sides of the knives with the sloppy use of glass platens and the Aluminum and bass are too soft to do much damage. Problem solved.
I think opinions differ a bit on what exactly is a mirror edge. You can always refine an edge further. At some stage we call it “mirror”.
The easiest and most fail-safe way now is to use the entire progression of diamond stones and films (although there is currently some discussion about the 1 micron and the 0.5-micron lapping film.) And maybe then continue with very fine stropping compounds.
But there are cheaper options for obtaining a mirror edge. When I got my first WE, there were no lapping films, no 1500 grit diamond stones, and no very fine ceramic stones. What I did was sharpen my knife until 1000 grit and then strop with the 5 and 3,5-micron pastes. And I got what I would call a mirror edge. The jump from the 1000 grit stone (10 microns) to the 5 microns strop may seem pretty large, but the WE stropping pastes seem to burnish the edge, which is great if you want a mirror edge. In case you’re interested, I wrote a couple of blog posts on this phenomenon: https://moleculepolishing.wordpress.com/category/stropping/https://moleculepolishing.wordpress.com/category/stropping/
By the way, I think the ceramic stones are underrated a bit on the forum currently. They work fine, just a little slower than the diamond stones.
Success in obtaining your first mirror edge!
Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge
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Welcome sfbjr22! The first Wicked Edge set-up I purchased was the Pro Pack II. After some time, practice and stone break-in I did achieve my first “mirror edge”. (A shiny, highly reflective bevel edge like a mirror, it was not perfect but it has shiny). You will be able to do it. There is a bit of a learning curve and you’ll need to develop a technique that works for you. I’d say it was probably 10 knives into this journey that I started to see that I could indeed do it. That’s when I really started to apply proper technique, and really started paying attention to what I was doing, because I finally understood what it was about. Good luck to you.
Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)Thanks you for the responses. I ordered the pro pack 2 with the 6 and 3 lapping film. Not going to use the lapping film until I break in the stones
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I think you’re going to be quite happy with the set you purchased. The lapping films will get you into mirrored edge territory and you can finish it off with the strops for a shinny, sharp, refined edge. Let us know how it goes on the first few knives. If you run into any issues the people on the forum are great with troubleshooting.
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Thanks you for the responses. I ordered the pro pack 2 with the 6 and 3 lapping film. Not going to use the lapping film until I break in the stones
Thats’s smart! If I were you and I had some money left, I’d add a strop with some 1 micron and 0.5 micron paste. That would truely give you a mirror edge as well as allow you to get an even sharper edge (mainly deburring).
If I’m not mistaken, the PP2 already includes the 1/0.5 micron strops.
Yes it does come with the 1 and 0.5 micron and I will definitely be using them. Thank you guys for the help
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When would a mirror polish be ideal for a knife? For what uses is a mirror better? I’ve been reading that for a work knife to go to 1000 grit and leave a nice toothy edge that it will hold that edge for longer than a mirror polish. Is this the case?
I think the right question is “When would a mirror edge not be ideal?” There are certain materials which tend to have a very low coefficient of friction with a polished surface. An example is nylon rope. The fibers easily deform to match the profile of the edge and a mirror edge will tend to slide right over it, without cutting any fibers.
There are many examples of materials which are cut most easily by a polished edge, as it promotes penetration. The friction of a non-polished bevel can inhibit the ease of penetration, creating a drag between the two materials.
Most factory edges are sharpened by a relatively low-grit sanding belt or grinding wheel, then polished lightly on a buffing wheel or strop. The low-grit provides a toothy edge, while the polishing reduces the drag of a rough surface bevel. You don’t really need a mirror polish down to a flat bevel – just polish the grind lines which stand proudest. I have four or five examples of scalpel blades. It looks like they’ve been ground with about 600 grit on both sides, then polished only on one side. Here are the photos:
First, the polished side.
Then the non-polished side.
To drive home the principle of polished versus non-polished, try cutting paper with fairly wide-beveled knife; first as sharpened to 600 grit. Then polish the bevels on that same knife and try cutting the paper again.
This is all well and good, but I like sharpening to at least 1000 grit, then polishing to 6 or 3 micron film. The edge looks good and feels sharp, but won’t easily cut certain materials, like nylon rope or even beef tenderloin. To solve this, I’ll add a 1000-grit micro-bevel to restore the “toothy” edge. This is done at about 3 degrees more angle and maybe three very, very light stokes with the 1000-grit diamond stones. Works for me. Now I’ve got the polished bevels which will slide easily through the material being cut, as well as a toothy edge to bite into the fibers of that material.
Thanks you. This is very informative. I will give this a shot when my WE gets in
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I think that hits the nail on the head, Tom. And I have seldom seen it written so clearly as here. The only thing I might disagree is certain types of meat (beef tenderloin). Maybe thus is due to our different cutting styles.
You’re probably right – I could have picked a tougher cut of meat. Another factor is the direction of the muscle fibers. I think you’re also more accustomed to very thin edges with low bevel angles, which will cut almost anything. I remember being absolutely shocked to see that my first WE – sharpened knives wouldn’t cut meat worth a darn. Wide bevels, high angles and no tooth were the culprits.
Another example of a wide, tooth-less, polished edge failing to cut as expected would be the skin on a tomato. WTH?
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