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Abrasives and belt grinding in a working knife shop

Abrasives

Grinding and Sharpening VG-10: Belt Recommendations & Technique

Belt recommendations, grit progression, and sharpening tips for grinding VG-10 on a 2x72 belt grinder. Free guide from Torus CNC's ForgeBrain.

1 min readWritten by Rich LinvilleFree to read

VG-10 grinds in the moderate, well-established range for premium stainless steels, easier than high-carbide CPM steels like CPM 20CV or S30V, but slightly more demanding than a lean steel like AEB-L. It has decades of production history behind it in Japanese kitchen cutlery, so the belt and sharpening approach is well understood.

Thin kitchen knife with a walnut handle resting flat on a dark leather pad on a worn wooden bench.

Belt Selection

Standard ceramic or good-quality zirconia belts handle VG-10 well. It does not demand the premium structured abrasives that harder, more carbide-heavy steels benefit from.

Blue-gray zirconia grinder belt hanging in a loop over a steel bench rail, abrasive face toward the viewer.

Grit Progression

StageGrit
Profiling / heavy stock removal50
Bevel refinement80
Pre-finish120
Finish grinding220

Technique

Standard technique applies well: moderate belt speed, light controlled passes, and a coolant mister to protect the temper. Given VG-10’s frequent use on thin kitchen-knife grinds, take extra care to avoid overheating thin edges, similar to the concerns with thin AEB-L stock.

Cold thin chef-knife blank lying flat on a steel tray with satin scratches and water beads, a damp cloth beside it.

Sharpening

VG-10 sharpens well with standard sharpening stones and does not require diamond or CBN abrasives. Its fine, cobalt-hardened grain takes a very keen, precise edge, which is exactly why it remains a top choice for Japanese-style kitchen knives.

Hands sharpening a kitchen knife on a wet stone in a nonslip holder, fingertips on the blade flat, water bowl beside it.

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