Beginner problems

[kelbro]

My expectation was low, but apparently you can get knives shaving sharp on the 220. I can't. And I've tried on the 1000, and I still can't.

You can get a shaving edge off a 220 with most steels. It just takes some experience. And a light touch. If you get your skills to that level, the higher grits are just polish. Keep practicing. It will come to you.

 

[DainBramage]

Did you ever get a magnifying device (as suggested by richard j)? It can show you a lot about what is going on with your edge. Often (with the naked eye), the Sharpie can look like it's removed to the edge, but through my magnifying loupe (I use 30x... most people will tell you to use at least 10x) it is a different story. I'm relatively new to sharpening as well, but I'm pretty happy with my results (and I've sharpened a couple of friends' knives and they both were amazed at how sharp their knives were)... I look at my edge constantly through the loupe, to see if I'm doing what I THINK I'm doing. And once you get a burr, I've found that there is no specific number of passes that it takes to make it go away. Sometimes you'll go a bit too much (either too many strokes or too hard) and the burr will move to the other side... sometimes I find myself "chasing the burr" from one side to the other. :grumpy: I'm thinking about ordering the HA hard felt that Dave sells, but until then, I keep an old chopstick nearby to slice into... I've read that you can remove/break off the burr by cutting into some wood. But you can't be impatient... it takes practice (and a lighter touch is generally better than a heavy one, although I think it depends on where you are in the process). Also, keep in mind that some knives/steels are just easier to sharpen than others.

 

[sicily02]

Hi all if ever you need help in sharpening get a hold of knife maker Richard J.
He very helpful and ever ready to talk knives. I have had the pleasure to chat with him on sharpening and I can tell you he really helped me out with my convexing of the edge.
He on the forums alot so feel free to chat with him about sharpening questions.

Bryan