maintaining a good knife edge
 

once you have really sharpened up a knife, the final runs along the blade
with a stone or diamond steel or whatever is used will produce a microscopic
* burr* on the other side of the knife blade.

to 'minimize' the burr you end up rubbing as lightly as possible along the
blade. but the fact is that at a microscopic level the last stroke always
leaves a burr.

Now if for instance, if you were holding a pencil in your left hand and
sharpening the pencil by pushing a knife blade in the direction away from
your body; then which would be the side of the knife that should be last
sharpened to best cut into the wood, minimising the effect of the burr?
the uppermost side of the blade as you are holding it in this instance, or
the downside of the blade?

this might seem nitpicking to many, but if you can mentally visualise what a
burr is at a microscopic level then it does have some significance in
maintaining a good edge on a knife. thanks for any advice.

maintaining a good knife edge
 

"JWBH" > wrote in message
...
> once you have really sharpened up a knife, the final runs along the blade
> with a stone or diamond steel or whatever is used will produce a
> microscopic * burr* on the other side of the knife blade.
>
> to 'minimize' the burr you end up rubbing as lightly as possible along the
> blade. but the fact is that at a microscopic level the last stroke always
> leaves a burr.
>
> Now if for instance, if you were holding a pencil in your left hand and
> sharpening the pencil by pushing a knife blade in the direction away from
> your body; then which would be the side of the knife that should be last
> sharpened to best cut into the wood, minimising the effect of the burr?
> the uppermost side of the blade as you are holding it in this instance, or
> the downside of the blade?
>
> this might seem nitpicking to many, but if you can mentally visualise what
> a burr is at a microscopic level then it does have some significance in
> maintaining a good edge on a knife. thanks for any advice.
>
One word - strop.
--
Regards.
Ken.

Please join my team in the fight against cancer.
http://www.grid.org/services/teams/t...3-AEB0DD18A6CE

maintaining a good knife edge
 

In article >, blue.star777
@REMOOOOVEvirgin.net says...
> once you have really sharpened up a knife, the final runs along the blade
> with a stone or diamond steel or whatever is used will produce a microscopic
> * burr* on the other side of the knife blade.
>
> to 'minimize' the burr you end up rubbing as lightly as possible along the
> blade. but the fact is that at a microscopic level the last stroke always
> leaves a burr.
>
> Now if for instance, if you were holding a pencil in your left hand and
> sharpening the pencil by pushing a knife blade in the direction away from
> your body; then which would be the side of the knife that should be last
> sharpened to best cut into the wood, minimising the effect of the burr?
> the uppermost side of the blade as you are holding it in this instance, or
> the downside of the blade?
>
> this might seem nitpicking to many, but if you can mentally visualise what a
> burr is at a microscopic level then it does have some significance in
> maintaining a good edge on a knife. thanks for any advice.
>
>
>

The purpose of steeling is to straighten the burr or any bends that use
has put into the edge. In my experience, using a ceramic "steel," which
not only straightens but removes a very small amount of metal, is the
best way to maintain a good edge.

I suggest you try things out and see how they work. Empirical evidence
beats theorizing 100% of the time.



--
Peter Aitken
Visit my recipe and kitchen myths pages at www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm

maintaining a good knife edge
 

I can't answer your question about sharpening a pencil, but I will say
that a very slight burr can actually be desirable when slicing soft
items like very ripe tomatoes. In my experience the burr does the work
of cutting (sawing through?) with less pressure, which is a good thing
for that particular job.

BTW, your mention of sharpening a pencil with a knife brought to mind my
first-grade teacher, who used to scare the daylights out of us snot-
nosed little brats (or impressionable tykes, take your pick) when she
whipped out her jackknife to sharpen her pencils whenever she graded our
"penmanship" work. She was pretty scary as it was, but that was the
icing on the cake. No new-fangled "pencil sharpeners" for *that*
lady...

