Mo' Better Burr?

M

Mister Coffee

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Dec 6, 2020
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We are told that, in order to sharpen a knife, one must produce a burr on one side of the blade, then flip the knife over and work on the other side.

Question: How big a burr? If I can detect any burr along the edge of the blade with my thumbnail, is that enough, or does the burr have to be of a particular size?
 
Only enough burr to detect along the full length of the cutting edge. Whether you actually see it with your eyes, feel it with your fingertips or nails, or otherwise recognize it's effect on cutting in paper, etc., it's all about making sure you KNOW it's there and can prove it's existence.

As you gain experience, 'only enough to detect' will tend to get smaller. It'll become easier to see/detect earlier, when the burr is beginning to form, and you'll catch it sooner without having to grow the burr to an extreme size to see or feel it.
 
There's another aspect to sharpening to the burr, also.

If you're in the habit for awhile, of sharpening the same knife over and over until a burr forms and you then clean it up, you'll begin to recognize the character of the edge and how it cuts, both before and after the burr is cleaned up. You'll see it retain a certain recognizable level of sharpness after the burr is removed, at which point you'll say to yourself, "OK, it's there now, and it's good to go."

Once you're at that point, you'll begin to recognize more quickly when 'it's there', and you'll not feel the need to take it so far into burring the edge before you know it's done and ready to go. So, past a certain point, you won't necessarily have to produce an obvious burr to recognize when the edge is as ready as you want it to be, where it meets all your expectations.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
There's another aspect to sharpening to the burr, also.

If you're in the habit for awhile, of sharpening the same knife over and over until a burr forms and you then clean it up, you'll begin to recognize the character of the edge and how it cuts, both before and after the burr is cleaned up. You'll see it retain a certain recognizable level of sharpness after the burr is removed, at which point you'll say to yourself, "OK, it's there now, and it's good to go."

Once you're at that point, you'll begin to recognize more quickly when 'it's there', and you'll not feel the need to take it so far into burring the edge before you know it's done and ready to go. So, past a certain point, you won't necessarily have to produce an obvious burr to recognize when the edge is as ready as you want it to be, where it meets all your expectations.
Click to expand...
Great explanation of a good bit of knowledge.
 
Mister Coffee said:
Question: How big a burr? If I can detect any burr along the edge of the blade with my thumbnail, is that enough, or does the burr have to be of a particular size?
Click to expand...
When sharpening you always have a rag with you, to wipe down the blade to remove any grit on it as you go, you wipe down the blade to inspect your work as you progress, you may need to wipe down the stone as you go and wipe up any water or honing oil to keep your work area clean, you get my drift. Go and buy yourself a packet of micro-fiber cleaning cloths, any super market will sell them in the cleaning section. Use these as your cleaning rag, but they are fantastic for detecting a burr, when you want to check for a burr, lay the cloth on your open hand and strop the blade on the side your are looking for a burr, you will feel and see it grab the cloth if there is a burr, and you will be able to hear it, like a scratching sound. Turn the blade over and strop it, it will glide across the micro-fiber because it is smooth. You cannot fail to detect a burr with this method, when you have created a burr along the length of the blade, and you now know it is definitely there, try to feel it with your finger, it will take practice, but eventually you will teach yourself to be able to feel it with your finger. Over time, the smaller burr you can create saves you from removing too much metal. If you are just learning as you would have already been informed, practice on cheap knives, you can but them for about 2 bucks at any cheap outlet, but practicing this method you will be surprised how you will learn to feel even small burrs, but it just takes patience and practice. Good luck. :thumbsup: :).
 
The purpose of the burr is to make sure you ground all the way to the edge. It's a real indicator that this happened. As long as the burr is full length of the blade, your job is done, no matter how small the burr is. The only danger in making really small burrs is that you might not properly detect the burr on the whole blade. For example, if the blade is the most dull in the belly near the point, this part will need the most sharpening. If you make the burr really small and you detect it at the beginning of the belly and the end of the belly, but you're not sure about the middle of the belly, then you should keep grinding in this area until you are 100% sure you have a burr.

I can't tell you how many sharpeners NEVER reach the edge on the entire length of the blade. I would say this is the most common problem in sharpening. Followed closely by not fully removing the burr.

Happy sharpening.
Brian.
 
Mister Coffee said:
We are told that, in order to sharpen a knife, one must produce a burr on one side of the blade, then flip the knife over and work on the other side.

Question: How big a burr? If I can detect any burr along the edge of the blade with my thumbnail, is that enough, or does the burr have to be of a particular size?
Click to expand...
Just big enough to see/feel.
Sometimes I don't even look, just use the three finger sticky test. If you've ground a burr, or close enough to the edge to form an apex then the blade will feel sticky. If it doesn't, you're not there yet.
 
Ideally one would not form any burr whatsoever, but it's a reliable method of knowing when you've formed an apex, which is why it's used as a frame of reference.
 
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