Thread: Newbie - made a major mistake... Major!

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Will try anything once,I like sparky stuff)

Are you guys saying this isn't the proper way to hone....................lol

You might be able to sell the scales.

So after many passes over the 1000 and back to the 4000 I was able to get a usable edge. I didn't hit it on the belt sander for very long - only a few seconds - not one of my finer moments - glad to entertain you all and thanks for all the help. Guess this is like all the other forums I've ever encountered - lots of smart asses and not a lot of help. Later...

Originally Posted by ocelot27

So after many passes over the 1000 and back to the 4000 I was able to get a usable edge. I didn't hit it on the belt sander for very long - only a few seconds - not one of my finer moments - glad to entertain you all and thanks for all the help. Guess this is like all the other forums I've ever encountered - lots of smart asses and not a lot of help. Later...

Glad all worked out,you really did not give us alot to work with.

Sorry, but as pixel said you didn't provide a lot to go on, but I am glad that you rescued it.

Guess this is like all the other forums I've ever encountered - lots of smart asses and not a lot of help. Later...[/QUOTE]

There were many useful suggestions given. For many of us, it was almost unbelievable. But we all make mistakes. There's a lot to learn and this is a great place to learn. Good luck.

There is some wear on the spine now obviously - I thought about taping but I heard most people don't unless there is gold plating... The edge is perfectly even on one side and slightly wider in the center on the other side. The razor passes the arm hair test - both my forearms are partially shaven... weird. Be interesting to see how the edge holds up. I'm waiting for my 12k to do a final touch up tomorrow...

The geometry is off then which is understandable. The main thing is getting a good edge on even if the bevel is off. I'm not a big fan of taping. But putting a piece on before your 12k can improve the edge a bit as the area being honed is smaller than the whole bevel. I would try to shave off the 8k. If it shaves well, I would go further. Did you use the 220 Norton? If you did you may have some deeper scratches that you can feel while shaving. And regarding the 12k, keep your lap count at 15 laps as more can cause micro chipping. Glad to hear you were able to rescue the blade.

FYI. I have a friend that has run a sharpening business for a couple decades. He (like many pros) uses a belt sander (custom built) for sharpening knives. It is extremely common.

Razors, as we know, are a bit more delicate. Hind site and/or a view from the cheap seats (with the experience we have) is 20-20, but I can understand how a new guy might make this mistake.

I feel bad for you, but look at it this way, you learned something new

I hope it all works out, and I hope you grow to enjoy this place...there really are some great and helpful people here (much more so than many other forums I have frequented).

For what it is worth, I would still urge you to post up some photos if you can take some good ones. You may have some problems you don't realize in this blade, and while it can hurt to hear about them, it can be a lot less painful than shaving with a frowning or hooked razor.

I offer my help if you want it.

My belt sander is awesome for knife sharpening. I use it mostly for setting a bevel and then finish on a hone. I'm glad your temper wasn't lost. Seeing as how it took a bit to get a new bevel I'm thinking there is hope. Razors sharpen on much finer hones than most knives can go to. Sorry you felt a bit of a victim. The expression that I see here a lot is pics or it didn't really happen.