Anyone find solace and comfort when sharpening

K

kvanpacker

Joined
Jun 3, 2016
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I set up my wicked edge tonight because my s30 PM2 wasn't quite hair popping sharp anymore (but sharp enough to slice paper decently but we all know that ain't sayin much)

Started with 800 and went to 3.5 micron balsa

There is just something peaceful and mentally "zen" about seeing something emerging as the edge goes from a dulling gray to milky white to a reflective surface

(I was told 1/.5 micron strops have to wait till Christmas otherwise if a bought them by now)

Anyone else enjoy the act of sharpening
 
I played the piano as a child, and I remember very well how I would get into a Zen-like state while practicing. My breathing would regulate and slow down, and I would become very attuned to the physical feeling of the keys and the sound of the notes. I find sharpening knives to have a similar effect. The stone gives you auditory and tactile feedback and reacts to the steel and the pressure, and once I get into it, I find myself getting into that Zen-like state. Very enjoyable and relaxing.
 
Nope. The sound of a knife on a stone seems to be the most interesting thing in the world to one of my cats. He has to come get right in the middle of it, which is sub-optimal for the sharpening and risky for the cat. So I usually stop and try again later. He'll give me about 5 minutes at a time before I clearly need to stop and play with him.
 
Oh yeah! On the good days.

On my off days I just get pissed off.

I'm like a box o chocolates. I never know what I'm gonna get. It gets frustrating to be inconsistent from one day to the next.
 
Solace and comfort no, I get an odd satisfaction when I can whittle a hair. Kinda like after the first morning urination.
 
Yep, Kvan my man, you are on to something. Many times I am in my shop repairing or building something and am faced with an unexpected & frustrating problem I can't quite figure out. The "zen", as you described, the audible and tactile feel of when you have the perfect angle of steel against diamonds (or ceramic) sends me into my happy place for a few minutes and I can then re-evaluate the problem. Also, a plus for me, I have chronic lower back pain aggravated by being on my feet too long. A short time seated at my desk scraping anything, from a GEC to a junk drawer knife, against a flat surface, adjusting and readjusting the angle till I hear that wonderful rasp that says I've found the apex, and life is good. It's great to be able to appreciate little insignificant tasks that others would consider drudgery.
Thanks, the Dude
 
i to have back problems because of a failed lower lumbar surgery back in 2007,and can only sit in a chair for maybe one hour and must get up/walk around before going back!i do most of my sharpening in a back bedroom downstairs mostly because it quite there,and the only sounds i hear are coming from my s-stones,strop ect.i always get that zen-feeling,its the only place i feel really safe in the world ...:)
 
I'm a n00b, but that peaceful feeling is one of the reasons I got the sharpening bug. The next reason is that giddy feeling I get when I cut paper smoothly or shave a few hairs off my arm.
The problem is that my wife isn't happy with me spending 45+ minutes sharpening a single knife - she probably has a point though ;)
 
I find it very relaxing to sharpen a blade made from good steel. I use a Wicked Edge exclusively now to sharpen all my knives. Since switching to the WE the relaxation from sharpening is always followed by satisfaction I get from mirrored edges which are hair shaving sharp.
 
Yep, I enjoy it. It's a ritual.
Like taking the LP out of the sleeve, cleaning it, setting the needle in the groove, sitting and listening.
It doesn't necessarily SOUND better than CD, but it's that ritual...
 
Most of the time I enjoy freehand sharpening. the times I don't are when im actually working with a edged tool. I remember standing over a skinning table for 7-9 hours at a time. when your that busy and knee deep in critters to get peeled its aggravating to have to stop and sharpen because you just want done..Woodworking tools are kinda the same way. I grew up in a woodworking shop. One of my jobs was roughing out chair rounds and peeling bark for bark bottom chairs..You just want done and to keep working. Having to stop and sharpen is a pain at those times.
 
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