Feeling Burrs

T

tnt-user

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I can get my edges resonably sharp(whittling). I know alot of points about sharpening but I'm still just intermediate. I've seen the topic of burrs and read about them and why they form but for some reason I still can't feel those darn things! I tried so much stuff. My callous is very thick on my hand except my pinky(you can thank zippo for that:D) and I don't feel fine detail at all on any of those fingers. I've gotten the XC out and done enough strokes that I could see the burr in the light but I still can't feel it. How do you feel it? I imagine if I can't feel such a large burr how would I feel anything smaller. About how long does it take you to feel the burr? Thanks for any tips.
 
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I like two methods, the first is looking under a bright light. This will show the "soft burrs that are hard to feel and up to a point will show 90% of burrs. The second and more sensitive method is to strop the edge on my thumb nail, imperfections in the edge are easily felt and even the smallest burrs scrape the nail surface.
 
knifenut1013 said:
I like two methods, the first is looking under a bright light. This will show the "soft burrs that are hard to feel and up to a point will show 90% of burrs. The second and more sensitive method is to strop the edge on my thumb nail, imperfections in the edge are easily felt and even the smallest burrs scrape the nail surface.
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To what degree does this scraping occur. I tested this out and only really felt like the edge was dull and couldn't say for sure.
 
The finer the abrasive the finer the burr, usually you can look at the edge after and see nail dust on the edge. If the edge feels smooth and is sharp then you have removed most or all of the burr that could have a effect on cutting.
 
tnt-user said:
How do you feel it? I imagine if I can't feel such a large burr how would I feel anything smaller. About how long does it take you to feel the burr? Thanks for any tips.
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Take a real cheap knife that you don't care about and scrub up one side only on a course stone. I mean scrub the hell out of it! After 10 minutes stop, turn the knife over and on the side opposite the one that was in contact with the stone, there 'should be' a pretty large burr formed. To 'feel' this, use the end of your fingernail (pointing at the blade) to slide down the blade from the spine to the edge and beyond. (NOT from the tip of the knife towards the handle!! From the spine to the edge and past.) If your fingernail (not finger tip, but fingernail) gets stuck on something right at the edge, THAT is the burr. The nail should slide right down the side of the knife and get stuck at the edge. Hope this helps. :)


Stitchawl
 
Do you stop one side until you get a burr and then go to the other ? I would then assume that you would then go to a finer stone/ grit and do the same ? Great descriptions BTW-Thanks
 
ordawg1 said:
Do you stop one side until you get a burr and then go to the other ? I would then assume that you would then go to a finer stone/ grit and do the same ? Great descriptions BTW-Thanks
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Yes, one side until you get a burr, then the other side until you get a burr. Then I do something that other might not do... I repeat the burr-raising but with a much smaller burr for each side. That seems to insure to me that I have equal bevels on both sides rather than just pushing the burr over onto the other side. After both burr-raisings, (is that a word?) I hold the blade at a much steeper angle and give one or two very light strokes to rip off the burr. THEN I go to the next finer grit and repeat the process.

After a while you become sensitive to the sound of the blade on the stone and can 'hear' when the burr is beginning to form. The knife makes a different sound against the stone. I usually stop at that point if I can, so as not to remove so much metal. It is just the faintest of burrs, but a fingernail can just about feel it.

Stitchawl
 
I now can see the scatching motion on my nail. Thank you all. I can feel burrs now but still can't use those diafolds:(.
 
If you have any arm hair left, or head hair, you can strop the blade down the back of your arm or back of your head. The burr will catch the hair and you can feel it that way. I can feel burrs this way that I cant see with a light and cant feel with my fingers or fingernail. It helps to be kinda hairy.
 
me2 said:
If you have any arm hair left, or head hair, you can strop the blade down the back of your arm or back of your head. The burr will catch the hair and you can feel it that way. I can feel burrs this way that I cant see with a light and cant feel with my fingers or fingernail. It helps to be kinda hairy.
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Heh my arms and legs are both nearly bald from all the metal removeal goin' on.
 
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