Sharpening confusion - help!

[Tiley]

I have been sharpening my knives for a while now, sometimes on water stones and sometimes, more recently, on ceramic stones. The results have been OK. However, I am now confused. To start with, I folowed our man Mears's routine of equal number of strokes on each side; but now I hear great things about sharpening one side until you get a burr and then turning it over and doing the other until the process is repeated on the other side. Which is best: couting religiously to ensure both sides are done evenly or going for the burr?

My muddle was compounded by the different techniques described in "Bushcraft and Survival Skills", where Roger Harrington, knifemaker, advocates one way and Dave Budd, knifemaker, recommends the other.

Any help/recommendations from personal experiencewould be more than gratefully received.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[weaver]

I don't count and I hope to never create a burr. I work each side fairly evenly just by looking at it and by experience. I get close to the point of having a burr but switch to a finer grit of stone or paper first. If you make a burr then you have to cut it it break it off or wear it down from the other side. I try to avoid that. I want an even, fine, well formed edge. Breaking a burr ruins that.

 

[dwardo]

Its just preference at the end of the day. I tend to starpen one side at a time then some times i sharpen a few times on each side it doesnt really matter i suppose its just what different people find easier.

I tend to just have a good look and feel of the edge or burs etc then sharpen where needed.

Hope that helps.

 

[Dave Budd]

Oh dear, I've started something here!

The way I describe in the mag is the way that I do it and not necessarily the best way or the only way, but it works for me.

- The reason I don't count the number of strokes is becuase you may not need to do 20 strokes, it may only take 5 (or it could take 50).

- the reason I create a burr (and it is only barely there, its not a burr like angle grinders create) is that it means that you have definately got to the edge. ok it means that you have gone a little over, but once you've done the other side you have lost an extra fraction of a mm of blade. The damage caused by breaking the burr of is not a problem if you use very little pressure as you do the final strokes on each grit. That way you abrade the metal rather than deform it. The stropping process afterwards will also straighten any plastic deformation created by removing the tiny burr left after your final grit.

- If the cutting edge is not in the exact centre of the blade it isn't the end of the world. If you've got something more like a chisel then it will be noticable in use, but within 30% of the centre line is not really noticable.

I'm not the best sharpener in the world, but then nor is roger or Ray! All I can say is that I found a way that I'm happy with and with practice it works for me. Touch wood, so far my customers have been happy with the sharpness of my edges too

 

[mr dazzler]

just lately (since I got some cheapo diamond card sharpener's) I have finished the edges with a fairly well used and worn gerber diamond pen-file, a few strokes, turn the blade over, a few more, turn, a few more and so on, but gradually using less and less pressure until the last strokes are basically just with the weight of the pen-file. This has got me a good working edge pretty fast, and any micro wire edge still there has come away by stropping (normally trouser legs)

 

[gregorach]

There is no "one best way" to sharpen a knife. Go with what seems best to you, practice, and don't be afraid to experiment.

 

[Paganwolf]

True as gregorach , you can read about sharpening till the cows come home, and theres more than one way of skinning a rabbit, you need to try methods and practice,practice,practice etc etc etc till you get it, ive got one or two of Rogers knives and one of Daves and BOTH guys create a robust long lasting edge, dont worry too much about the different stiles and choose what works for you.

 

[weaver]

Didn't mean to imply you leave a huge burr Dave.

I have seen them though, even on a knife that was said to be razor sharp and finished. There it was, a big, thick, long, ragged burr.

I probably bring up as much of one as you or most experienced sharpeners. I just try not.

I just wanted to point out to any who may be a beginner not to make a huge burr.

Another thing I have seen is a beginner stuck in his tracks from fear of "doing it wrong".

There is no wrong, there is only do it or don't.

As you learn you will improve, faster, smoother, sharper, stronger and finer. Just grab a blade and get started. (again, this directed to any who may be afraid to try)