Tactical Texture LLC

[Tactical Texture LLC]

Mikedoh wrote:

This may be helpful from Cliff Stamps forum. http://www.cliffstamp.com/knives/forum/read.php?6,65592

Thanks for the link!  Looks like I’m going to have to do some experimenting with this steel on my own once I pull the trigger on it.  Looks like the biggest challenge is getting it sharp without chipping the apex.  With the combination of diamonds/ceramics and diamond films I’m sure I’ll find a recipe someday!

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Organic wrote:

In the OP from that thread he says he used the Atoma plates. Aren’t those diamond based?

The Atoma’s are aftermarket stones.  They are a type of diamond, but different that the WE stock stones.

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I go from the 1K to the 1500/6micron.  That will give you the start of a very nice edge.  I finish off a mirrored edge with the 3 and 1.5 micron and call it more than good.

I have the ceramics, but the tapes just do such an amazing job so quickly that I haven’t really played with them much.

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sksharp, Organic

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OK I just picked up a set of Micro Fine Ceramics to do some experimenting with, and had 3 quick questions about them:

1.) Besides the Super Eraser, is there anything else I should use to clean these?

2.) Should avoid using anything on these to clean them (soapy water/ceramic cleaners/hydrochloric acid, etc.)  Yes, I’m kidding about the acid.

3.) Finally, is there a way to tell (visually) when these are broken in, or a ball park number of knives they need to do before they are broken in?

Thanks!

Mike…

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sksharp

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sksharp,

Thanks again for the info both on here and via PM.

One quick question if I may.  You say that you like the edge the micro ceramic’s give.  Can you describe the difference between the edge using the 1500 diamonds vs the micro ceramics?  Is it a matter of toothiness vs. smooth, or just a difference in felt sharpness?

Thanks!

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sksharp

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sksharp wrote:

…. I am however finishing with a 1500 diamond stone so that my have some effect as well. So far when I use 1.4/.6 ceramic I have not stropped those edges because I love the way that edge performs. I’ll try stropping one with kangaroo and see what effect it has. Also micro-beveling will help because you don’t have to drop 2 deg. especially with the harder leather. Just curious.

I don’t think I understand what you mean here.  Are you saying that you are finishing your normal progression with the 1500’s at the same angle, and then using the 1.4/.6 to micro bevel, or are you using the same angle all the way through the 1.4/.6 ceramics and not doing a micro bevel?

Also, did you lap either side of your micro ceramic stones, or just use them as is???

Thanks!

 

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sksharp

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Mark76 wrote:

If you use a microbevel of 5 degrees, the thickness of the knife right at the edge will be quite a bit thicker than just above. Even though this might not cause wedging, it won’t improve your results.

I hear you.  When I learned about micro-beveling, I read and thought the rule was +5 degrees.  When I tried doing that, the cutting performance dropped off so sharply I thought I was doing it wrong.  It looks like it was just the angle I was using that was wrong.  I’m sure that there are probably situations (steel type, use, etc.) where that much of a difference is possibly needed, but I’m REALLY glad you started this thread to put this technique back on my radar and I’m sure with much improved results the next time I try it on my EDC blade!

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sksharp

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Just wanted to check back in to see if you decided to get the diamond films, or if the stropping on cardboard worked well enough?

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Great thread!

The interesting thing about the posts so far is that you guys are using a pretty small difference in angle between the main and micro. I always thought a micro bevel was 5 degrees steeper than the main, and after trying that, I stayed away from them as I was unimpressed with the results.  I like the idea of only going 2-3 degrees steeper, as I think that would retain a lot more of the cutting ability while still adding enough “meat” to the edge to keep it from chipping.  I’m looking forward to playing with this shallower angle the next time I sharpen my EDC.

For those that have used a 5 degree steeper micro, were you impressed with the results enough to continue using that angle???

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sksharp

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tcmeyer wrote:

Tactical Texture LLC wrote:

Awesome advice TC, and thanks for posting! I’m curious as to why you only use the 9 micron after the 1K when going for a higher sharpness level? Does the 6/3 combo not completely polish out the scratches from the 1K? I understand going all the way down to 0.1, but was just wondering why you only use the 9 micron when doing a full progression.

I do this because while the 6 micron film does really well in erasing the scratches from the 1000-grit stones, it’s a pretty wide spread from the 1000’s and would take longer to repair the 1000-grit edge damage than the 9 micron. Please understand that I haven’t done an extensive series of experiments to prove this; it just makes sense to me.

Makes sense to me, too.  I have the 1500/glass platen, so I think the jump from 1500 to 6 micron *may* be doable there.  I’ll do some experimenting and get back to you guys!

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Awesome advice TC, and thanks for posting!

I’m curious as to why you only use the 9 micron after the 1K when going for a higher sharpness level?  Does the 6/3 combo not completely polish out the scratches from the 1K?  I understand going all the way down to 0.1, but was just wondering why you only use the 9 micron when doing a full progression.

 

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Mark76 wrote:

Great work! What knife is that, Josh?

This is actually an Inkosi.  You can tell by the floating pin (the one to the Right of the pivot).

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Yes you are.

This isn’t just a forum… It’s a support group!

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tcmeyer wrote:

For me, scrubbing strokes are simply a big time saver. You can do twenty up-down scrubbing strokes in less time than it would take to do twenty single-direction strokes. Since the stone never loses contact with the edge, you don’t need the care required to make subsequent strokes. The seconds (or fractions of a second) you spend repositioning your stones for the next stroke are lost time.

Won’t the scrubbing strokes (especially with the 100/200/400 grit) damage the edge?  Or are you saying that you only scrub with the higher grits?

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Thanks Tom, and you touched on a point that I missed in my OP, which was: At the higher grits.

I figure if you are trying to re-profile a blade and are hogging off a lot of metal, as long as you stop and switch to edge leading before you actually get to the weak part (the very edge), you should probably be fine with the edge trailing as it seems to be faster for me.  Going to the higher grits (800/1K), it seems more like you are refining the edge than actually creating it, which is where this technique probably shines by allowing the least possible damage to occur.

*EDIT: I just re-read my reply and realized it probably wasn’t clear.  What I meant was that I can see how doing all edge leading is important at the lower grits to minimize damage to the blade, just as Tom illustrated with his picture.  My question was that once you get to the higher grits (800/1K) are you switching to alternating strokes more as a refining/polishing technique since there is less potential for damage?

 

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