Burr detection tip

malicious

malicious

Joined
Sep 9, 2010
Messages
120
sorry if this is common knowledge as i'm new to sharpening and knives in general.

i accidentally discovered an easy way to detect the presence of a burr today.

While switching sides i used my mesh gym shorts to clean the blade. I noticed right away that one side slid easily over the mesh material and the other edge snagged big time. The burr was nearly undetectable to my untrained eye/finger but the mesh picked it up easily.

By using this testing method i went through the stones of my dmt aligner in less time and with better results

hope this helps someone...

best,

mal
 
Do you think my wife's lacy black mesh "shorts" would work?:p

"But, dear, I'm only asking you to help me sharpen my knife!":D:D


Back to reality, thanks for the tip.:cool:
 
you can use a small, sharp sewing needle to find a burr too. run the needle down to the edge and if there is a burr, it will catch. you can also pull the blade across your thumbnail while pushing outward. if there is a burr, the blade will slip off your nail.
 
I've found the same to be true with a damp paper towel. Burrs at the edge will snag the fine fibers from the paper towel. You'll see them dangling from the edge at the burr location.
 
Funny. I just discovered the same thing while reprofiling a couple of carbon steel knives. I was using some sort of linty wet rag to wipe up the water and got the snagging effect.

I also use magnification and just look to see the burr. On thing I noticed is that I might've had a burr almost the whole length of the edge but maybe there'd be a gap. I'd give that some more attention.

I think the lint trick along with magnification (I just have an old fashioned hand magnifying glass) is a good method.
 
HoosierQ said:
Funny. I just discovered the same thing while reprofiling a couple of carbon steel knives. I was using some sort of linty wet rag to wipe up the water and got the snagging effect.

I also use magnification and just look to see the burr. On thing I noticed is that I might've had a burr almost the whole length of the edge but maybe there'd be a gap. I'd give that some more attention.

I think the lint trick along with magnification (I just have an old fashioned hand magnifying glass) is a good method.
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cool... thanks.. time to break out the 8x glass!
 
+1 for magnification. As much as you can get, in fact.

I tried to 'get by' with a 5x for a while. That helped. Then, I dug up an old 10x lighted magnifier that I'd stashed away for a long time. That, in itself, was a big improvement in being able to see what was going on at the edge, and greatly improved my sharpening results in the process. Now, my mind is looking forward to using even more.

It's no accident, that some of the real sharpening experts around here are currently relying upon magnifiers & cameras at 100x or more. Makes a huge difference.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
I've found the same to be true with a damp paper towel. Burrs at the edge will snag the fine fibers from the paper towel. You'll see them dangling from the edge at the burr location.
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malicious said:
oooohhhhh i like that one
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Sort of found that one out by chance. When I was routinely using my Lansky or Gatco for sharpening, part of my 'setup' included a couple of damp paper towels to frequently wipe the fines from the blade as I sharpened, just to keep things relatively clean. When the burr would begin to form at the edge, those little paper fibers would hang themselves quite neatly on the burrs, like little flags saying, 'Look at ME!!' :p Made it almost impossible to miss 'em.
 
Thanks for the tip.
Tried the gym shorts idea last night. Tried to get my leg up and kicked the cat off the table, pulled my back out and fell on the cupcake my wife just made for me.
I'm not allowed to play with any of my knives for a week now.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
+1 for magnification. As much as you can get, in fact.

I tried to 'get by' with a 5x for a while. That helped. Then, I dug up an old 10x lighted magnifier that I'd stashed away for a long time. That, in itself, was a big improvement in being able to see what was going on at the edge, and greatly improved my sharpening results in the process. Now, my mind is looking forward to using even more.

It's no accident, that some of the real sharpening experts around here are currently relying upon magnifiers & cameras at 100x or more. Makes a huge difference.
Click to expand...

holy crap look at this.. must have one

http://www.amazon.com/Carson-MM-200...AUMU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298490547&sr=8-1
 
I've actually been using that one for some time, and highly recommend it. The light source actually illuminates the object properly.
 
grizzled gizzard said:
I've actually been using that one for some time, and highly recommend it. The light source actually illuminates the object properly.
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Good to hear from a knife guy, reviews were mixed on the site. Looks like it's worth it to order two(2) Free shipping on $25.
 
Went ahead and swung by Radio Shack today. Walked in and said, "I have questions....":confused:
Dunno guess they didn't think I was funny. anyway.

About $12. Fun little piece. As usual the internet is Full of Crap:eek: the reviews that criticized the "Quality of the Optics" Come on guys, it's $12. A swarovski scope is $4000.00. What do you expect. I think is actually pretty good.
 
rubiconss said:
Went ahead and swung by Radio Shack today. Walked in and said, "I have questions....":confused:
Dunno guess they didn't think I was funny. anyway.

About $12. Fun little piece. As usual the internet is Full of Crap:eek: the reviews that criticized the "Quality of the Optics" Come on guys, it's $12. A swarovski scope is $4000.00. What do you expect. I think is actually pretty good.
Click to expand...

they have them at radio shack?
 
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