How dull is too dull?

H

Hoodoo

Joined
Aug 18, 1999
Messages
2,355
No, this is not about the Presidential race.
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I like to have a shaving sharp knife like most people but don't always have the time to keep my working knives that sharp. My litmus test is to run the blade across a fingernail. If it doesn't catch my nail, time to sharpen. What do others do? Enquiring mind wants to know.



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Hoodoo

No, I do not weep at the world--I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife.
Zora Neale Hurston

Oversharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt.
Lao Tsu
 
I'm with you. I like a shaving edge too.
I try to keep them up with my steel.

Right now my arms are rather bare and thumbnails are marked. You can tell I've been sharpening!
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Travis Autry
My knives are just like rabbits---they keep multiplying!!
 
I do it the same as you. Unless the job i used it for makes it duller than that i pretty much do the nail thing too.
I just find it a lot easier to keep it tuned up than bring it back from too dull.
 
Hey HooDoo...

Yup I use the same test,, but also like to try and shave,,or at least shave paper...

I'm not the best at sharpening,,so I find this sometimes hard to do..

ttyle Eric...

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Eric E. Noeldechen
On/Scene Tactical
http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel
Custom made, High Quality
Concealex Sheaths and Tool Holsters
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I really dont know I keep my knives as sharp as I can..

THE SHARPER THE SAFER!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I hate to say this but, I usually hit a crock stick when I get home with the knife I have carried that day. A couple of passes keeps the edge up and will insure that I have a sharp knife when I need it.

I have used the back of a notebook or even a cardboard box to strop an edge. It seems to me that stropping would just polish the edge but I'm not sure about that though.


[This message has been edited by CAL (edited 02-04-2000).]
 
I feel the drag as I scrape my finger tips across the blade. I can tell by feel if it's getting dull. More importantly, since I use three fingers at the same time, I can tell if the edge is unevenly sharp. One of the more hazardous conditions for a blade is to have part of the edge dull and then have a sharp spot. In use, you apply extra force in the dull area, then you hit the sharp spot and the blade goes zipping right through--a very easy way to cut yourself.

I keep hones at my office and at home. If I can't shave with my knife I'm not happy. On a heavy use day I will try and find a way to steel or strop the blade if I think its starting to wear. Under these circumstances I don't try a shaving test, I go by feel.
 

I scrape my finger tips accross the blade too. The edge must feel smooth and sharp (hard to describe the "sharp feel"
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I also do the visual inspection of blades.
Dull or imperfect areas reflect the light differently.

K.


 
well, i have the good fortune to have a big high speed buffer about 2 feet away from one of my 2 belt sanders....so about everytime i use my knife i buff the edge...works great for me....but then thats a luxury most guys dont have...

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http://www.mayoknives.com


 
When it no longer scares me to touch the edge it's time to steel, when it no longer shaves it's time to touch-up, when it no longer cuts paper it's time to sharpen.

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"Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav'n"
John Milton
There are only two types of people; those who understand this, and those who think they do.
 
What is surprising to most people probably because they have not used very sharp blades, is that you can quite easily see and feel even small differences in performance. As soon as a blade gets slightly dull it will start to slip during slicing for example instead of moving smoothly into the material. Besides lowering productivity, this is dangerous. I don't use a set test for blunting as it will vary due to the edge finish, but basically it should be cutting whatever it is supposed to near the optimal level.

-Cliff

[This message has been edited by Cliff Stamp (edited 02-05-2000).]
 
If it doesnt pop hairs with the old TING-TING-TING sound, and then send those hairs into outer space!!
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When the hair starts growing back on my arms and legs.
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Just because I talk to myself does not make me crazy. Now, when I listen to myself, that makes me crazy.
 
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