Microbevels

So I am starting to think I haven't been making them right on my edge pro, or, at the very least, have been working too hard at making them and crave some advice from more experienced edge pro folks:

What I basically do for softer steels like in a Victorinox is first thin it by running through a progression up to 1000 grit at say 15 degrees, raising a burr at each stage. Then I lift the edge pro to 20 degrees and raise a burr at 1000 at 20 degrees, then I use a 1200 grit stone and a polishing tape to polish to finish the 20 degree angle.

Is this overkill for the microbevel? It occasionally seems like this process makes the microbevel a bit too large when I look at it under a microscope.

For example, can I just make a handful of strokes at 1000 grid and be done with it? Is there any real advantage to going up to finer grits on my microbevel?

TIA

when i make my microbevels i just use between a 3000-10000 grit stone depending on the knife and steel but as far as i know the idea is to take off as little metal as possible and form a very small bevel nothing large it just a reinforcement. therefore using higher grit stones you take off less metal and have more accurate control over the microbevel i may be wrong though im no sharpening veteren

I too use just my high grit stones, I dont have victorinox, but on others when I want a micro, I use either my highest grit or highest 2 grit stone that I used to sharpen the knife.

Not edgepro, but freehanding I just put one on with my final stone in the progression.

chinacats said:

Not edgepro, but freehanding I just put one on with my final stone in the progression.

Click to expand...

+1
That being said, my progression with soft stainless is very, very short: Chosera 400, and a few very light stropping - edge trailing - strokes on a Chosera 800.

I think your sequence should be great for the Victorianox/ Forschners . Sometimes I strop with a 2000 grit Shapton Pro and bc paste on Forshners. Nice toothy edge but I think stropping extends the life of the edge.

When I used an EP for sharpening a Japanese knives I would backbevel at 12 degs (ish) and then create a primary cutting edge (micro-bevel) at 15 deg (ish) using ONLY polishing stones or tapes. I feel that doing a micro bevel with a coarse stone makes for a big ole wire edges that don't hold up whereas using your polishing stones (or tapes) for a micro bevel helps to remove the wire edge through refinement. And BTW, nothing makes a wire edge like an EP so no matter what you do for edge creation you should do that much and then some for edge refinement/deburring post burr creation.

I don't know about edge pro either, but freehand on single bevel knives if I want a micro bevel it's usually with a high grit stone 5-12k depending on the knife. The angle is a bit higher than what you are describing as well. Maybe 35 degrees or so. Don't forget to remove the burr you just created as well.

for dexter and victorinox, thin with coarse, go upto medium on that same bevel, do micro with medium stone, then strop. use a grooved steel when edge starts to weaken then strop again.

Agree wt. Victorinox I never take it beyond 2K.I too like to kick in final bevel on say a 4K,finer burr on high grits,lite touch on stone to remove burr.

Alot of students have combo stones,have them thin on coarser grit.On finer polish backbevel at same low angle,then put in final bevel.On my Gesshin Uraku 240 been thinning both sides & mico just on right my cutting side.Learned this tech. fr. Jon,works well wt. the Uraku.

I agree with Dave. I do not use as EP, but I use sharpening guides and (well almost) freehand.
For hard steel (ie Japanese knives) -
I make the back bevel at about 12 degrees, using 1000 - Norton4000 - Norton8000 waterstones.
Then make the microbevel of about 15 - 20 degrees starting on the Norton 4000, very gently - only just creating a small primary edge.
Then Norton 8000, finishing on Naniwa 10000 or Shapton Glass 16000.
That's for Japanese knives. For my lovely little Victorinox knives I stop at Norton 4000, and use a ceramic rod to refresh the edge after kitchen duties.