Video - How to sharpen knife to "whittling hair" sharp.

Great set of instructional videos on freehand sharpening! :thumbup: :thumbup: A wire edge can still be super sharp and whittle hair. It will just not last nearly as long as a properly polished edge.
 
Excellent as always! Thanks for sharing!

Vasilli,

May I please have permission to share links to your sharpening videos with other knife sharpeners not on Bladeforums?
 
thombrogan said:
Excellent as always! Thanks for sharing!

Vasilli,

May I please have permission to share links to your sharpening videos with other knife sharpeners not on Bladeforums?
Click to expand...

Sure of course, it is all on YouTube.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
bobofish said:
Very interesting, thanks for these.

On a related note, I hope this isn't too stupid, but these super sharp edges will not last very long, right? In other words, is this a challenge to yourself and your knife, or will you be able to cut, let's say a dozen tomatoes with little to no pressure?
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Vassili answered your question, but I wanted to add another comment. The edge that Vassili put on in that video is not an extremely narrow and fragile edge like you would find on a razor, which would in fact not last very long. Vassili's edge is a substantial 30 degrees (or possibly more after polishing), so it should be at least as durable as any normal knife edge. In addition, it's fine polish reduces the fragile microscopic teeth at the edge, so it will last longer than a coarse edge which will lose it's teeth and dull more readily. There is nothing delicate about that edge. Of course it probably won't continue to whittle hair after cutting cardboard, but that goes without saying.
 
nozh, I'm 99.99% sure it's a busse, but wich model is it?
I've seen it around in pictures a lot of times, but the video of the knife itself attracted my attention since in the pictures the knife didn't look so handy.
 
Busse Game Warden with "muddy" finish and tan micarta scales. Kid tested, mother-approved, made in Ohio, sold in Idaho, bought in California.
 
Almost Game Warden - Active Duty. I sold it to my friend because I have another AD with black G10. He bought it because it is soooo reliable and he should not worry about it being abused and can use it in any situation without worries and without limiting himself on care...

According to this mind set he use it in the garden as a shovel, and his garden has some little stones in the soil... Of course for AD it is nothing, however my mirror edge were slightly damaged - I was expected more damage actually, but it need to be resharpened, so I did and in the process I decide to make educational movie out of it.

Now my friend promised me not to cut anything but cucumbers and tomatoes - which is too extreme too, I think.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
D'oh! :(

If you friend has his own wooden block and diamonds, it sounds like he wouldn't need to stop using his Active Duty the way he does.
 
Nice, thks guys.

It seems a very reliable knife for a good price. I think it will be my next purchase...

btw, what is the length of the blade?
 
Thank you so much.

2 questions if you don't mind.

1. Do you find the 15 degree base much easier than maintaining 15 degrees with a stone placed flat?

2. Do you always start with the X-Coarse stone? Doesn't it remove quite a bit of metal, which is perhaps unnecessary on undamaged knives?

Thanks again,

John
 
John Frankl said:
Thank you so much.

2 questions if you don't mind.

1. Do you find the 15 degree base much easier than maintaining 15 degrees with a stone placed flat?

2. Do you always start with the X-Coarse stone? Doesn't it remove quite a bit of metal, which is perhaps unnecessary on undamaged knives?

Thanks again,

John
Click to expand...

1. Yes. It has two reasons. First, as you mention, it is easier to maintain horizontal position of the blade then 15 degree, same skill needed as to eat soup with spoon. Second reason - stone is lifted up the table surface and gives more room for hands to move.

2. No I start with Extra Extra coarse to re-profile or if edge is damaged - as it was in this case. Even in this case it was few passes each side. To maintain hair whittling edge I skips Extra Extra Coarse and Coarse and starts with Extra Fine.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
thombrogan said:
D'oh! :(

If you friend has his own wooden block and diamonds, it sounds like he wouldn't need to stop using his Active Duty the way he does.
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He just started with knives, I am helping him to choose only from the best avoiding junk. He has now Cyclone ZDP189, Busse AD (2 darklight - 3.5" blade length) and Milli CPM S90V coming. He is not yet too far to start sharpening.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
nozh2002 said:
He just started with knives, I am helping him to choose only from the best avoiding junk. He has now Cyclone ZDP189, Busse AD (2 darklight - 3.5" blade length) and Milli CPM S90V coming. He is not yet too far to start sharpening.

Thanks, Vassili.
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Yes, that step saves some money and trouble of later selling them with the feeling that how good it could have been spent in other nice knives.

3.5", the perfect lenght. Thks
 
Very nice vids, Vassili! very informative and the results speak for themselves. Your technique with edge leading passes is about identical to mine as far as how you hold the knife and guide it through each pass, except I generally work microbevels with alternating passes the whole time, and my stones are propped up to the desired angle in a stone holder instead of having the nice wood bases you do. I really like how you flip the ramp backwards for your stropping strokes. The next time I try stropping I will try that. These days I usually finish with lapping films all the way to .05 microns, but I stay edge leading with those as I haven't had issues with tearing into them in a while. Don't try edge leading passes on those lapping films if you have any burr left on your edge, however, as you will surely cut right into the lapping film.

Mike
 
bobofish said:
Very interesting, thanks for these.

On a related note, I hope this isn't too stupid, but these super sharp edges will not last very long, right? In other words, is this a challenge to yourself and your knife, or will you be able to cut, let's say a dozen tomatoes with little to no pressure?
Click to expand...

I did sharpen my Yuna Knive to whittling hair sharp (and I am doing it any time I sharpen something) three weeks ago. And right after - I shave little area under my mouth. In three weeks I use this knife quite a bit, more then usual for EDC (Yuna knife HARD II is my EDC after I got it from Thailand) - in particular I made card index for all my acrylic paints, I cut out 260 squares 2 1/4" size of watercolor paper (pretty thick) from 9" x 6 1/2" sheets (22 sheets) using wood as a base. Plus I use it as usual for EDC cutting something here, something there.

To answer "how long it will last" question I decided to shave again in same place. And I did! It take just a little bit more time then three weeks ago, but it works. I use same front part of the blade I use for cutting paper. Of course this is ZDP189 but again it proves that concept of polished edge being "not to last long" is just a myth and has roots in the lack of sharpening skills and the lack of edge sharpness test (I do thread testing which shows me actual state of the edge).

But of course it does not whittle hair now.

Thanks, Vassili.

PS. After simple calculation - I did cut 924" total of watercolor paper or 77'.
 
Beautiful! Thanks Vassili, my dad and I were talking about edges tonight. I forwarded him vid 14 so he can see what scary-sharp is.
 
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