Interesting result from convexing

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berzerker

Joined
Jan 27, 2002
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801
One huge plus weighing against all the minuses of un(der)employment is having time to spend with your son. Especially important when he's just become a teenager.

Anyway...He's been working on a project for an architecture class at school, and needed to cut lots of foam core--most of it in very small, dimension-critical pieces. Of all the knives I supplied, his favorite was a GEC Cuban, with it's sheepsfoot blade. I kept it shaving sharp (V-grind edge), but the foam core started to gall with even slight dulling. While he was doing other homework, I convexed the blades on a new rig I've built. When he began again, he immediately noticed the difference and commented on how much better the edge worked--no galling. I explained what I had done and he thanked me! (Now, he's polite, but having a teenager go out of his way to comment favorably and say "...thanks, Dad..." makes it all worth while.)

Some time back, I read an article about how the convexed edges forced material away from the sides of the blade, making for smoother cuts. The article focused on dressing game, but it seems to work well on foam core, too. Looks like I've got a new way to soothe work-search blues.
 
I would be very interested to see pictures of your rig, I have been looking for an alternative to the mousepad/sandpaper technique.
 
berzerker said:
Some time back, I read an article about how the convexed edges forced material away from the sides of the blade, making for smoother cuts. The article focused on dressing game, but it seems to work well on foam core, too. Looks like I've got a new way to soothe work-search blues.
Click to expand...
That is my understanding too. A knife maker that I respect highly (Karl Schroen) always completes the sharpening of his creations on an oil stone, by hand, without a jig. He does this because the microscopic inconsistencies of hand position result in a convex edge, which he believes cuts more easily than a flat edge. It also puts a little more metal right behind the leading edge, which may help edge retention a little.

And, yes, please do tell us more about your sharpening rig. Photo, maybe?
 
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uh interested tooo!!! great thing too! great satisfaction right?

i've convexing all my knives lately
Maxx
 
I'm one to not fall for hype, but after getting a convex blade I definitely understand it know. Convex grinds cut very well.
 
Thanks for the interest. (It honestly was not my intent to flog this contraption.)

I'll try to take some photos this weekend.

Best regards.
 
If you do not post photos of your sharpening rig soon, we will kill this kitten:

162954.2.jpg


I know that you don't want that to happen, so grab yer camera, convex boy!
 
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Oh no! I didn't see the kitten threat. Sorry 'bout that.

Too much crap to deal with in the past 2 weeks--courtesy of a real carbon-based, oxygen-wasting, crap-generator...

Weather should be good enough tomorrow to take some pix (I just finished a pdf of the thing).

Then, I guess I need to upgrade to post images.
 
No need to upgrade your membership, just upload your pictures to an online album like Picasa and then insert the link to the image in your post using the "insert image" icon, that's the second from the right.
 
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