Bob
=========================
In article >, blue.star777
@REMOOOOVEvirgin.net says...
> once you have really sharpened up a knife, the final runs along the blade
> with a stone or diamond steel or whatever is used will produce a microscopic
> * burr* on the other side of the knife blade.
>
> to 'minimize' the burr you end up rubbing as lightly as possible along the
> blade. but the fact is that at a microscopic level the last stroke always
> leaves a burr.
>
> Now if for instance, if you were holding a pencil in your left hand and
> sharpening the pencil by pushing a knife blade in the direction away from
> your body; then which would be the side of the knife that should be last
> sharpened to best cut into the wood, minimising the effect of the burr?
> the uppermost side of the blade as you are holding it in this instance, or
> the downside of the blade?
>
> this might seem nitpicking to many, but if you can mentally visualise what a
> burr is at a microscopic level then it does have some significance in
> maintaining a good edge on a knife. thanks for any advice.
>

maintaining a good knife edge
 

yetanotherBob wrote:
> <snip>
>
> BTW, your mention of sharpening a pencil with a knife brought to mind my
> first-grade teacher, who used to scare the daylights out of us snot-
> nosed little brats (or impressionable tykes, take your pick) when she
> whipped out her jackknife to sharpen her pencils whenever she graded our
> "penmanship" work. She was pretty scary as it was, but that was the
> icing on the cake. No new-fangled "pencil sharpeners" for *that*
> lady...
>
> Bob
My Granddad was the same, and I used that story to kick off my first
article on knife sharpening.
http://users.ameritech.net/knives/knives1a.htm#intro

Steve
www.sharpeningmadeeasy.com

maintaining a good knife edge
 

On Sat, 09 Dec 2006 22:50:38 GMT, "JWBH"
> wrote:

>this might seem nitpicking to many, but if you can mentally visualise what a
>burr is at a microscopic level then it does have some significance in
>maintaining a good edge on a knife. thanks for any advice.

A sharp knife dulls the second you use it, just like a new car loses
value the moment you drive it out of the show room.

--
See return address to reply by email

maintaining a good knife edge
 

JWBH wrote:

> this might seem nitpicking to many, but if you can mentally visualise what a
> burr is at a microscopic level then it does have some significance in
> maintaining a good edge on a knife. thanks for any advice.

it's hard to keep a good edge on stainless steel

how you actually use the knife has alot to do with how well it performs
(I know that's not a knife sharpening answer, but it has everything to
do with a sharp knife)

every electric can opener I've seen.. has a knife sharpener on the
backside of it

im good with a knife, I've spent at least 5 years working with real
chefs and watching and practicing my technic. I can chop things like
you see them do on tv.. real fast...

maintaining a good knife edge
 

Ken Davey wrote:

> One word - strop.

one thought - teeth on edge..
<shiver>

maintaining a good knife edge
 

> In article >, blue.star777
> @REMOOOOVEvirgin.net says...
>> once you have really sharpened up a knife, the final runs along the blade
>> with a stone or diamond steel or whatever is used will produce a
>> microscopic * burr* on the other side of the knife blade.
>>
>> to 'minimize' the burr you end up rubbing as lightly as possible along
>> the blade. but the fact is that at a microscopic level the last stroke
>> always leaves a burr.
>>
>> Now if for instance, if you were holding a pencil in your left hand and
>> sharpening the pencil by pushing a knife blade in the direction away from
>> your body; then which would be the side of the knife that should be last
>> sharpened to best cut into the wood, minimising the effect of the burr?
>> the uppermost side of the blade as you are holding it in this instance,
>> or the downside of the blade?
>>
>> this might seem nitpicking to many, but if you can mentally visualise
>> what a burr is at a microscopic level then it does have some significance
>> in maintaining a good edge on a knife. thanks for any advice.

thanks. there seems to be a bit of confusion. using a slightly course
sharpening medium produces 'tiny' teeth along the edge which indeed seems to
'saw' through tomatoes very easily. However a 'burr' is when the metal is
'pushed over' to one side by the action of grinding it away at a microscopic
level.

