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Post by Croccifixio on Mar 24, 2017 15:22:32 GMT
50 strokes is too few to be honest. I'd go for at least 15 minutes per grit per side. Also make sure to change angle for every change of grit. But you don't need that many grits. Try going for 200ish, 400ish, 800ish, and if you want it really polished, 1000 and above.
However if it's already somewhat sharp, you can just start at a higher grit.
Lastly, use oil or water. I myself prefer water (you'll go through less paper since the slurry the water creates will help polish the blade).
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Mar 24, 2017 18:04:12 GMT
I am sorry to hear you are having troubles. Sharpening is a skill that is learned over time and can be frustrating to say the least. There are several techniques so if the one you tried doesn’t work for you maybe another will. Getting back to what you tried: Since that posting I repaired my Windlass German Bastard Sword. Amongst other things I polished out the scratches the blade had collected with two years of use and resharpened sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/attachment/download/36453 If you look at the blade photo you’ll see the polished as well as the freshly sharpened edge. The polish goes the length of blade in direction. The edge with the higher polish is perpendicular to the edge. Only the first 19” is sharpened and you’ll see the dividing line, and believe me it will slice through paper. I prefer a satin finish as it doesn’t show a scratch as readily. You talked about cutting so I assume that at this point you are not trying to polish the entire blade, but sharpening only so I’ll try to address that in more detail. Both can be done in two basic ways, for a lack of a better description, and that is by disassembling the sword so as to have only the blade to work with or do it with the sword assembled. If at all possible I’ll disassemble. For the two years that I used that sword at times I touched up the edge but really no more than that because to me all of the junk hanging on to the blade is a handicap. Some people will prefer to hold a sanding block with the blade stationary and in that case it isn’t all that necessary to disassemble. To me that is very mechanical and I have little to no feeling of what’s happening. So I disassemble and hold the blade in hand with the sanding pad stationary. That way I have much more feeling as to what is happening. I will continue work with one grade of grit until I get the edge as I want it before going to the next grit. I have no idea to the number of passes I make although it’s a safe bet that I do more. To do it for a specific number of passes or for a specific time makes it somewhat mechanical. To some extent the blade and I become one, and I can see how the Japanese can relate to a spirit. It takes patience and there is a learning curve, some people never get. It might help if you make a subject out of an old kitchen knife or whatever until you get the basics. Some people never get it by hand while being satisfied with a Work Sharp. www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_10/152-5871590-9979845?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=work+sharp+knife+sharpener&sprefix=work+sharp%2Caps%2C223&crid=3JS32BC7BEYAJ . These cost much more than sandpaper and there is also a learning curve, but easier. It is possible to ruin a blade quickly, such as by overheating so one is not home free with such a device. Some people use a Work Sharp from start to finish, while others prefer to put the finishing touches on by hand. Those that have Work Sharp swear by them. Whatever you do stay away from an AccuSharp for a sword blade.
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Post by lamtab on Mar 24, 2017 21:46:19 GMT
Thank you all for your advice. Starting tomorrow I will try and put it in good use. You will hear about the results. Btw I thought polishing a blade is actually sharpening it.
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Post by lamtab on Mar 25, 2017 9:35:24 GMT
Hello So I tried once again to sharpen my blade. I only applied the method to a small part ( 10 cm ) of the blade. I used 100 and 150 sand paper and tried to repeat the process till I decide it looks like it should, didn't count or anything. The result isn't perfect but at last I see a difference. That small part of the blade fells pretty sharper than the rest. I will use the 220, 600, 1000 sandpaper today to see what happens when I finish the process.
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Post by lamtab on Mar 25, 2017 14:07:59 GMT
So I finished the process in half one side of the blade. I can tell you its as I wanted it to be. I managed to cut a 1" roll of synthetic paper and it was awesome. Turns out it was a lot more work than I expected but totally worth it. Now one final thing. Anyone has any experience with this kind of product? www.kalkantzakos.com/Product/790/gun-blue-stick-vafi-oplou-se-stulo,-g96 I am thinking on using it to cover some of the scratches. What I wanna accomplish is a stonewash blackening. Btw I think the blade looks better with some scratches on. It was very pretty when I got it but now it looks like it has seen battle .
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Post by Faldarin on Mar 25, 2017 15:40:03 GMT
Scratches add character to a blade. Having a few of them, particularly small ones is just fine, in my opinion. Congrats on getting the sharpening done - and yeah, by hand it is a VERY long process. Sorry, I've got no experience with that product - but I doubt it would be very robust if you intend to continue to use the sword to cut things.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Mar 25, 2017 16:19:16 GMT
Congratulations. Stick with it and your skill will only increase. In time you will figure out the best angle for a particular edge and be able to apply different types of edges such as a V vs convex.
As for that blue stick, I’ve had no experience with it. I’ve cold blued, parkerized, and used a magic marker and can tell you that each has its virtues and down falls. I do highly question their clam as not to “erase with continuous friction”, such a product does not exist although some are more resistant than others. Also it has a 2 star rating on Amazon. Birchwood Casey’s Presto Blue comes in pen form is cheaper and has a 4½ star rating. I am not familiar with Battlecry’s colour but it appears to be gray-black and not blue. It is exceedingly difficult to match and existing colour on a flat surface.
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Post by lamtab on Mar 25, 2017 21:24:07 GMT
I understand sword maintenance is a process that takes time to learn but if you are seeing the progress of your work it is quite fulfilling. Thank you all. I didn't know the sword people were such an active community.
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ohira
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Post by ohira on Mar 26, 2017 22:00:39 GMT
actually you have to start with a low grit perpendicular to the edge end then always going a bit more parallel to the edge every time you increase in grit. That way you control the scratch patterns. After #1000 you must stay parallel to the edge until the end otherwise the light will reflect in a complicated way and the steel will look complicated and we want it looks simple like steel with character, natural. Bilder hochladenfor sharpening sandpaper is the wrong tool, you'll get the best results with whetstones. If you don't feel confident with free hand sharpening, Apex Pro Edge or clones are good solutions. (Some slow natural stones in the 3-5000 grit range add the bonus to "hyde" the scratches and makes the steel look more metallic.)
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Post by lamtab on Mar 28, 2017 8:41:29 GMT
So this is how my edge looks like now: My only concern is if I preserved the correct edge geomtry
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ohira
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Post by ohira on Mar 29, 2017 8:27:00 GMT
The overall geometry wont change a lot. For edge geometry and sharpness you need a believable flat surface like a whetstone OFTEN flattened with a diamond plate. I flatten my synthetic whetstones every 1,5- 2 minutes.
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