- Joined
- Mar 12, 2010
- Messages
- 975
Hey there knife enthusiasts!
I have been a knife user for many years. About 3 years ago was the first time I started learning to sharpen, and I've gotten pretty good. All of my knives are very sharp, will easily shave hair and cleanly slice through paper, and are functionally as sharp as any layman could hope for in a knife...
After spending some time looking at knives, reviews, and other threads related to knives and sharpening, I'm realizing that my skills could continue to grow. The first instruction I sought for sharpening was Murray Carter's, and I feel that I am able to get most of my knives just about as sharp as they can be. Just about is the key phrase here, because after reviewing some knife tests by Ankerson and others on here, I've realized that there is a degree of sharpness that I am not quite able to obtain. My knives, using Murray Carter's three finger test, will appear to begin wanting to puncture your skin at the slightest touch. I can actually see my fingertips begin to wobble as I try to move them up or down the blade with the slightest pressure, because the knife is digging in and beginning to cut.
I've recently begun trying to wittle hair with my knives. I've succeeded a few times, but have never been able to get it quite there with any consistency. It also appears that edges in Ankerson's and other videos seem to have just a little bit more pop to them when slicing through paper, TP, or other materials.
So you see, my quest for the perfect edge has led me to bladeforums, and now I am reaching out to those of you who have more experience than myself to help me get to the next level of sharpness in my knife sharpening.
As of right now, I typically use a 1000 grit and an 8000 grit japanese water stone for all sharpening, and then I also use a leather strop with green compound for finishing the edges. As I've said before, they are pretty damn sharp, and functionally they are as sharp as they really need to be to accomplish the job, but I'd really love to get to that next level.
I guess my two questions are this...
1- Is hair whittling a true product of the sharpest, most refined edges out there? What other tests do you guys use to test the sharpness of your edges?
2- Can anyone out there achieve edges sharper than the ones I've described using tools similar to mine? Am I missing some crucial piece of equipment to help me get to that next level, or is it my technique that needs to be refined?
Thanks much for all the help,
JGON
I have been a knife user for many years. About 3 years ago was the first time I started learning to sharpen, and I've gotten pretty good. All of my knives are very sharp, will easily shave hair and cleanly slice through paper, and are functionally as sharp as any layman could hope for in a knife...
After spending some time looking at knives, reviews, and other threads related to knives and sharpening, I'm realizing that my skills could continue to grow. The first instruction I sought for sharpening was Murray Carter's, and I feel that I am able to get most of my knives just about as sharp as they can be. Just about is the key phrase here, because after reviewing some knife tests by Ankerson and others on here, I've realized that there is a degree of sharpness that I am not quite able to obtain. My knives, using Murray Carter's three finger test, will appear to begin wanting to puncture your skin at the slightest touch. I can actually see my fingertips begin to wobble as I try to move them up or down the blade with the slightest pressure, because the knife is digging in and beginning to cut.
I've recently begun trying to wittle hair with my knives. I've succeeded a few times, but have never been able to get it quite there with any consistency. It also appears that edges in Ankerson's and other videos seem to have just a little bit more pop to them when slicing through paper, TP, or other materials.
So you see, my quest for the perfect edge has led me to bladeforums, and now I am reaching out to those of you who have more experience than myself to help me get to the next level of sharpness in my knife sharpening.
As of right now, I typically use a 1000 grit and an 8000 grit japanese water stone for all sharpening, and then I also use a leather strop with green compound for finishing the edges. As I've said before, they are pretty damn sharp, and functionally they are as sharp as they really need to be to accomplish the job, but I'd really love to get to that next level.
I guess my two questions are this...
1- Is hair whittling a true product of the sharpest, most refined edges out there? What other tests do you guys use to test the sharpness of your edges?
2- Can anyone out there achieve edges sharper than the ones I've described using tools similar to mine? Am I missing some crucial piece of equipment to help me get to that next level, or is it my technique that needs to be refined?
Thanks much for all the help,
JGON
