Removing a wire edge

Johnny Numbers

Johnny Numbers

Joined
Jan 23, 2010
Messages
298
I'm no expert at sharpening knives, or I wouldn't be asking this question, LOL.

OK, I have an old Lansky diamond kit that I have had for many moons, and it seems to do a pretty good job. I'm sharpening a new Hen & Rooster Sowbelly that is so dull it wouldn't cut a fart much less anything else and it surprises me that they would actually allow something like this to leave their QC dept. Geez...

Anyway...

I have two of the three blades pretty sharp and stropping doesn't seem to make much of a difference at this point. So I look really close at the edge(s), and I can see a very thin wire edge on both blades. The problem is, how do you remove it? I have tried a few different things and nothing seems to work.

So here I am asking the experts. Anyone have any sage advice?
 
A couple very light slices through a piece of hard felt or leather works well for me to get rid of that last bit of a burr before my final stropping pass.
 
I some times slice thru a block of wood I keep nearby when I'm sharpening to get rid of that wire edge.
 
My 'go-to' method usually is a medium/fine ceramic hone. A few, very light edge-leading strokes, at a slightly elevated angle. Since you're familiar with the Lansky system, I'd recommend (highly) getting the fine and UF ceramic hones for it. I used the Lansky a LOT for a while, and these two hones went a long ways towards removing any burrs & wire edges formed in earlier stages. Use very light pressure with them, and closely inspect the edge as you work, under magnification (10X or better) and BRIGHT light. By the time you're finished with the finest hone, burrs should be almost non-existant. Whatever's left can be stropped away or, as has been suggested, cutting into a piece of wood or stiff leather (or stacked paper, like a phone book or catalog) can remove them.

One way to minimize the burr/wire from the beginning, is to use the LIGHTEST PRESSURE possible, with all hones. Leaning into the hones too hard will always result in bigger burrs & wires, which are obviously tougher to remove. If you inspect closely, watch for the burr when using the coarsest hone. When you see it, use that same hone at much lighter pressure to minimize it, before moving on to the next hone. That goes a long ways toward making the burrs and wires a non-issue, by the time you've finished with the finest hone.
 
Adding one thing to my earlier advice:

If you don't currently have a ceramic hone, use your finest diamond hone in the same manner, with very light edge-leading strokes at a slightly elevated angle. Pretty much any hone can be used in this manner to remove a wire, IF it's done with very light pressure (and WATCH closely). Too heavy, and it'll just make more/bigger burrs & wires.
 
AWESOME!! Thanks guys...I'll try all of your suggestions.

Since you're familiar with the Lansky system, I'd recommend (highly) getting the fine and UF ceramic hones for it.
Click to expand...

I wish I would've seen this before I placed an order with Lansky...about an hour ago. LOL

My system has extra coarse, coarse, medium and fine. So I ordered the ultra fine and one they call the "super sapphire." They aren't very descriptive on their website, so I'm gonna do a little digging and see what I can find out about this super sapphire hone. I'll look into getting the ceramic hones as well. I figure the more options I have, the better i'll get at sharpening...maybe.

Thanks again, I appreciate ya'lls help. :)
 
Johnny Numbers said:
My system has extra coarse, coarse, medium and fine. So I ordered the ultra fine and one they call the "super sapphire." They aren't very descriptive on their website, so I'm gonna do a little digging and see what I can find out about this super sapphire hone. I'll look into getting the ceramic hones as well. I figure the more options I have, the better i'll get at sharpening...maybe.

Thanks again, I appreciate ya'lls help. :)
Click to expand...

The 'Fine' and 'Ultra-Fine' hones I spoke of, are the purple(ish) hone in the blue holder (Fine) and the white hone in yellow holder (UF). If you have an Ultra-Fine on the way, it's possible you've at least got some of it covered already (Lansky doesn't have any other Ultra-Fine, so far as I know, in diamond or otherwise). And the Super Sapphire hone can't hurt (I haven't tried that one). At any rate, the main key is LIGHT pressure. As I noted before, you can do a lot of burr/wire removal with most any hone, so long as it's done very lightly. Here are pics of the two ceramics I referred to earlier:

LSS0600.jpg

LSS1000.jpg
 
One more question...

When you say light strokes at an elevated angle, I have been using the 25 deg setting, so the next one up is 30 deg. That's as elevated as it gets. Would that be enough to get the desired results?

[edited to add]

Light pressure...got it!!
 
Johnny Numbers said:
One more question...

When you say light strokes at an elevated angle, I have been using the 25 deg setting, so the next one up is 30 deg. That's as elevated as it gets. Would that be enough to get the desired results?
Click to expand...

I'm sure that'd be fine, if you want to do it like that. I've used the 'elevated angle' more as an after-the-fact, free-hand 'fix' for wire edges. It's more effective that way, if the burr is quite large/tough.

Generally though, while the knife is still in the Lansky clamp, I've just maintained the same angle, but focused on using much lighter pressure, while watching closely for improvement on the edge. It takes longer to gently 'polish' the burr away like this, but the finished result is worth it. This is why it's good to closely watch everything while the blade is still clamped, to be sure most issues are taken care of beforehand. Once the knife is unclamped, if a wire is found then, that's when I'll free-hand it at a slightly higher angle.
 
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