Common sharpening/polishing mistakes

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nutmeg

nutmeg

kasumi nut
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Let's start a tutorial based on our experience:

What are the most common mistake we all did? (and probably still doing ;) )


1_ Moving too fast to higher grits
2_ "I'll erase the scratches with the next stone"
3_ Destroying the geometry with too fast moves
4_ Try to erase scratches from synthetic stones with finger stones
5_ The use of too thick and too large finger stones
 
nutmeg said:
1_ Moving too fast to higher grits
2_ "I'll erase the scratches with the next stone"
3_ Destroying the geometry with too fast moves
4_ Try to erase scratches from synthetic stones with finger stones
5_ The use of too thick and too large finger stones
Click to expand...

6_ Dulling the shinogi line on a single bevel with finger stones
7_ Too little otptical control of the work in progress
8_ Too short polishing sessions, making you lose the progression and confuse the choice of the next stone
 
Let's go on just by quoting the previous posts

1_ Moving too fast to higher grits
2_ "I'll erase the scratches with the next stone"
3_ Destroying the geometry with too fast moves
4_ Try to erase scratches from synthetic stones with finger stones
5_ The use of too thick and too large finger stones
6_ Dulling the shinogi line on a single bevel with finger stones
7_ Too little otptical control of the work in progress
8_ Too short polishing sessions, making you lose the progression and confuse the choice of the next stone
9_ Using a stone more than 5 minutes on a single bevel without flattening it
 
Not grinding properly before starting to polish. Especially not grinding the tip and heel properly, especially the tip.
 
using too muddy midgrits that are too good at hiding scratches but don’t really delete them.
 
Let's go on just by quoting the previous posts

1_ Moving too fast to higher grits
2_ "I'll erase the scratches with the next stone"
3_ Destroying the geometry with too fast moves
4_ Try to erase scratches from synthetic stones with finger stones
5_ The use of too thick and too large finger stones
6_ Dulling the shinogi line on a single bevel with finger stones
7_ Too little otptical control of the work in progress
8_ Too short polishing sessions, making you lose the progression and confuse the choice of the next stone
9_ Using a stone more than 5 minutes on a single bevel without flattening it
10_ not thinning enough before refinishing
11_ Using coarse stone that are too muddy and hide low spots which are discovered later
12_ Focusing on low spots in isolation and making wobbly shinogis
13_ Drying a wiped knife on a toaster. Making coffee. Going for a poop. Remembering very very hot knife on toaster
 
Not setting aside sufficient time for the task / getting in a hurry / not accepting that you may have to continue tomorrow.
 
13 oh hell!!! that might have actually softened the knife steel :(

I only sharpen. When I polish I cheat like your typical knifemaker :nunchucks:
 
From my experience, I would add
-Not having a clear expectation of what I want to accomplish before even beginning.
-Sacrificing sharpness for aesthetics, depending on the knife
-Not matching the knife/blade material with a particular progression (expecting identical progressions on different blades to yield identical results)
-as you all have stated before, trying to cut corners
-Stepping away from a finger stone session to answer a phone call, forgetting that the blade is wet and coming back to see all your work ruined by rust
-Not paying attention to the type and material of towel you're using during the final polishing stages (hint: old ****** towels will cause scratches)
-Obsessing too much on the straightness and crisp of the shinogi
 
Little question...what are the detriments of using finger stones that are too thick? They fail to "hug" the blade due to them having no flexibility?
 
they put tiny scratches. also can make too much mud in some cases.
 
11 has gotten me badly a couple of times ...

14 underestimating the scratch depth and damage cheap-o diamond plates can achieve in seconds
15 thinking tip wire edges will be dealt with by the next stone
16 mis-feeling sharp shoulders for burrs
17 thinking you are 16ing and oversharpening the dickens out of it, often leading to a dose of 15
18 trying to "thin a bit" by applying 7-10 degree secondary bevels (usually achieves the opposite)
19 trying to "just finish up" impatiently after, say, an angle change on a new knife ... when your water is gray and your stone surfaces battle scarred....
20 ignoring if you are actually chattering on the stone when using very light pressure...
 
StonedEdge said:
From my experience, I would add
-Not having a clear expectation of what I want to accomplish before even beginning.
Click to expand...

I’ve often thought of sharpening and repair/reprofiling/reshaping as a manifestation of the saying, “to sculpt an elephant, carve away everything that doesn’t look like an elephant.” I got into trouble with this one a couple times by not knowing what the elephant looked like!
 
Badgertooth said:
King hyper 1k is a great stone but one of the worst deceivers in this regard.
Click to expand...

My issue was starting with a mid grit natural in particular. It would leave a nice foundation but was built on top of a poor one. Then when I moved on to a polisher, there were those scratches. I kept thinking to myself, just a little longer but the issue was not the polishing stone. In fact, most in my collection simply don't have the gumption to remove those scratches. Then, you nice folks suggested doing a full synthetic progression and starting over with the naturals. What a difference that made. So, first time around I make sure everything is all flat, all scratches are removed at all levels and then drop back to coarser naturals if I want to and progress my way up.

Speaking of which, another thing to add, that I have learned from you all is that if you polish up the blade road and the core steel with it and then move to the right natural finisher for a Kasumi finish, the core steel seems to retain its polish without being scratched while the soft cladding gets that nice dark haze that one would be looking for.

As Keith V. would say, this is not an add water and stir scenario. However, it took a lot of experimentation and continued advice for that to sink into my head. So what I have to add is that diligence and patience are key, as already mentioned.

Lovely thread. :)
 
K813zra said:
doing a full synthetic progression and starting over with the naturals.

Lovely thread. :)
Click to expand...

How far up the synths do you go?

This is a very lovely thread indeed, learning so much, worst thing is making a mistake and not knowing it was a mistake.
 
#1 Buying too many stones I don't need due to the advice and recommendations of forum members with too much time on their hands and bottomless credit card limits.
 
Xenif said:
How far up the synths do you go?

This is a very lovely thread indeed, learning so much, worst thing is making a mistake and not knowing it was a mistake.
Click to expand...

Normally to "open" a knife for the first time it is a full progression, for me. My syntethic finishing stone of choice is the Kitayama and then I make either a later move or simply work my way back up from the bottom but with naturals. I am still learning myself though!
 
I like to think of this on a more basic level. Hold a steady angle and keep the pressure light...I believe often new sharpeners use too much pressure even when they think it's light. Relax your arms and enjoy yourself...find your groove:)
 
chinacats said:
I like to think of this on a more basic level. Hold a steady angle and keep the pressure light...I believe often new sharpeners use too much pressure even when they think it's light. Relax your arms and enjoy yourself...find your groove:)
Click to expand...
This is a really good point, I read somewhere on this forum cant remember who, suggested using a kitchen scale to find out how much force you are actually applying. That became the first thing I do no before I sharpen, self calibration.
 
#1a not having the stones handy that you need to fix the mess that you can make with the stones you HAVE handy... :)
 
@chinacats not to the point where you risk chattering, or lifting part of the edge length...
 
Xenif said:
This is a really good point, I read somewhere on this forum cant remember who, suggested using a kitchen scale to find out how much force you are actually applying. That became the first thing I do no before I sharpen, self calibration.
Click to expand...

Don't know who said it here, but that's also a suggestion by Bob Kramer in one of the sharpening videos he did for Zwilling.
 
What kind of numbers are you looking for?



Xenif said:
This is a really good point, I read somewhere on this forum cant remember who, suggested using a kitchen scale to find out how much force you are actually applying. That became the first thing I do no before I sharpen, self calibration.
Click to expand...
 
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