Removing the burr

Hengelo_77

Hengelo_77

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When you sharpen by hand, what is the best way to remove the burr?
I have heared that the smooth side of vegetable tanned leather works best.
What do you guys use?
 
kbaknife said:
I have a piece of leather glued to a long block of wood that I lock in the vise and strop the blade.
Click to expand...

Is it vegetable tanned leather?
Do you use the smooth, or the "flesh"side?

Do you use any compound, or just as it is?

Thanx
 
I do all my work with an Edge Pro then a few swipes on a Hand American strop with some compound. I have 4 strops. 3 loaded and one just bare leather. Razor sharp results.
 
Hengelo_77 said:
Is it vegetable tanned leather?
Do you use the smooth, or the "flesh"side?

Do you use any compound, or just as it is?

Thanx
Click to expand...

Yes, it is vegetble tanned and I use the smooth side.
I have been using it in the raw state for a while, but I am going to make another one and impregnate the leather with some Brownelle's 555 to use just following the fine diamond DMT stone I use.
I will still finish up with the raw leather strop.
 
A wire edge or burr is what I am looking for when I sharpen a knife. If I can't produce a wire edge, I won't get the keen edge I am tring to produce.

A good friend brought a magazine artical by my shop a few years back that gave me the most insight into sharpening a knife with a stone or diamond.
I think it was in Field & Stream magazine.

It went as follows: Working on one side only and using the same stroke each time, sharpen until you can feel the edge "bend" to the opposit side that is being applied to the stone. Then, turning the blade over, sharpen until you can feel the edge ,just, roll to the other side. When you have gotten the edge to do this you have thinned the edge to it's maximum and it is time to "snap" the edge off the blade. Leaning the blade upwards to a 30 degree angle to the stone, make one light pass across the surface and the edge will "snap" off, leaving just the keen edge you are seeking.
Sometimes I will follow this with leather or cardboard, but it's not usually needed.

Fred
 
Puting information from all different sources together I figured that you work on one side of the knife, but before you turn it over you first remove the burr on a piece of leather.
But it might be unnecessary?
 
That is incorrect! To produce a wire edge I work on one side then, after thining the edge on one side, I turn the blade over and work on the other side until I develope a good wire edge. Breaking the wire edge loose from the blade is the object. The edge that is left behind needs very little done to it.

You can over work an edge, even when you are using a leather stropp.

Fred

It helped me to draw a picture looking at the knife from the point back towards the handle so I could see what the edge does as you sharpen it.:thumbup:
 
I get a wire edge and verify that it runs the entire length of the blade by looking at it in intense light. If youre sharpening right, you can actually see the wire endge at a different angle than the edge bevel when you look at it right. I then use a hand strop that has a handle and thin backed wood used for barbers razors. I alternate sides stropping and often, the entire wire endge will peel off at once. if it takes too much work to remove the burr, you havent sharpened enough. it seems to me that when you do it right, its easy as pie.

I find it much harder to establish a wire edge when applying the edge with my grinder, though...
 
David Schott said:
I get a wire edge and verify that it runs the entire length of the blade by looking at it in intense light. If youre sharpening right, you can actually see the wire endge at a different angle than the edge bevel when you look at it right. I then use a hand strop that has a handle and thin backed wood used for barbers razors. I alternate sides stropping and often, the entire wire endge will peel off at once. if it takes too much work to remove the burr, you havent sharpened enough. it seems to me that when you do it right, its easy as pie.

I find it much harder to establish a wire edge when applying the edge with my grinder, though...
Click to expand...

David,

I'm with you on this one. :thumbup:Wheather you "peel" , "snap", "zip" or whatever,

Once you have set up a nice wire edge and then removed it, you will have it down pat, however you remove the wire.

I can't produce a good wire on a grinder. I assume it's because the wire gets rolled with the motion of the belt. what do you think?

Fred
 
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