little tricks and analogies

[lutejones]

I friend of mine asked me if I could teach him to sharpen properly after trying one of my pocket knives. So after teaching him the basics I began to think about little tricks that at one moment or another helped me and were kind of aha!!! moments.
It could be a really cool thread if we all share our little autohelpers in sharpening, and as it seems like I cannot explain myself clear enough a couple of examples:

- I compare level of refinement with cars and car brakes. A formula1 car's carbon brakes are the higher performers(really polished edge) but they have a very limited goal which is to stop a race car(shave/clean push cut). If you put those breaks in a sedan they're going to block the wheels at the first touch(slide over tomato peel). On the other hand if you try your hand at the racetrack with a pick up truck(coarse working edge) you'll get the job done but you ain't gonna be the fastest around.

- when I pinch the blade with index and thumb and slide from spine to edge If I feel a step down I know It's time to blend the shoulders or thin the primary grind.

Lets see if we can make a fun and informative thread
regards


Mateo

 

[bucketstove]

...
It could be a really cool thread if we all share our little autohelpers in sharpening, and as it seems like I cannot explain myself clear enough a couple of examples:

Hi
you're a funny guy, we don't have any of those kinds of threads here, except maybe for this one, here is a thread with all the tips, its a HUGE thread 794

Ok, here is another big one but much smaller than the 794 The Seven Secrets of Sharpening

With regards to "level of refinement" i don't know what you're talking about either

if you're talking grits, you can get shaving sharp with both high and low grits,

but higher grits means more push cutting ability, edge last longer in push cutting clean materials, food prep (chopping salad, carrots...), a smoother closer shave (less razor burn, less skin lost)

lower grits are more like saws, stay slicing longer, but lose push cutting ability sooner, like trying to chop with a saw (break teeth), great for slicing ropes and card board


with regards to your pinch test ... never heard of that , so I've no reference point if thats any good, but see optimum knife edge angles and what they should be able to do/slice/chop because you can lower than you think

update: another rabbit hole of good info links 1363264-Best-correct-way-to-inexpensively-sharpen-a-pocket-knife

 

[Trout Hound]

I understood the analogy on edge polish. You can certainly shave with a blade off a coarse stone, but that's not the finish you would choose for a straight razor. I believe that's what the OP meant.

 

[lutejones]

Hey bucketstove, thanks for all the links but I should have presented myself and the idea a little better.
I'm now 33 and I began freehand sharpening when I was 17 and the last 4 years I've been shaving with a straight razor and I make furniture with hand tools(great link to paul sellers sharpening, I've been in one of his courses last year)

What I wanted was a place to share little particularities in the way everyone sharpens that could help the beginners without getting excesively technical, and at the same time serve the experienced ones compare techniques

The pinch test is an example of what I'm talking about, it's a way for me to know by feel what experience have taught me, if I feel a clear step down I know the edge won't penetrate cleanly and will tend to bind in the cuts, so is time to thin the grind

 

[bucketstove]

Hey bucketstove, thanks for all the links but I should have presented myself and the idea a little better.
I'm now 33 and I began freehand sharpening when I was 17 and the last 4 years I've been shaving with a straight razor and I make furniture with hand tools(great link to paul sellers sharpening, I've been in one of his courses last year)

What I wanted was a place to share little particularities in the way everyone sharpens that could help the beginners without getting excesively technical, and at the same time serve the experienced ones compare techniques

The pinch test is an example of what I'm talking about, it's a way for me to know by feel what experience have taught me, if I feel a clear step down I know the edge won't penetrate cleanly and will tend to bind in the cuts, so is time to thin the grind

Hi, I see, and I do understand the idea

The thing is, that is kind of what happens in this section/subforum every day
Usually its because someone tried something,
and there is a starting point for the discussion,
and then it just snowballs from there

Several members have long videos sharing tips,
tutorials, some have drawings, others lots of closeup pictures,
going back many years




I've only been sharpening a year, ...
so I know, nothing really helps beginners
until they actually try sharpening,
and start using their hands
and observing their hands
until then its all just cool stories

 

[jpm2]

The pinch test is something I've done for as long as I can remember, but never seen it mentioned here till now. :thumbup: But I do it in reverse, edge to spine... very carefully. Seen to get better feedback that way.