How do you sharpen and how do you test for sharpness?

ziggy925

ziggy925

Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
105
Personally, I use Norton waterstones and/or a Sharpmaker, with the Sharpmaker my go-to sharpener. I often finish with a leather strop and some compound. To see if my knives are sharp I usually use the paper cut test. If it slices through a sheet of paper easily it's sharp. While popping hairs off your arm is fun, I don't shave with any of my knives. Now, as for my straight razor, that's another story.

I'm still a novice, so I was wondering what the rest of you use and how you test.
 
I have been using shapton pros 320-1000-5000 strop on leather. I use phone book paper. I listen and watch to see if there is a booger burr that I can remove a little better. Usually a little more light strop, and I'm push cutting nicely. Also using the 3 finger test.
 
Hey Ziggy925, I am new to this sharpening sickness(obsession). If I can push cut phone book paper I call it done. I am using an Edge Pro Professional and also learning free hand.
 
IMHO, copy paper is not a good test. Newsprint or telephone book paper is far better. And it should cut in both directions.

Hold the newsprint between thumb and forefinger, and gently touch the blade to the paper at a 90 degree angle. Push gently straight down so there is no slicing effect.

The important thing is a perpendicular cut with no slicing motion.
 
I use the 3 stones with my DMT Aligner C/F/EF but I just got a Norton Economy stone which appears to be their india one which I just started using. Than I strop on paper if I strop at all, on the diamonds it's hit or miss if I do and on the Norton I strop when I am done as it makes a very large difference in overall sharpness. It's also hit or miss if I use the Aligner with any of the stones.

I cut up receipts that I have lying around, as well as newspaper. And I try the 3 finger test, I can judge pretty decently now how sharp a knife is just by that for the most part it seems.

I am trying to perfect my free hand but I am not against cheating by using the Aligner as the more I use either the more I learn overall, both tend to have their strengths and weaknesses. Funny thing is I've had a benchstone for a very short time and I already consider it far superior to the small DMT stones when using the Aligner (in terms of use, in terms of finished product it's debatable I just got the benchstone but good results so far). An 8x2 stone just works a whole lot faster than an 4x1 it seems, and quickly wrapping the stone with paper allows you to easily strop on it with excellent results.
 
A strop covers the majority of my Sharpening needs. Sometimes the Spyderco sharpmaker if the blades have really been put through the wringer. I have a diamond rat rat tail for the worst of times, but it never sees action. I do the "shaves arm hair" test.
 
I use a variation of Murray Carter's three finger test (that I actually used before I even knew about his test). It should feel pretty uniform along the entire length of the edge--this is something that a paper cut test (even with newspaper or receipt paper) can elide, as the entire blade need not be sharp in order to cut.

I sharpen mostly on waterstones and diamond paste loaded strops these days, though I have a quite a few diamond stones and some Spyderco ceramics still lying around that get used occasionally.
 
I free hand. Testing is mostly visual, looking for shiny spots. Otherwise just a bit of the thumbpad to see if its bitey. Most of my knives get left with a fairly toothy edge, but little blades I polish into scalpels. It also depends on the knife.
 
I use a Lansky with diamond and ceramic hones. I generally strop with black and green compound but not often with successful results on my ZT566...just can't get the angle right and wind up dulling it.
I use phone book paper and the finger nail test.
I've also realized I use my EDC knives hard and spending a lot of time trying to get a mirror edge that push cuts just becomes a lot of work so I don't spend as much time...or trying to...sharpening them as often.
 
I sharpen most knives with a combination of a Tormek T7 wet sharpener fitted with an SB-250 Black Silicon stone, and 6 different Paper Wheels (one with SiC grit and 5 with various diamond compounds.
I test my edges first on medium hardness laminated wood followed by a first inspection with a loupe, then on the edge of a piece of hard laminated desktop followed by a second inspection with a loupe, and afterwards all edges must be free of any damage and be able to at the very least shave arm hair on skin level, but most of the better hardened steels will treetop arm hair & slice single layer toilet paper.
 
I use leather strops or the Sharpmaker and strops for touch ups. To work on a very dull knife, I use the Wicked Edge. For convenience, I generally use printer paper for testing , but I agree that phone book paper is a better test of the sharp blade.
 
My stones.
20140312_232119_zps2c9963a3.jpg


Slicing paper or phone book paper is too easy (even push cutting) so I will roll magazine or wax paper into tube and cut at angle (even very sharp knives will glide off, must be very very sharp to bite)
 
Are those some Jnats I see? I haven't moved into picking those up yet - lately I've been considering Aoto's - since I'm unsure of where to start. Any recommendations?
 
Japanese natural stones--stones that are mined out of the ground in Japan. Synthetics (like Shapton/Chosera) are manufactured.
 
Oh yeah then I have 1 natural ( Jyunsyou) and 1 hybrid (hanhan). Also have natural nagura.

As for recommendation I can't help too much because these are new, but I can say I already love them very much.
 
I sharpen with a DMT Aligner set and its diamond stones. I also made a strop attachment for it out of some balsa wood and leather.

I test sharpness using the thin paper that we get in our Sunday paper with coupons printed on it. It seems to be relatively thin, and harder to cut than thicker stiffer paper.
 
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