burr or no burr?

williamsld8

williamsld8

Joined
Sep 19, 2010
Messages
226
ok so i have most of my sharpening stuff packed away because it was collecting dust. i am currently using a few diamond pocket sharpeners and cards and what not. finishing with a strop sometimes and other times not. if desired, im able to attention a freakish sharp edge, but im curious about something. i keep reading about working up a burr before moving to the next grit. problem is not matter what i cant seem to get this burr. i end up moving to the next grit just before i think it might be to late, and i get the results i wanted anyway, but this whole ghost burr issue has me so puzzled.
 
I never heard of a burr before I read John Juranitch's Razor Edge book and joined this site. Always got great edges too. Since learning how to get to a burr and working it off, my edges have improved. Belt sanders and Razor Sharp wheels bring them right out.
 
If you are mostly touching up your own knives, and know they are barely dull (hopefully), you don't need to raise a burr. you already know that you can do one or two swipes per side, and you won't get a burr doing that.

"Getting a burr" is best for really dull knives or reprofiling. Anytime you have to remove a lot of metal, it's easier to take one side down all the way until you get a small burr on one side before you touch the other side, then only take the other side to the point were you have a small burr on the first side. After that, I pretty much only do one or two swipes per side, because getting rid of that burr is the next goal.
 
oh I see. So if I alternate for every stroke, I'm not going to see a burr? Because that's how I do things
 
williamsld8 said:
oh I see. So if I alternate for every stroke, I'm not going to see a burr? Because that's how I do things
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I'm guessing that's why I never saw one either. I was taught edge leading, one stroke each side until it was sharp.
 
You could develop a burr with this sharpening method as well . I'd get a magnifier and check for shiny areas . DM
 
DM - what sort of magnifier would you suggest? i have been thinking of getting one for some time now, but have literally never seen one, let alone seen where i could purchase one.
 
David Martin said:
You could develop a burr with this sharpening method as well . I'd get a magnifier and check for shiny areas . DM
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I've noticed burr formation with both methods as well - I imagine that's a good thing, how else do you know if you've ground all the way to the cutting edge. If I don't have a loupe with me I hold the knife spine up and tilt it back and forth under some overhead lighting. Even a very small burr (much smaller than can usually be felt) will appear as a slight halo, throwing light back just off the true edge. For magnification I have some really cheap craft shop loupes at 8 or 10x, I misplaced my good 12x when I moved (where the **** did that thing get to!).
 
williamsld8 said:
DM - what sort of magnifier would you suggest? i have been thinking of getting one for some time now, but have literally never seen one, let alone seen where i could purchase one.
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Something like this.

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When I started sharpening, I was advised to look at my edges under magnification and to reconcile what I saw(both magnified and naked eye) with what I felt. I feel that this has helped me a lot in understanding what is going on with my edges while I sharpen.
 
Amazon has a lot of choices for unbelievably cheap. I got every one they had cuz they're only a few bucks apiece. The illuminated 45x is definitely a favorite. There is an illuminated 30x that's pretty good too. The plain 30x is pretty good, but I wouldn't get the 10x/20x, or the plain 10x. For a very good 10x with a very nice detachable neck lanyard, try Belomo. Lots of guys use the $15 60x-100x pocket microscope from Radio Shack.
 
Radio Shack has some for 10$, a 5-10X is really all thats needed and bright sunlight or near a 60 watt bulb . HeavyHand, we've moved several times and even 5yrs. later I'm still finding my missing tools . Which by then I had already rebought . DM ;)
 
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