I've been sharpening knives for years and have gone down as low as 12.5nm (that's nano-meter 0.0125micron) abrasive slurries on a strop. I usually took knife blades down to 0.5 micron AlOx on a strop. Now, with buffing wheels and compounds i see grits going down to 320, which people use after 1500 grit sand paper. I get it that the buffing wheel is whole lot less aggressive than stone or even strop, for the same grit number, due to more give provided by the wheel just as strop is less aggressive than stone.
My question is: how low is it reasonable to go? I still have couple pounds of 800 grit down to 0.05 micron powders. I am thinking of treating some loose buffing wheels with these powders and giving it a go. Am I crazy? how low is is practical / reasonable to go on a buffing wheel before the abrasive essentially stops doing anything?
My question is: how low is it reasonable to go? I still have couple pounds of 800 grit down to 0.05 micron powders. I am thinking of treating some loose buffing wheels with these powders and giving it a go. Am I crazy? how low is is practical / reasonable to go on a buffing wheel before the abrasive essentially stops doing anything?