on the other point here in the u.k. the ceramic steels (which come from
japan by the way) are so smooth that it requires thirty or more strokes
after using the knife a lot, which is quite time consuming if you are busy.
this idea of rolling the metal back along the edge is i suspect is a sales
ploy and *myth* put out by the manufacturers of 'steels' who now have an
uphill job selling them faced with the myriads of new sharpeners on the
market especially the very effecient diamond dust coated
sharpeners........... just my opinion

maintaining a good knife edge
 

JWBH wrote:
>> In article >, blue.star777
>> @REMOOOOVEvirgin.net says...
>>> once you have really sharpened up a knife, the final runs along the blade
>>> with a stone or diamond steel or whatever is used will produce a
>>> microscopic * burr* on the other side of the knife blade.
>>>
>>> to 'minimize' the burr you end up rubbing as lightly as possible along
>>> the blade. but the fact is that at a microscopic level the last stroke
>>> always leaves a burr.
>>>
>>> Now if for instance, if you were holding a pencil in your left hand and
>>> sharpening the pencil by pushing a knife blade in the direction away from
>>> your body; then which would be the side of the knife that should be last
>>> sharpened to best cut into the wood, minimising the effect of the burr?
>>> the uppermost side of the blade as you are holding it in this instance,
>>> or the downside of the blade?
>>>
>>> this might seem nitpicking to many, but if you can mentally visualise
>>> what a burr is at a microscopic level then it does have some significance
>>> in maintaining a good edge on a knife. thanks for any advice.
>
> thanks. there seems to be a bit of confusion. using a slightly course
> sharpening medium produces 'tiny' teeth along the edge which indeed seems to
> 'saw' through tomatoes very easily. However a 'burr' is when the metal is
> 'pushed over' to one side by the action of grinding it away at a microscopic
> level.
>
> on the other point here in the u.k. the ceramic steels (which come from
> japan by the way) are so smooth that it requires thirty or more strokes
> after using the knife a lot, which is quite time consuming if you are busy.

Not all ceramic rods are equally smooth. I use a coarse one for axes
and mower blades.

If I needed thirty strokes on a pocket knife, I'd consider starting with
a stone.

I have changed to a blunter angle when sharpening became a nuisance. A
50 degree edge holds up better than a 40 degree one, and it's quicker to
maintain.


> this idea of rolling the metal back along the edge is i suspect is a sales
> ploy and *myth* put out by the manufacturers of 'steels' who now have an
> uphill job selling them faced with the myriads of new sharpeners on the
> market especially the very effecient diamond dust coated
> sharpeners........... just my opinion
>
>

I test an edge by resting it on my thumbnail, the plane of the blade
perpendicular to the plane of my nail. Then, with just the weight of
the blade, I push sideways as if to scrape. If it slides easily the
edge is dull. If it bites more in one direction than the other, I have
a burr.

An edge with a burr will soon be dull, so I keep making light strokes
with a smooth ceramic rod, watching the angle closely, until my test
shows no more burr.

There will probably still be a bit of a burr as evidenced by quick
dulling. Each time I touch up the edge with a few strokes of the
ceramic rod, it will last longer than before. That must mean the burr
gets smaller. When I finally have to resharpen with a stone, there's a
new burr and the cycle starts again.

Generations of butchers have had similar experience with steels, but
I've had better luck with ceramics.

Relatives have nice kitchen cutlery and a heavy electric sharpener with
four stages of diamond abrasives. It will remove metal fast but leaves
a burr. A fifty-cent ceramic rod, or steel, would make a big difference.

maintaining a good knife edge
 

Steve B. wrote:
> yetanotherBob wrote:
>> <snip>
>>
>> BTW, your mention of sharpening a pencil with a knife brought to mind
>> my first-grade teacher, who used to scare the daylights out of us snot-
>> nosed little brats (or impressionable tykes, take your pick) when she
>> whipped out her jackknife to sharpen her pencils whenever she graded
>> our "penmanship" work. She was pretty scary as it was, but that was
>> the icing on the cake. No new-fangled "pencil sharpeners" for *that*
>> lady...
>>
>> Bob
> My Granddad was the same, and I used that story to kick off my first
> article on knife sharpening.

Nice article. Reminds me of learning how to sharpen a knife from
*my* granddad. :-)

- Logan

maintaining a good knife edge
 

> it's hard to keep a good edge on stainless steel (snip)

I use medium-high carbon steel, it sharpens up faster and holds an edge
longer. A little vegetable oil after washing keeps it from rusting,
obviating the need and generally inferior metallurgical properties of
stainless...-Jitney