How to move from draw sharp edge to push-cut sharp edge

[augostos]

Hello!

I was sharpening my knives for several months, I'm new to this.

The main tools are DMT ~800 grit diamond sharpener and Lansky midcoarse ceramic rod.

So it is free hand sharpening. The results are not very exceptional though. I can compare sharpened by me Military and MiniGrip to factory edge of Emerson Commander. Commander can cut more easily.

Today I tried to cut arm hair with my Military, it can, but only while drawing the blade.

Any thoughts on how I can make the edge sharper? Maybe stropping or other stage will help?

Thank you very much!

 

[Jason B.]

Just gotta work harder.

You can get the sharpness you want from the stone just go at it lightly. You don't need to go to a fine grit for sharpness you just need a well formed edge.

 

[HeavyHanded]

Also, make sure you aren't making the cutting edge any more obtuse. Widening the edge will make it cut with far less efficiency.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Push-cutting places almost all emphasis on a very refined apex (and a thinner geometry behind the edge also helps). Draw-cutting/slicing can rely more on the 'teeth' along the apex, even if the underlying apex is a bit thick, rough or not completely finished. This is why a carbide scraper-type sharpener 'works', relying entirely on the 'toothy' character of the jagged shards left by the scraper, in spite of the ugly and sometimes damaged steel underneath them. In a nutshell, make sure the apex is as clean, pure, crisp and thin as it can be. Other things, like really smooth, polished bevels can also make push-cutting easier. Convexing & polishing even more so.

Nice thing about ensuring effortless push-cutting (using any part of the full length of the cutting edge) is, if it'll do that well, the draw/slice-cutting usually takes care of itself.


David