how sharp is scary sharp

B

berndt

Joined
Jan 20, 2000
Messages
5
Hi
i just got a bm720, and really the only other knife i ever deal with is a leatherman wave, and ofcourse its pretty damn dull, and the bm isn't as sharp as i had expected. So how sharp is hair popping sharp/scary sharp, and what test can i do to get an idea how much sharper it could/should be, i know now that if i atleast lightly run my finger down the blade i won't get cut, i haven't tried press very hard because obviously i have no intention of cutting myself. Also what sharpenning systems do you people recomment?

Dave

p.s. ya i disabled them damn smiling bastards, stop it
 
HMM, scary sharp? Well that would be when you can HEAR the hair scream in fear as you bring your knife to your arm.
 
one good way to see if a knife is sharp is to try and do a push cut through a peice of newspaper without it tearing. Shaving your arm is popular too. For my carving knives I take a peice of soft wood and cut across the end grain. If it cuts easy and leaves a smooth finish that wouldn't require sanding I now its sharp.
I would recommend learning to sharpen free hand with bench stones. A great starting set would be a tri hone it has a coarse stone, a soft arkansas(medium) and a hard arkansas(fine) they're about $30 from woodcraft( www.woodcraft.com ) You might get a fine ceramic stone or a strop to go along with it. Hard arkansas will put a polished edge on thats usable, but fine ceramic stones and or strops will put a razor edge on.
Oh yeah you may not like smilies, but you only disabled them in your message
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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 
Welcome to the forums berndt! I hope you learn as much as I have here. One way of testing sharpness is to try to shave hair from your arm or leg. This is really only much good after you have gotten a good edge on it though. Another way is to try and slice paper with it. If the paper tears or cuts raggedly, it's pretty dull. As to your question of sharpening systems, you'll probably end up getting more different answers than you can handle if this thread doesn't get buried. My personal favorite is the Edge Pro Apex, but its pretty big money, especially if you only have 2 knives. If you'd like to check it out though, go to http://www.gorge.net/business/edgepro/ . There is also a review of it here on the forums at http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/001277.html . There's also the Spyderco Sharpmaker 204, which would most likely be your best choice. It's very, very simple and easy to use, and on both of the knives you mentioned I imagine it would work quite well. It's available through the forums store, or you could get it a little cheaper from www.chaicutlery.com . Then there's also the cheapest option; buy a flat stone from your local hardware store or Wal-Mart and do it freehand. If you want to try this option, chances are your first attempts won't be overly successful, but if you get it even partly right, your edges will be plenty useable, just not the hair-popping edge you seem to be after. If you want to try this, you may want to read the sharpening FAQ here on the forums. Actually, you should read it anyway; the fundamentals hold no matter what system you use. The URL is http://www.bladeforums.com/features/faqsharp.html . And finally, if you have any questions about anything I mentioned here or anything else, e-mail me and I'll help you out as best I can. Hope this helps and good luck!

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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.
 
WHAT YA DONT LIKE THE SMILIES
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My Email is - Hero47@juno.com -
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[This message has been edited by MICKEY77 (edited 01-31-2000).]
 
Well if ya dont like the smilies then you might like this little teaser
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-------<img src=http://www.telusvelocity.net/~tbauer/smileyshot2.gif>-------

I guess no one seems to like >>
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<<< these guys.......

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damn it people, my name is dave, the last name is berndt, thats why it's the user name, see its signed dave, stop calling me Berndt, it's really annoying, sounds like i am listenning to a hockey game with all the last names, and i can just hear you guys mangling the pronounciation each time you look at it.

Damn i hate those smilies

Dave

[This message has been edited by berndt (edited 01-31-2000).]
 
Gotta love those smilies my man!!!!!!!!!!

I mean DAVE
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[This message has been edited by MICKEY77 (edited 01-31-2000).]
 
We could call you newbie for the next month
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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 
Ok maybe I just suck at shaving my arm, well the knife cuts newspaper pretty damn well, no tearing, and it shaves arm hair ok, i am not really sure how easy it should be to shave arm hair however as i don't shave my arms all that often for some reason
 
If you can shave hair and don't feel it pulling on the hair much it's getting real sharp. If you can shave with slight pulling it's only sharp.
 
WHAT you dont shave your arms,

I thought we all do
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or maybe just Vampire Gerbil...........

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My Email is - Hero47@juno.com -
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[This message has been edited by MICKEY77 (edited 01-31-2000).]
 
dave- in my opinion...not so humble i might add, scarey sharp is when you can touch the knife to a hair and it cuts it in half.. slicing newspaper is no big deal...of course i have a full on knife shop with a million tools, 2 knfe grinders, big buffer, lathe, etc etc etc.....but to get a knife really sharp is a meticulous thing....getting one to stay like that is another animal altogether, as a hair poppin edge on a lot of steel will roll over while you look at it. my vote goes to the cpm v steels for this, as they take a very fine razor edge and HOLD it there for a long, long time. my opinion...as stated....<www.crucible.com/> then look for Particle Metallurgy. what happened? i put crucibles site address in there and it disappeared....http://www.crucible.com/

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http://www.mayoknives.com




[This message has been edited by tom mayo (edited 01-31-2000).]
 
Melloooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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have a"knife"day
 
I get the best hair poppin sharp with Crock Sticks. They cost under 20 bux and as you finish you stroke lighter and lighter. You can tell its real sharp when lightly rubbing your finger perpendicular to the blade edge. When it bites into your finger, you are there. Tom is right with the CPM steels taking a killer edge but I think M2 is even better and properly heat treated BG-42 or ATS-34 will get just as sharp.
 
Scary sharp is when it cuts you from across the room when you look at it sideways... from in the sheath. Of course, some of us have 'intimate others' who can do that with a look (ouch!).
 
When you can't hold it with the cutting edge pressing into your thumb and the back into the fingers, and pick it up handle down. If it's really sharp, you have to squeeze hard enough to support the weight that it will cut you or if you don't squeeze hard enough, it will sliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide down the thumb and still cut ya.

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"Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!"
 
Nevertheless, it's an excellent test of sharpness. The intelligence level of the user is anotehr thing alltogether
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Scarey sharp to me is when I look at the knife and my eyeballs start to bleed.Then the blade starts spinning around it's handle and peasoup shoots out of the liner and I notice that I'm standing in midair.That to me is scarey sharp.
Bob
 
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