Ceramic Blades

[Marshal Will Wingam]

OK, my double blade for my swivel knife arrived. I yanked it out of the package and tried it. I'm not impressed. It drags badly. I doubt I could make a smooth curve with it. I tried stroppimg it with jeweler's rouge on a piece of leather. Because of the groove in the center, I was only able to strop the outside two edges. It cut a little better, but not enough that I'd trust myself to make a cut on anything.

This is the first ceramic swivel knife blade I've ever tried so there may be some tricks I need to know. Can anyone give me any idea how to make it cut smoothly? If not, I suppose I'll return it and get my money back. Are all ceramic blades this hard to work?

Thanks, MW

[Dalton Masterson]

Marshall, I wasnt impressed with my double either, but the straight blades are wonderful! I dont know if I will use my steel blades again. A quick strop every once in a while and they cut like butter.
The double seems dull to me too. It may be that it is bottoming out at the center. It seems like an awfully shallow groove. I kept mine, but probably shouldnt have.
Now I just cut one line, use my divider, scribe and cut again.
DM

[R.T. Rangebum]

I recently bought the same blade. Agreed, it drags. I was able, after stropping, to get a cut (a curve even) it wasn't very deep but it was enough for me to run my folder down into the lines, and it burnishes nicely. I've only tried it on scrap and I didn't wait for a full casing of the leather but, altogether I'm not too disappointed. I've always wanted to be able to do a quick bead border. As to ceramic blades in general, I agree with Dalton, I love mine too.

Rangebum

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Howdy Pards

      I have all of the ceramic blades, Cowboy WC warned me about them being dull when you first get them, the single blades stropped to a nice edge, with a little work, the double took a lot longer to bring up the edge, but it is fine now, it just takes some work and patience, I have some nice steel blades, and I find myself useing both steel and ceramic , I'm not in as big a hurry as I used to be , so I strop my blades after so many cutts or if I feel they are dragging.

                                                          tEN wOLVES

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Thanks for the input, pards.

Dalton, mine isn't bottoming, it drags with the slightest touch to the leather. Basically not even a real cut, more of a scored line.

10W, how did you work yours into shape? Did you work on the inside or just the outside? I don't mind stropping, I do that every few cuts anyway with my steel ones. OK, I'll give it a whirl before I give up on it. Maybe it would help to run it across a sharpening stone. Anyone done that?

[Judge Lead]

MW,
get some round lace of around the same diameter as the centre of your blade, tack it onto a board (making sure it is straight) and applying some rouge.

Strop it as you would a curved edger.

I have only seen the metal ones, but as you have already noticed, ceramic ,while it does hold an edge, needs more work to get it there.

Hope this helps.

Regards

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Marshal Will, I stropped the outsides on the two line ceramic blade, when I first got it I couldn't believe how rough and dull it was, I looked at it under my magnifying glass and I could see where the rough spots were , then I tried to do an equal amount of stropping on eash side untill I got it all removed and the edge came up, I use a 3 1/2"x 14" piece of 3 to 4 ounce vegi-tan leather,( try to use a firm piece of leather ) glued to a 3/4" oak piece of wood with a handle on it, then i rubbed it down throughly with jewelers rouges, this gives me a real long strop of the blade, bottom line Tandy needs to have better quality control on these ceramic blades, they charge enough that the blades should be SHARP when you buy them, but you can get them sharp, you just have to work at it , and a little a little patience's. One other thing , that I would sugest is always keep your leather strop covered up with plastic, you have to keep it clean, or it will work against you. And one other thing that Cowboy WC showed me was if you tilt the blade so that the tip of the blade is doing the cutting, you are rounding off the corners in the center as draw your blade through it, this gives you an upside down U look to it, this really looks nice and you don't have to do anything else to the center, it will be nice and rounded off.


                                                               tEN wOLVES 

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Marshal Will, I stropped the outsides on the two line ceramic blade, when I first got it I couldn't believe how rough and dull it was, I looked at it under my magnifying glass and I could see where the rough spots were , then I tried to do an equal amount of stropping on eash side untill I got it all removed and the edge came up, I use a 3 1/2"x 14" piece of 3 to 4 ounce vegi-tan leather,( try to use a firm piece of leather ) glued to a 3/4" oak piece of wood with a handle on it, then i rubbed it down throughly with jewelers rouges, this gives me a real long strop of the blade, bottom line Tandy needs to have better quality control on these ceramic blades, they charge enough that the blades should be SHARP when you buy them, but you can get them sharp, you just have to work at it , and a little a little patience's. One other thing , that I would sugest is always keep your leather strop covered up with plastic, you have to keep it clean, or it will work against you. And one other thing that Cowboy WC showed me was if you tilt the blade so that the tip of the blade is doing the cutting, you are rounding off the corners in the center as draw your blade through it, this gives you an upside down U look to it, this really looks nice and you don't have to do anything else to the center, it will be nice and rounded off.

Thanks, 10W. I'll work it out. I've been using the same piece of leather for stropping for about 25 years, now. I don't even need to put rouge on it very often. I have another one I use on my knives. Great waya to go. Now that I know these things can be straightened out, I'll get it done. BTW, I don't even need a magnifying glass to see the roughness. I'll get it working. When you mention the upside down U, that's exactly why I bought this balde. I can see the inside curve will need some work as well. OK, I'll get on it. Thanks for the input.

[cowboywc]

Howdy MW
When I got my ceramic blades it was the old Tandy Co. The new stuff is not finished . I've helped a few of my
students that bought them by using fine emery cloth then stropping. I fold the cloth over a small round file to get
the inside of the beader blade. I also use a piece of heavy kite string with rouge on it to polish the inside. Once they
are smooth they work great.
WC

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Thanks for the idea, WC. I have a Micro Mesh kit for polishing scratches out of aricraft windshields. I could pull some of the fine grit emery out of it for polishing the inside, especially if I worked it the same way as a windshield starting with 400 and ending with 12,000 grit. I could also work down the outside the same way to remove the mill marks in it. I'll approach it that way. For $30+ you'd think Tandy would do a better job but that's just the way it is. They don't make their tools anywhere near as well as they used to. At least I have a good blank to start with.

[cowboywc]

 For $30+ you'd think Tandy would do a better job but that's just the way it is. They don't make their tools anywhere near as well as they used to.
[/quote]
If the tools were still made here in the USA they would be better quality, but that's what yu get now.
WC

[Marshal Will Wingam]

If the tools were still made here in the USA they would be better quality, but that's what yu get now.

Isn't that the truth. When I get any new stamps, I have to work them over with a set of Swiss files before they make a good impression. I like to support local (at least the US and Canada) economy by buying things made here whenever possible.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

OK. I started working on the ceramic with 2400 grit and progressed through 3200, 3600 and 4000. I worked it mostly along the cutting axis or with a circular motion to work across the factory installed mill marks. Then Jeweler's rouge after that. After three times of that, it started working. It still needs some more but I can see the result will be worth it. I'll finish up with something finer but probably not need go beyond 6000. I'll  have a good tool, soon, thanks to all your input.

Later:00. I finished it up and it cuts fine. I tried it out but managed to toast the piece I was working on. I guess it's my turn to trash a holster. OK, I'll need to cut another one. The detail work is not good enough to be the color I wanted. Maybe I'll finish it some day in black. OK, the blade is a success. Thanks for all the help, pards.

[cowboywc]

Howdy Pal
I'm glad it's working for you now.
WC