Heh. Just joking. I was holding a bit of scrap steel under the '9
In another thread a couple of folks indicated that a knife might have a better edge once the factory edge has been ground away. I hadn't really contemplated that before.
I can think of two reasons why this might be. 1.. If a knife was pretty much sharpened before it was heat treated, then maybe the thin edge lost some carbon in the process. With less carbon the edge mightn't be as hard. 2. .. If a factory edge is particularly toothy, then the grind lines might initiate chipping if great stress is applied.
So what are other folks' thoughts and experience with this idea?
I know that the topic of sharpening has been discussed too much already. Nevertheless, I thought I'd contribute some thoughts.
I will not hesitate to use an electric bench grinder or a disk grinder on a knife blade if there is a lot of metal to be moved. Naturally I try to go easy so as not to overheat the edge, and I keep a bucket of water nearby so I can dunk the blade in periodically to keep it cool. I only take light cuts while keeping the blade moving. As a metalworker I've sharpened cold chisels, drills, center punches and other cutting tools many times on a high speed grinder. The edge would have to reach a temperature of 400 F before changes started to happen. Mind you, it doesn't take long for a small area to reach this temperature so care is needed. Maybe there are better ways to re-shape a blade, but I've never been aware of having ruined the temper unless I've seen colour changes on the steel.
It seems to be widely accepted that the best way to sharpen a knife on a whetstone is to stroke the blade forward over the stone. I use this method sometimes when I have a nice flat stone, but over the years I have come to prefer dragging the edge over the stone. Not every stone is particularly flat, and I figure it is better to drag the blade over a lump rather than push into it. Perhaps I get more of a feather this way with some blades, but a few light strokes and maybe the use of a steel or finer stone seems to get rid of it.
My Dad - who was an engineer, hunter, fisherman and cook - used knives a lot, although curiously he often bothered me by not having one on his person. He used to sharpen on a stone with a circular motion. His knives were plenty sharp enough. I never remember seeing him use a sharpening steel.
Recently I've been getting good results dragging my edges over abrasive paper. I have a roll of fine paper I got from a yard sale, and it is great. I sometimes carry a strip of this paper for sharpening when I'm out on the hillside. It is light, and it doesn't have sharp edges to push through my pocket or my pack.
At time I obsess over having to get a shaving edge... and I have found this easy to achieve with just a medium stone followed by a few strokes on a steel. But I don't think I've ever had a knife as sharp as some of the internet descriptions (dang... cutting through hair above my skin ! How do you get it that sharp?). In day to day use though, I've found that a blade doesn't have to shave to perform well enough. If it feels sharp to my thumb... and I can't see the edge in bright light...and if it does the required job without too much effort, then I'm happy. Sometimes I will test the blade by dragging it over my thumbnail. If it feels like it is 'catching' the nail, all is well.
I have created shaving edges dragging over a stone (finishing with very light strokes), and by dragging over fine abrasive paper.
As far as edges go, I probably grind to a sharper angle than some folks might recommend. I also like the idea of the convex edge, but I don't really go out of my way to create one... I just figure that my hand-held sharpening technique will be creating a slight convex automatically whether I like it or not.
The stone in the middle under the BK2 is a cheap one I got from a 'two dollar' shop. It works well enough. The stone laying next to the steel is a natural Arkansas and it is a really good one. Under the Arkansas stone is a bit of inexpensive 'non-slip' matting. I find it is really good to use under a stone on the kitchen bench. I don't scratch the bench, and the stone doesn't slide around. I glued the cheap ceramic stick into a 'natural' handle. I don't really know what to think about ceramic sticks yet. (I guess many of you will know that unglazed fired ceramic pottery is good for sharpening. Often the base rim of a plate or bowl wont be glazed, so it is ideal for the job).
